Falcon´s Creative Group, Harves Entertainment to create next-gen amusement

KUALA LUMPUR, March 29 (Bernama) -- Harves Entertainment and Falcon’s Creative Group have entered into a new strategic partnership to propel new opportunities in the design and realisation of global, next generation entertainment experiences.

The partnership will create a complete package of integrated services, including concept development, financing, creative execution, real estate development, construction and operations.

The agreement also aligns the two entities to aggressively move forward on additional entertainment and educational concepts in China, and then globally.

They will execute projects with both recognised intellectual property assets and proprietary concepts.

The combined team will also develop and license technologies that enhance visitor experience and are unique to this rapidly evolving industry.

Together, the teams will be able to fund initiatives, conceptualise new ideas, develop technology and efficiently build and operate cross-cultural, innovative experiences worldwide.

Harves Entertainment is a division of Harves, a premier Chinese real estate and investment company with operational and entertainment services.

Falcon’s Creative Group, based in Orlando, Florida, designs and produces immersive experiences and theme park attractions with an emphasis on storytelling and innovative technology applications.

-- BERNAMA

DOCOMO, Sony to test driverless concept vehicle via 5G trial network

KUALA LUMPUR, March 27 (Bernama) -- Japan's leading mobile operator, NTT DOCOMO INC, and Sony Corporation will jointly test driverless concept vehicle via 5G trial network.

The New Concept Cart SC-1 is a highly conceptual vehicle that incorporates artificial-intelligence and robotics technologies developed by Sony.

The test will be conducted in DOCOMO 5G Open Lab(™) GUAM, which will provide test facilities and an outdoor verification environment constructed by DOCOMO and operated by DOCOMO PACIFIC, INC.

The test will verify data transmission and operational performance required to remotely control the cart from a long distance via the extra-high speed, large capacity, low latency and massive-device connectivity.

This will be the firms’ second joint trial of 5G technologies, following a trial conducted in Japan in 2017 to test the real-time transmission of high-definition video via a 5G system to a 4K digital-signage system fitted to the outside of the cart.

Moving forward, Sony and DOCOMO will also collaborate to expand the application of 5G technologies.

-- BERNAMA

NEW LIMITED EXPRESS TRAIN "LAVIEW" DEBUTS IN MARCH 2019, DESIGN DIRECTED BY ARCHITECT KAZUYO SEJIMA

TOKOROZAWA, Japan, Apr. 3, 2019 /Kyodo JBN - AsiaNet / --

SEIBU RAILWAY Co., Ltd., put into service its new limited express train "Laview" on Saturday, March 16, 2019. Both the exterior and interior of the Laview train were designed by world-renowned architect Kazuyo Sejima to develop a new "never seen before train car." As the new flagship train bearing the future of Seibu Railway, its train type is designated as the 001 Series.

(Images: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/release/201903274709?p=images)

Seibu Railway, which celebrated the 100th anniversary of its foundation in 2012 and the 100th anniversary of its operation in 2015, has kept coming up with innovations, including the Seibu Traveling Restaurant "52 Seats of Happiness" aboard a train with all its seats dedicated to restaurant use as well as the "40000 Series" commuter train fitted with a "Partner Zone," which can be comfortably used by all passengers, including small children and those using baby strollers or wheelchairs. The company has developed the Laview as the new flagship train that will lead Seibu Railway on its path to the next 100 years.

The Laview's most conspicious feature is its rounded front end while its windshield is made of three-dimensional curved glass with a curvature radius of 1,500 mm (unprecedented in Japan). Furthermore, cabin windows are furnished with large window panes, each 1,350 mm in height and 1,580 mm in width, at an equal interval, enabling passengers to enjoy a panoramic view of passing scenery. The exterior color of the car, new aluminum paint developed especially for Laview, is designed in a way to blend gently into the landscape in the city and nature. The interior, based on a warm yellow color combination, creates a soft living room-like ambience. Each seat is equipped with electrical outlets and "SEIBU FREE Wi-Fi" is available on each coach. Large 23-inch onboard video screens display information in four languages -- Japanese, English, Korean and Mandarin. They all add up to provide amenities and make every passenger feel comfortable.

