2012 Japan agenda

The year 2011 was one of the most testing for Japan in modern history, but the national resilience has shone through since the natural disasters of March 11 and the country is looking forward to a more prosperous and happier 2012.The following is a selection of some of the main events over the coming year. New Year Grand Sumo Tournament January 8-22 Tokyo The mountain-sized men of Japan\'s sumo world will shake the sacred \"dohyo,\" the raised clay ring at the center of the sumo stadium alongside the Sumida River in eastern Tokyo to mark the New Year. One of only six official tournaments held throughout the year, the New Year tournament is the one that all the wrestlers -- including a growing number of foreigners -- want to win. As much as the contest between wrestlers who can weigh a couple of hundred kilos, visitors are treated to the traditions and history of this ancient sport. The 63rd Sapporo Snow Festival February 6-12 Sapporo The festival is held in and around Sapporo, the capital of the most northerly Japanese island of Hokkaido, and can trace its roots back to a group of high school friends who decided in 1950 to see who could make the best ice sculpture in the city\'s Odori Park. Since then, it has snowballed into an international jamboree of ice art, attracting well over 2 million people for each of the last four years and making the event one of Japan\'s must-see events. The Chinese city of Harbin also hosts a major international festival through the winter, while the Alaska city of Fairbanks will again be staging the World Ice Art Championships from late February. 5th Tokyo Marathon February 26 Tokyo Although it is not considered one of the five World Marathon Majors, the run through the streets of Tokyo is nevertheless one of just 15 marathons to be included in the International Association of Athletics Federations\' Gold Label Road Races classification. More than 500 marathons are staged each year worldwide, with the most prestigious races in Boston, New York, Chicago and Berlin. 42nd Tokyo Motorcycle Show 2012 March 23-25 Tokyo The 42nd annual Tokyo Motorcycle Show will be the biggest trade event for two-wheeled vehicles in Japan, showcasing all the latest designs of makers from around the world. Japan\'s major motorcycle manufacturers will be well represented, including Suzuki, Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha, while foreign firms that will also be displaying their latest wares include BMW, Triumph, Vespa, Ducati, Harley Davidson and Moto Guzzi. Other major exhibitions include the Milano Motorcycle Show, staged in November, while Bahrain will be looking to build on its first International Motorbike Show in the years ahead. Short Shorts Film Festival Asia 2012 June Tokyo and Yokohama Started in 2004, the event has grown into one of the most important dates on the Japanese movie calendar and has been supported in the past by such established names as George Lucas, Martin Scorsese and Sofia Coppola. The festival became an official qualifying festival for the Academy Awards in 2004. Scheduled to run for 10 days, the festival receives 4,000 entries from around the world but will screen around 100 films, all of which can only last a maximum of 25 minutes. Among the most well-known events are the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival, which opened in the French city in late January, the Aspen Short Film Festival in September, and the Montreal World Film Festival, also in September. Gion Festival July 1-29 Kyoto Famous as one of the \"Big Three\" festivals on the Japanese calendar, the Gion Festival takes place in the ancient capital of Kyoto with events happening throughout the month. The highlight of the festival, however, is the parade of elaborately decorated floats through the city on the 17th. The event dates back more than 1,100 years and was designed to appease the deity of plague and other illnesses. 15th Fuji Rock Festival July 27-29 Naeba Ski Resort, Yuzawa-machi, Niigata The biggest music festival in Japan has appropriately attracted some of the biggest names in the music world in recent years -- from the Arctic Monkeys to the Asian Dub Foundation, Big Audio Dynamite, The Chemical Brothers and Coldplay. The dates for the 2012 event have already been set and the first big-name band to be lined up is The Stone Roses. Other dates for music festival fans around the world include the Glastonbury Festival and the Isle of Wight Festival in the UK, as well as Australia\'s East Coast Blues and Roots Music Festival and Bonnaroo in the US state of Tennessee. 19th Tokyo International Book Fair July 5-8 Tokyo Marking its 19th year, the biggest publishing trade fair in Asia is to be staged at the Tokyo Big Sight convention center. Nearly 1,000 exhibitors and more than 87,000 visitors from across the publishing industry will attend the event, which also serves as a venue for negotiating publication rights and imports and exports of titles. The London Book Fair will be marking its 41st year in April, the New Delhi World Book Fair is going ahead in February and Cuba is hosting its 21st Havana Book Fair in the same month. Tokyo Jazz Festival 2011 August 31 - September 2 Tokyo Some of the biggest names in the world of jazz descend on Tokyo for Japan\'s largest celebration of jazz music, which is staged at the Tokyo International Forum over three days from August 31. Last year\'s festival included such international stars as Al Jarreau, The Count Basie Orchestra and David Sanborn. Jazz has an enthusiastic following in Japan and home-grown talents include Akira Ishii, Kenji Hino and Hiromi Uehara, famous for her improvisational piano pieces. 16th Tokyo Game Show 2012 September 20-23 Tokyo The 2011 game show attracted a record 222,668 over its three-day run, with a raft of new titles for smartphones among the top attractions. Organizers hope to build on the popularity of the event again this year and will have more than 190 game-related companies from around the world exhibiting their latest wares. Several rival events have cropped up in recent years, such as the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Santa Monica, California, and the Leipzig Games Convention, although TGS retains its title as the biggest event in the world. 12th CEATEC Japan 2012 October 2-6 Tokyo The largest exhibition of cutting-edge technology in Asia, CEATEC Japan 2012 will again be examining the traditional theme of \"Smart Innovation: Cutting-edge technologies to create the future.\" Organizers are expecting the five-day event to attract 200,000 people, with the products and services on display ranging from nanotechnology to supercomputers, environment-friendly cars and robotics. The event is the second-largest in the world, behind the Las Vegas International Consumer Electronics Show, while the Macworld Conference and Expo has been slated for January in San Francisco and the Singapore Electronics Show is scheduled for March. F1 Grand Prix October 7-9 Suzuka City The Suzuka circuit will again host the Japanese Formula 1 Grand Prix this year, with practicing opening on October 7 and the race scheduled to be held on October 9. Considered something of a classic design by race fans, the Suzuka circuit is one of the few still in existence that has a figure-of-eight configuration, with an underpass. The race will be over 53 laps and cover just over 307.5km. 25th Tokyo International Film Festival October Tokyo One of the 12 largest film festivals on the international circuit, this annual event attracts an audience of 80,000 and screens more than 200 films, including dramas, documentaries and shorts. In addition to the competition, the program spotlights Japanese and Asian filmmakers and trends with a film market, panel discussions and gala events. This year\'s event will mark the 25th anniversary of the first TIFF and organizers hope to gradually challenge Cannes and Berlin. Japan Cup November 25 Tokyo Thanks to the strength of the yen, the Japan Cup is now one of the world\'s richest turf horse race, with Y533 million (€4.93 million) up for grabs at the Tokyo Racecourse. The 12-furlong race is the most prestigious race on the Japanese calendar and attracts jockeys, trainers and spectators from around the world. Admission is Y200 (€1.94). The Tokyo Racecourse, Fuchu.