Two travel KOLs explore Tokyo landmarks that are embracing energy efficiency

Japan’s dynamic capital of Tokyo is one of the top destinations for many global travellers. Last year its alluring mix of old and new – historic temples and museums, lush, cherry-blossom-filled parks and gardens, vibrant business, shopping and entertainment districts and acclaimed restaurants and bars – attracted a record high of more than 19 million visitors.

After dark, the cityscape sparkles as a mass of illuminated towers and futuristic skyscrapers, which run around the clock, and cosy, neon-lit streets dazzle the thronging crowds. It is little surprise that demand for electricity in Tokyo – recorded at 283.6 thousand gigawatt hours in 2021 – is the biggest in the country.

To produce enough electricity to serve the needs of the capital’s public transport system, tourist attractions and thousands of hotels, restaurants and cafes, while striving to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the country, Japan has turned to liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a reliable solution to both issues.

Lower-carbon energy source powers nation

LNG involves transforming natural gas – one of the traditional sources of energy – into a liquid state through a cooling process. It is the cleanest type of fossil fuel as it produces significantly less carbon dioxide than the burning of coal and oil.

Today LNG is used around the world for heating homes, powering the transport and manufacturing sectors, as well as generating electricity for the energy sector. It is widely considered to be a reliable, affordable and lower-carbon energy source, which supports global efforts to achieve a net-zero future.

Since Japan began importing LNG in 1969, the nation has maintained a high and steady demand for this form of natural gas; only China imports more LNG. In 2022, Japan imported 103 million tonnes of LNG, of which 72 million were used domestically.

Most of its home demand for LNG goes on electricity production and heating and cooking in Japanese homes. Currently, the nation uses LNG to generate 29 per cent of its electricity. Since the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, which caused a meltdown at a nuclear power plant in Fukushima, demand for LNG has remained high in the country.

Japan’s surplus LNG is supplied to its gas infrastructure projects across Asia, or sold to other countries.

Tokyo’s landmarks embrace energy efficiency

Today, many of Tokyo’s leading tourist attractions have modernised their use of energy and are continuing to look for ways to become more efficient.

Japanese communal bathhouses, known as sento, have been popular places for people to bathe and socialise with friends and neighbours for centuries. Across the capital, modern sento now heat up water for locals and visitors using natural gas, rather than the traditional, less environmentally friendly fuel of wood fires.

Energy-efficient lighting illuminates Tokyo’s TeamLab Borderless museum, which in February relocated from the man-made island of Odaiba to a more central city location at the Azabudai Hills complex. Its digital art installations, powered by hundreds of computers and projectors, immerse viewers in a world where technology, nature and creativity all converge.

Nearby, lights on the landmark, 333-metre tall Tokyo Tower, which are 100 per cent powered by solar energy, shine every night as a symbol of the city’s sustainability efforts.

LNG helps nation move to a greener future

Japanese demand for LNG is likely to remain high and steady for the foreseeable future after it set itself a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 46 per cent by 2030.

This form of natural gas will serve as an integral part of efforts to build a cleaner, lower-carbon future – in the country and beyond.