centralwOrld

Japan Expo Thailand turns 11 and returns with the confidence of something that knows it no longer has to explain itself. Across three days this February, the festival reshapes Bangkok into a loose map of Japanese fixations, from obsessive food corners to showcases that nod at craft, pop culture and newer creative experiments. One minute you’re watching a crowd queue politely for takoyaki, the next you’re drifting past contemporary art, anime curiosities and stages hosting headline Asian acts. Beyond the fanfare, the appeal sits in its range. Travel dreams, study ambitions and licensed collectibles share floor space without judgement. Business conversations hum quietly at the edges. Japan appears less as a distant reference point and more as a familiar neighbour, one that has been part of the region’s cultural vocabulary for years. Consider it a reunion rather than a spectacle.   February 6-8. Free. Central World, 10am-9pm

Fluorescent lighting, neutral walls, the polite hush of an office waiting room. The Human Resource Center exhibition borrows the visual language of a job interview and quietly twists it. Visitors are asked to make a decision most of us rehearse in our heads but rarely perform out loud: fill in a job application or sign a resignation letter. No symbolism, no safety net. Whatever you write is sent directly to Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit and actually read, which sharpens the stakes in a way email drafts never do. The set-up feels uncomfortably familiar, like muscle memory kicking in. Pens hover. Hesitations surface. Ambition rubs against exhaustion. The exhibition works as a mirror, reflecting how work seeps into identity, self-worth and fantasy futures. Stay long enough and it becomes clear this is not about careers at all, but the private negotiations we carry everywhere, even after office hours.   Until February 8. Free. Central World, 10am-10pm