nhk world's rina nakano tells us why that decision has paid off. >> reporter: this may seem like your typical happy hour, the atmosphere, the smell, even the taste. but this man isn't drinking your typical brew. >> translator: to be honest, i'm lightweight. >> reporter: narita likes beer but doesn't like getting drunk. so he's turned to a nonalcoholic variety. it is made with the same basic beer ingredients, but it is not fermented so it is alcohol-free. >> translator: all of them taste so good. japanese beverage companies have been courting customers like narita for a number of years. a slump in beer sales that started in the 1990s prompted them to provide alternatives. now, nonalcoholic beer sales are on the rise. all four major japanese beer companies kiran, sappora and asahi, have their own version of 0% alcohol beer. >> translator: the younger generation isn't drinking beer as much as they used to. it was a shrinking market. but since we came out with this in 2009, the nonalcoholic beverage market took off. we're very optimistic it will continue to grow. >> reporter: many credit

nhk world's rina nakano shows us. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: this might seem like deja vu, but it's not.ll, the new train on tokyo's ginza line, lemon yellow body, chocolate brown roof, and boxy design looks a lot like the old train. >> translator: it resembles the one i rode many years ago. it brings back memories. >> reporter: tokyo metro designers and engineers found inspiration from the past. 1927, to be exact. the year the line's first train made its debut. back then thousands of people waited for more than two hours to experience this state-of-the-art technology for just five minutes. the train rode the rails for 40 years and then it became a museum piece. the new train featured the same yellow, a reminder of a time when workers needed to paint trains that color for better visibility underground. >> but not everything about this new metro is retro. on the inside it's outfitted with up-to-date technology. led lights that cut 40% of electricity for lighting and super energy efficient, air-conditioning systems and a 17-inch flat screen display. this unique mix of past and present has

nhk world's rina nakano shows us a view of tokyo from the clouds. >> reporter: the tokyo sky tree is over 600 meters tall. that's almost equal to two eiffel towers. it stands head and shoulders above a cityscape bristling with skyscrapers. your ears will definitely be popping on this minute and a half vertical ride. at the end of it, it's 450 meters tall observation deck. here, the public will have access to a never before seen panoramic view of tokyo. they'll see every landmark in the tokyo metropolis. even the tokyo tower, which used to hold the title of tallest, is like a red dot in the distance. these glass floors are on the lower deck. it's 340 meters off the ground, plenty high to give visitors the thrilling sensation of floating in midair. back down on earth, sky tree fever is in full swing. the sleek tower provided an ultra modern backdrop this spring for traditional cherry blossom viewing. >> translator: i am so glad i got to see this. it invigorates me. >> reporter: people try to capture the grandeur of the tower from a variety of angles. >> i can only get half of it. it's

rina nakano, nhk world, tokyo. >>> and from the weather team, here is mai shoji. mai? >> thank you very much, gene. well, the peak of this stormy condition has passed in the kanto region. this storm is directing toward hokkaido moving in a northeasterly direction as it further develops. but the winds are still packing up here in kanto region. we have maximum wind reports here in tomogashima, 116 kilometers per hour, a record breaker for the month of april. even in tokyo international airport, 98 kilometers per hour has been reported. now, these winds are still going to be very, very strong. 100 kilometers per hour when it travels to hokkaido. and high waves are going to be picking up throughout wednesday, as much as ten meters in both coastal areas. rainfall accumulation could be staggering amounts as well. we're talking about 50 to 70 millimeters in just the span of one hour. so, still, it is going to be impacting much of japan with severe conditions. this is what it looks like. you can see all these isobars very near each other. so winds are still really strong. and

nhk world's reina nakano shows us. >> reporter: this might seem like deja vu, but it's not. still, the new train on tokyo's ginza line, lemon yellow body, chocolate brown roof, and boxy design, looks a lot like the old train. >> translator: it resembles the one i rode many years ago. it brings back memories. >> reporter: tokyo metro designers and engineers found inspiration from the past. 1927, to be exact. the year the ginza line's first train made its debut. back then, thousands of people waited for more than two hours to experience this state of the art technology for just five minutes. the train rode the rails for 40 years. then it became a museum piece. the new train features the same yellow. a reminder of a time when workers needed to paint trains that color for better visibility underground. but not everything about this new metro is retro. on the inside, it's outfitted with up-to-date technology. l.e.d. lights that cuter energy efficient air conditioning systems, and a 17-inch flat screen display. this unique mix of past and present has both riders and designers exci

rina nakano, nhk world, tokyo. >>> and the tokyo skytree opens to the public on may 22nd.ut presale tickets for the observation decks are already booked through mid-june. >>> it's rang on and off here in tokyo on thursday afternoon. time to check the weather with rachel ferguson. >> hi there. it's going to be raining on and off and into friday. the same goes here in to eastern tohoku. the rest of japan should look much clearer as we head on into friday. the system that's moving across at the moment has been bringing some very strong winds across central and southern japan. gusts exceeding 100 kilometers an hour. the rain, though is not quite as heavy as it was across eastern china when that system was impacting in the last couple of days. now things are looking much clearer here. good spells of sunshine. up to the north, a low coming across from mongolia. it's been bringing snow here. but as it heads into northeastern china, that precipitation will be rain. down toward the southeast, a stalled out front that's going to be keeping those thunderstorms and unstable conditions