In what appears to be an unusual mix, tech giant Sony Corp. opened a “park” in the middle of the Tokyo’s ritzy Ginza district on Thursday with four subterranean levels.

Ginza Sony Park was built at the site where the Sony Building, a former landmark, once stood. The ground floor consists of greenery and looks like a standard park, but the four underground floors consist of shops and free space.

Some of the shops sell food and goods, but much of the facility’s 3,807 sq. meters of floor space is designed to let people hang out freely.

For now, a roller skating rink has been set up on the second basement floor that can be used for free until Sept. 24.

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The number of foreign visitors to Japan in July hit a record for the month, supported by growing ranks of individual travelers from China.

The Japan National Tourism Organization says an estimated 2.8 million foreign nationals visited the country last month, up 5.6 percent from a year earlier.

Officials say visitors from mainland China made up the largest group at 880,000.

They say more flights from Thailand and Vietnam operated by low-cost carriers also helped.

The number of travelers from South Korea was down 5.6 percent to 610,000, making the first decline in 26 months. The number from Hong Kong dropped 3.3 percent.

Officials say despite the overall increase, some tourists apparently decided not to come to Japan after torrential rain caused disasters in the western parts of the country.

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Several beaches ravaged by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan have been reopened for bathing for the first time in 8 years.

Haragamaobama beach in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture, was opened to the public on Saturday.
Seawalls on the beach were badly damaged by the tsunami 8 years ago. But the reconstruction work has been completed.
A ritual was held to pray for safety, and a group of local residents released balloons into the sky before the beach was officially declared open.
Children then jumped into the water all at once.Local diners have opened beach houses to offer shaved ice with syrup on top, as well as other food and drinks.
A woman in her 30s said she is happy to once again be able to swim in the sea, where she would come every year before the disaster.A teenage boy said he has been looking forward to the opening of the beach. He said he wants to fully enjoy himself with his friends.
Four beaches in Fukushima Prefecture have reopened since the disaster including in Iwaki and Soma.