Sébastien Raineri

タイムアウト東京 > アート&カルチャー > 「KYOTOGRAPHIE 2025」に行くべき6のこと 春が広がる京都。写真という芸術メディアを通じた、文化交流のための国内随一の国際的なプラットフォーム「KYOTOGRAPHIE」が開催される時期だ。京都の伝統とイノベーションが融合したこの国際写真祭は、京都1000年の遺産と国際的な文化発信地としての役割が合わさっている。 KYOTOGRAPHIEは単なる国際写真祭ではない。京都への入り口である。京都の寺院、茶屋、伝統的な町家、近代的なランドマークなど、詩的な背景の中、毎年恒例の本写真祭は、京都という文化都市をオープンエアのギャラリーへと変えていく。 明治時代の酒蔵から京都駅の洗練された鉄骨まで、京都の最も象徴的であり、かつ思いがけない場所に、考え抜かれ、埋め込まれた力強いビジュアルが期待できるのだ。2025年4月12日〜5月11日（日）の会期で開催される今年のテーマは「HUMANITY」。ここでは英語版編集部によるKYOTOGRAPHIEが、毎春アートファンにとって行くべきディスティネーションとなる理由を6つ紹介したい。

The Setouchi Triennale is one of Japan’s most celebrated contemporary art festivals. Since its inception in 2010, the showcase has brought world-class art to the islands of the Seto Inland Sea in the form of site-specific installations, interactive projects, and performances that integrate seamlessly with the natural and cultural environment. Visitors can explore artworks scattered across Naoshima, Teshima, Shodoshima, and around 10 other islands, encountering everything from avant-garde sculptures to traditional crafts reinterpreted in contemporary forms. Returning in 2025 to once again transform the Inland Sea area into a massive open-air museum, the Triennale is held across three seasons: Spring (April 18 to May 25), Summer (August 1 to August 31) and Autumn (October 3 to November 9). The festival always brings together artists from around the world to engage with the region’s rich history, breathtaking landscapes and vibrant local communities, and the 2025 edition will continue this legacy with new commissions that reflect themes of ecology, sustainability and coexistence – urgent topics in an era of climate change and depopulation. Read on for our picks of things not to miss at the 2025 Setouchi Triennale. RECOMMENDED: Check out our ultimate guide to the Setouchi area

As spring unfolds in the ancient city of Kyoto, the spotlight once again turns to Kyotographie – Japan’s premier international platform for the exchange of culture through the artistic medium of photography. Celebrating its home city’s unique blend of tradition and innovation, this festival intertwines Kyoto’s thousand-year legacy with its role as a beacon of international culture. But Kyotographie isn’t just a photo festival: it’s a portal. Set against the poetic backdrop of Kyoto’s temples, teahouses, traditional machiya dwellings and modern landmarks, the annual springtime celebration transforms Japan’s cultural capital into an open-air gallery. Expect powerful visuals thoughtfully embedded in some of the city’s most iconic – and unexpected – venues, from a Meiji-era (1868–1912) sake brewery to the sleek steel face of Kyoto Station. Running from April 12 to May 11, this year’s edition of the festival highlights the unifying theme of ‘Humanity’. Here’s why Kyotographie makes for an essential addition to any art fan’s spring itinerary.

Their time in the subcultural shadows long gone, manga and anime are now common sights at prestigious art museums around the world, with large-scale exhibitions showcasing otaku culture and popular titles popping up from New York and London to Singapore in recent years. But Tokyo is still the world capital of anime and manga shows, and this year brings another packed slate of highlights to exhibition venues around the city. These are our picks of the best displays coming up in 2025 – from cyberpunk dreams and epic sagas to art inspired by the world’s most famous monster. RECOMMENDED: The best art exhibitions to see in Tokyo this year