Along the Seibu Railway Ikebukuro and Seibu-Chichibu lines, the Moomin Valley Park was opened at Hanno in March 2019, which helps visitors experience the world view of Moomin. Also in the Chichibu area, moss pink will come into full bloom in late April.

Photo1: Train exterior
https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/img/201903274709-O1-g592u1cn

Photo2: Train interior
https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/img/201903274709-O2-7BbXdFTz

Photo3: Architect: Kazuyo Sejima (basic design supervision)
https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/img/201903274709-O3-nyD2Vdy3

Photo4: Textile designer/coordinator: Yoko Ando
https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/img/201903274709-O4-wa0T6aPM

Photo5: Lighting designer: Shozo Toyohisa
https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/img/201903274709-O5-0h29T6bG

Photo6: Architect: Yoshitaka Tanase
https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/img/201903274709-O6-31HBV4y1

For information on the four designers engaged in the design of the Laview, please visit: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/attach/201903274709-O3-miZ1juQ1.pdf

About Seibu Railway
A core company of the Seibu Group mainly engaged in urban transportation/businesses along railway lines and hotel/leisure/real estate businesses. Owns 12 routes with a total length of 176.6 km, including the Ikebukuro and Shinjuku lines, which originate in the Tokyo hubs of Ikebukuro and Shinjuku and run through the western part of Tokyo and the southwestern part of Saitama Prefecture.
Along the lines, there are plenty of sightseeing spots including the Hanno area, which has been thriving after Moomin Valley Park opened there, and the Chichibu area, which is lushly green as the nearest national park to the center of Tokyo. Also on the list is Kawagoe, which is called Little Edo (present era of Tokyo) for its historical sights, including a district of old earthen-walled storehouses.

https://www.seiburailway.jp/railways/tourist/english/

Source: SEIBU RAILWAY Co., Ltd.

THE OKURA TOKYO STARTS TAKING RESERVATIONS

A special room price campaign is launched to herald the new hotel’s opening

TOKYO, April 1 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Hotel Okura Co., Ltd. today announced that The Okura Tokyo, due to open on September 12 2019, has started accepting advance reservations for accommodation and restaurants. The hotel is also launching a special room price campaign to celebrate its opening.

The Okura Tokyo replaces the highly acclaimed Hotel Okura Tokyo, which originally opened its doors as a "Uniquely Japanese World-Class Hotel" in 1962. The hotel subsequently welcomed distinguished guests from all over the world, and consistently pioneered developments in the hotel industry in Japan. The new hotel will reprise the former hotel’s traditional Japanese beauty as well as its cherished simplicity and elegance to offer a new combination of “traditional luxury” and “contemporary luxury.” A total of 508 expansive rooms will be available in two buildings on its spacious grounds in the center of Tokyo.

The smaller of the two buildings, The Okura Heritage Wing, will comprise a 17-story structure with refreshing views of gardens and greenery on three sides; a top-tier luxury hotel with a tasteful, classically Japanese atmosphere. The spacious guest rooms will offer a generous floor area of 60 m2 and an overall width of eight meters, making them one of the largest standard hotel rooms in Tokyo. All rooms will feature the distinctive flavor of Japanese interior design and come equipped with steam saunas and spa baths for enhanced relaxation. The larger Okura Prestige Tower will be a 41-story structure offering premium quality accommodation accented with refined Japanese aesthetics.

The creation of two separate properties reflects the company’s strategy to evolve its room branding into two differentiated categories. Rooms under the contemporary luxury Okura Prestige brand are already available in its overseas properties. Its more exclusive counterpart—the Okura Heritage brand, embodying traditional and dignified luxury—will make its debut at The Okura Tokyo.

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=34197

St Kitts and Nevis 'Citizenship by Investment Programme' extolled for nation's key development

KUALA LUMPUR, March 26 (Bernama) -- St Kitts and Nevis’ International Trade Minister, Lindsay Grant recently recognised its Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme which fuelled several key economic sector development.

