A Journey of Light Connecting Takanawa’s Memories with the Future 100 Years Ahead. Opening Report of “TAKANAWA LIGHT JOURNEY” at Gateway Park | Event Report

Hello! I’m Saito from SUNNY SIDE UP.

As part of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s initiative to revitalize nighttime tourism, “TAKANAWA LIGHT JOURNEY”, organized by the Takanawa Gateway Area Projection Mapping Executive Committee, opened on February 5, 2026.

SUNNY SIDE UP has been comprehensively involved in this project as the PR secretariat, from planning and proposal to event management and public relations activities.

In this report, Saito from the PR team shares the vision behind this event, which expresses the “past, present, and future” of the Takanawa area, along with highlights from the opening day.

A New Challenge at an “Experimental Site” Looking 100 Years Ahead

The venue was Gateway Park within “TAKANAWA GATEWAY CITY,” where JR East is developing a community positioned as “an experimental site for enriching lives 100 years into the future.”

The event is divided into three sections, each featuring immersive presentations where light, sound, and fountains synchronize.

The first section is “Time Voyage – The Voyage of Luminous Memory,” a journey of light through Takanawa’s past, present, and future 100 years ahead. This temporal journey traces the history and memories accumulated in this area, from approximately 150 years ago when Japan’s first railway ran over the sea, through the present, to 100 years into the future. One day, a ticket arrives, and a journey begins exploring Takanawa’s history and the evolution of mobility.

This section utilizes “moving mirror technology,” introduced in earnest for the first time in Japan. By attaching movable mirrors to projectors, dynamic video projection is achieved not only on walls but also on floors, ceilings, and in coordination with the venue’s fountains. This technology, which transforms the entire space into a canvas, creates an “overwhelming sense of immersion” where audiences feel absorbed into the imagery.

The second section is “The TAKANAWA,” an original art piece based on environmental sounds and images from the Takanawa area. Environmental sounds that blend into daily life in Takanawa overlap and interact with music, video, light, and space to depict the Takanawa area three-dimensionally.

This experience invites visitors to rediscover that this place, which has accumulated history alongside sounds created by human activity and the development of culture and technology, will continue to exist here 100 years from now.

The third section is “LUMINOUS GATEWAY,” a corridor of light that creates three-dimensional staging throughout the venue. It not only presents the works three-dimensionally but also transforms the pathways themselves into an experience. Light that changes expression with each step adds new depth to Takanawa’s landscape.

A Highly Successful Opening Event!

On the opening day, we held an opening event featuring a lighting ceremony with Shinichi Tsutsumi and Ami Touma, who appear in the TAKANAWA GATEWAY CITY commercials.

Media exposure is crucial to informing as many people as possible about the projection mapping event.

SUNNY SIDE UP went beyond simple information dissemination and event hosting, emphasizing storytelling that combines the historical background of TAKANAWA GATEWAY CITY with the context of tourism promotion pursued by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and maximized exposure through measures such as arranging interviews with key personnel.As a result of this multifaceted information dissemination, we achieved significant response on TV, web, and other media.

Moving forward, we will continue to create mechanisms that move society through the power of PR and communication, not only through event planning and management but also by building momentum through the enhancement of content and brand value beyond.

“TAKANAWA LIGHT JOURNEY” will be held until February 11 (Wednesday, national holiday). Please visit this fantastical space woven with light and sound.