The art year 2025 in Tokyo is looking packed, with a hefty slate of exhibitions and events highlighting everything from cutting-edge contemporary art to thousand-year old treasures. The visionary sound installations of Ryuichi Sakamoto can be appreciated at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo through the end of March, while spring sees the Mori Museum highlight the intersection of art and digital technology and the Azabudai Hills Gallery showcase the eclectic work of Tomokazu Matsuyama. Big draws in the latter half of the year include an in-depth look at the career of Expo 2025 site designer Sou Fujimoto and the Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum’s celebration of 1920s fashion. Mark your calendars… RECOMMENDED: The best new attractions and facilities opening in Tokyo in 2025

The style of Japanese woodblock printing known as ukiyo-e (‘images of the floating world’) flourished during the Edo period (1603–1867). Artists captured the vibrant spirit of the ‘floating world’, a phrase that evoked both the pleasures of urban life and the fleeting nature of existence. Characterised by precise lines, luminous pigments, and depictions of kabuki actors, courtesans and landscapes, ukiyo-e became the defining art form of its time. Masters like Sharaku, Utamaro and Hokusai elevated the genre into a cultural touchstone whose influence endures worldwide. That lasting impact is on display at ‘Ukiyo-e In Play’, hosted by the Hyokeikan at the Tokyo National Museum until June 15. Organised by the Adachi Foundation for the Preservation of Woodcut Printing, the exhibition features works by 85 contemporary artists, designers and creators who reinterpret the ukiyo-e legacy through collaboration with artisans working with traditional carving and printing methods. A highlight of the show is the section called ‘Ukiyo-e Artists Today’, where new prints by the likes of renowned pop artist Keiichi Tanaami are presented. Visitors are invited to discover how ukiyo-e has remained a vibrant, playful and resolutely modern art form through the centuries.

Founded in Osaka in 1983, Capcom has shaped the landscape of global gaming with legendary franchises like Street Fighter, Resident Evil and Monster Hunter. To celebrate over four decades of imagination, innovation and impact from one of Japan’s most iconic video game developers, the Nakanoshima Museum of Art in Osaka is hosting ‘Capcom Creation – Moving Hearts Across the Globe’ until June 22. This immersive exhibition explores the evolution of video games as an art form, one that blends technology with human creativity to bring extraordinary digital worlds to life. Spanning multiple ‘rounds’, the exhibition traces Capcom’s creative journey. Visitors enter through a vibrant 16-metre video tunnel featuring animated tributes to beloved characters, then dive into rare concept art, design documents, vintage box illustrations and behind-the-scenes materials. Interactive zones, including a pixel art lab, facial expression tracking and motion capture mirrors, invite guests to experience the technology behind game creation first hand. Highlights exclusive to the Osaka edition of the show include a projection-mapped battle between Street Fighter’s Ryu and Olympic wrestling champion Saori Yoshida, as well as an immersive Resident Evil walkthrough experience. After its run in Capcom’s home city, the exhibition will travel to locales including Nagoya, Tottori, Tokyo and Niigata.

Japanese printmaking, with its rich history and refined aesthetics, has long been a cornerstone of the nation’s visual culture. Originating as a tool for religious devotion and later blossoming into an expressive art form, Japanese prints have transcended the boundaries of time and geography. From the delicate lines of ukiyo-e to the bold experiments of sosaku-hanga, the country’s printmaking reflects a distinctive interplay of tradition, innovation and global dialogue. On at the Machida City Museum of Graphic Arts until June 15, ‘1,200 Years of Japanese Prints’ is an ambitious exhibition that traces the evolution of Japanese printmaking from the 8th century to the present. Featuring approximately 240 works from the museum’s extensive collection, the show explores how Japanese prints have absorbed and transformed influences from East Asia and the West across centuries of cultural exchange. Highlights include Buddhist prints from the Nara period (710–794), Edo-period (1603–1867) ukiyo-e, and postwar avant-garde works. Each section reveals how printmaking has served not only as an artistic practice but also as a medium of connection, bridging geographies, ideologies and generations. The exhibition invites visitors to discover how a print can become a portal to 1,200 years of creative interaction and cultural resonance.