CS Global Partners is the international legal advisory, mandated by the twin island government to promote the programme worldwide.

Grant highlighted revenue from the government’s newest CBI investment channel - Sustainable Growth Fund - which benefited education, sustainability, infrastructure and tourism areas.

Specifically, the revenue was used to support sustainable growth initiatives, education, climate change resilience, economic growth, infrastructure development, medical facilities enhancement, tourism development, and culture and heritage preservation.

St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Timothy Harris has also praised the programme’s “incredible success” during his most recent annual budget address, noting that it gave the government the “fiscal space” to implement a series of initiatives.

Among the initiatives is the Poverty Alleviation Programme, providing households earning less than EC$3,000 per month with a EC$500 aid. (EC$1 = RM1.51)

Several infrastructural developments that support locally-sourced materials, servicing and employment are also partly funded by the CBI Programme.

St Kitts and Nevis has been running its CBI Programme since 1984, making it the longest-serving and most experienced in the world.

It provides eligible global investors and their families with a second citizenship of a well-connected, prosperous country, with the prospects of passing down citizenship to all future generations.

All applicants are subjected to thorough due diligence checks, which now include digital fingerprinting – the first amongst Caribbean CBI jurisdictions.

-- BERNAMA

Tokyo's Western Art Museum will hold May, June exhibitions marking 60th anniversary

KUALA LUMPUR, March 29 (Bernama) -- The National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo will hold a series of basic philosophy-themed exhibitions this year, to mark its 60th anniversary founding.

Following the ongoing ‘Le Corbusier and the Age of Purism’ exhibition beginning May 19, the museum will also hold ‘THE MATSUKATA COLLECTION: A One-Hundred-Year Odyssey’ exhibition from June 11 to Sept 23.

These masterpieces belonging to businessman Kojiro Matsukata are collections of works by Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Auguste Rodin, among others.

Matsukata has collected a massive number of artworks including ‘Water Lilies’, in London and Paris over a period of 10 years from 1916, aimed at establishing a museum of art introducing Western artworks in Japan.

During the exhibition, the museum will also display Monet's long missing ‘Water Lilies, Reflections of Weeping Willows’ which was found in France in 2016 and donated to the museum later, for the first time, after restoration of the work.

The museum holds the best collection of Western artworks in Asia, allowing visitors to trace the history of Western art from the late Medieval Period to the early 20th century and the main building designed by architect Le Corbusier, registered as a World Cultural Heritage site.

Audio guidance in English, Chinese and Korean (paid) are provided while free guide apps and tablets in these three languages are also available at some exhibitions. For more information, contact http://www.nmwa.go.jp/en.

-- BERNAMA

Fusionex 'high-lights' non-communicable diseases with RM50,000 contribution to Rotary Club

KUALA LUMPUR, March 26 (Bernama) -- Multi-award winning data technology provider, Fusionex has contributed RM50,000 to the 3H Health Awareness Campaign organised by the Rotary Club of Kuala Lumpur DiRaja.

Officiated by Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad and Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil, the programme - slated to run for two years - aims to create awareness on the ‘3Hs’ or ‘three highs’, namely high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high blood sugar.

“The ministry is extremely proud of the initiative taken by the Rotary Club, as this is in line with its Strategic Plan for Non-Communicable Diseases to enhance cooperation with the private sector and NGOs (non-governmental organisations) to improve the health of citizens,” said Dr Dzulkefly.

The campaign was launched at the Lembah Pantai Library Complex, with the participation of Fusionex founder and group chief executive officer Datuk Seri Ivan Teh during the cheque presentation ceremony.

Fusionex is a main partner for the programme which aims to educate the public via a Mobile Medical Outreach van manned by medical professionals, which will visit schools, colleges, malls and community centres nationwide to conduct public health screening.

The event saw close to 400 members of the public receiving free health check-ups, including Body Mass Index, blood pressure, blood sugar and total cholesterol tests. The health tests were conducted by voluntary nurses.

For more information, contact https://www.fusionex-international.com.

-- BERNAMA