If you’re curious about why city living looks like it does today, you’ll want to stop by the National Art Center by June 30. The Roppongi institution is hosting a landmark exhibition tracing the evolution of modern residential architecture and the visionary ideals that shaped the way we live in the 21st century.  Spanning over half a century of innovation, ‘Living Modernity’ presents 14 iconic homes from around the world, designed by luminaries such as Le Corbusier, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Alvar Aalto and Frank Gehry, each revealing aspects of how architects in the 1900s radically reimagined domestic life through form, function and comfort. Organised around seven themes, the show explores how modern housing responded to both global challenges and intimate, everyday needs. Visitors will encounter a rich assemblage of original drawings, models, photographs, furniture and household items. A highlight is the full-scale reconstruction of Mies van der Rohe’s unbuilt ‘Row House’ (1931), which offers an immersive experience into the German-born architect’s minimalist vision. Interactive displays and VR installations further deepen the engagement. ‘Living Modernity’ is a reflection on how architectural experimentation from a century ago continues to inform contemporary life. Through the groundbreaking homes on display, the exhibition invites us to reconsider what it really means to live well.

This spring and summer, Japan’s ancient aesthetic heritage meets the cutting edge of animation. On at the Tokyo National Museum from March 25 to August 3, ‘Immersive Theater on Neo-Japonism: From Ancient Art to Anime’ is an ambitious 24-minute visual experience that journeys through 10,000 years of Japanese creativity. Projected across four massive walls fitted with towering 7-metre screens, the ultra-HD installation explores the evolution of Japanese artistic expression from the clay figures of the prehistoric Jomon period to the ink paintings of the Edo period (1603–1867), culminating in the vibrant dynamism of contemporary anime. Brought to life by the innovative minds at digital art outfits Panoramatiks and Cekai, the experience highlights how Japan’s animist worldview and refined sense of space continue to influence global pop culture. The exhibition draws poignant connections between ancient scrolls, classical motifs, and works by anime legends like Osamu Tezuka, Isao Takahata and Mamoru Hosoda, serving up a distinctive blend of history, art and imagination.

Soundwalk Collective, led by Stephan Crasneanscki and Simone Merli, is a Berlin-based sonic arts platform known for its experimental, interdisciplinary approach to sound. The group has collaborated with artists such as Jean-Luc Godard, Nan Goldin and Charlotte Gainsbourg, creating narratives that explore themes including time, memory and loss. This spring, they’re bringing an auditory spectacle to the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo in the form of a collab with none other than Patti Smith. A musician, poet and visual artist, the inimitable Chicago native has shaped cultural history through her fusion of literature, music and activism, inspiring generations since her groundbreaking 1975 album Horses. Fusing sound, poetry and film, ‘Correspondences’ takes over the MOT from April 26 to June 29. Through eight films, lightboxes, and sound installations, the exhibition explores themes such as environmental destruction and human resilience. Sonic memories collected from landscapes in Chernobyl and fire-ravaged forests are interwoven with Smith’s poetry and archival visuals, which feature cinema greats such as Pasolini and Godard.  Presented for the first time in Japan, the exhibition marks the launch of MOT Plus, a platform for experimental art. A special artist talk with Smith and Crasneanscki will be held on April 26.

Kenjiro Okazaki (b. 1955) is a multidisciplinary artist whose work spans painting, sculpture, architecture, landscape design and even robotics. His artistic practice defies categorisation, blending visual abstraction with conceptual depth. Internationally recognised, he directed the Japanese pavilion at the Venice Biennale’s Architecture Exhibition in 2002 and collaborated with choreographer Trisha Brown for the performance I Love My Robot (2007). ‘Time Unfolding Here’ at the Museum of Contemporary Art is the first large-scale retrospective of Okazaki’s work in Tokyo. By presenting his interdisciplinary approach, which bridges art, architecture and philosophy, the exhibition seeks to reveal how artistic creation can serve as a method of understanding the world. A must-see for anyone interested in the intersection of art and critical thinking, the show will feature new works as well as landmark pieces from Okazaki’s long career, illustrating the evolution of his exploration of form, perception and space.

Legendary anime director, producer, and co-founder of Studio Ghibli, Isao Takahata (1935–2018) was renowned for his deeply humanistic storytelling and distinctive artistic approach. A longtime collaborator and friend of Hayao Miyazaki, Takahata remained a role model for the latter throughout his life. Few filmmakers have had as profound an impact on Japanese animation as Takahata, and his meticulous direction underpins some of the most moving animated films in history. His works range from the poignant Grave of the Fireflies (1988) through Only Yesterday (1991), Pompoko (1994), My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999), and the lyrical Oscar-nominated The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013). Before setting up Ghibli, he played a pivotal role in the industry’s evolution with classics like Heidi, Girl of the Alps (1974) and Anne of Green Gables (1979), taking literary adaptations to a new artistic level. To commemorate the 90th anniversary of Takahata’s birth, Azabudai Hills Gallery hosts this extensive retrospective from June 27 to September 15. Organised with the cooperation of Studio Ghibli, the exhibition will explore Takahata’s career through his early influences, creative philosophy and technical innovations. A major focus will be Grave of the Fireflies, a film that remains one of cinema’s most powerful messages of peace, inspired by Takahata’s childhood during World War II. The exhibition will also highlight its protagonist’s pre-Ghibli contributions and artistic evolution, offerin

Few figures in Edo-period (1603–1867) Japan left as indelible a mark on the world of publishing and art as Tsutaya Juzaburo (1750–1797). A masterful entrepreneur with a keen eye for talent, Tsutaya revolutionised the ukiyo-e industry by transforming woodblock prints from ephemeral entertainment into recognised works of art. His collaborations with the leading artists of the day set new standards for craftsmanship and aesthetic refinement, while his publishing ventures produced literature – especially satire – that captivated the urban population of Edo.  With ‘Tsutaya Juzaburo: Creative Visionary of Edo’, the Tokyo National Museum pays tribute to this pioneering man of letters, showcasing a sweeping selection of prints, books and rare documents that illustrate Tsutaya’s profound influence on Japanese culture. The exhibition explores Tsutaya’s early ventures in the red-light district of Yoshiwara, his ground-breaking work in multicolour nishiki-e printing, and his role in elevating the status of ukiyo-e as a respected art form. Visitors can step into the bustling streets of Edo, experiencing the artistic innovation and cultural vibrancy that defined Tsutaya Juzaburo’s legacy.

Japanese game auteur Hideo Kojima, the mind behind Death Stranding and the Metal Gear series, has revolutionised interactive storytelling with his cinematic sensibility. Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn, celebrated for Drive and Only God Forgives, is known for his stylised, meditative explorations of violence and human nature. Bound by mutual respect and a fascination with the convergence of their mediums, the two artists share a decade-long friendship that has sparked artistic collaborations across film and video games.  The two visionary creators now reunite in Tokyo for an ambitious installation. From April 18 to August 25, Prada Aoyama hosts ‘Satellites: Nicolas Winding Refn with Hideo Kojima’, an exhibition that invites visitors into a retro-futuristic space where Refn and Kojima appear across six exposed television screens together shaped like a spaceship, engaging in dialogue on identity, death and creativity. The journey continues in an adjacent dressing room filled with cassette tapes, interweaving AI-translated soundbites and film soundtracks, allowing guests to craft their own narrative from fragments of conversation. Blurring the lines between analogue and digital, film and games, ‘Satellites’ explores human connection in an age of technological fusion.

Celebrating its 30th anniversary, the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum traces the career of one of Japan’s most compelling contemporary photographers with ‘Takano Ryudai: Kasubaba, Living through the ordinary’. Since receiving the prestigious Kimura Ihei Award in 2006 for his acclaimed series ‘In My Room’, Takano has gained international recognition for his unflinching exploration of sexuality, intimacy and the human body. Equally, his lesser-known yet deeply personal daily snapshots – what he terms kasubaba – reveal a poetic sensitivity to the ordinary moments that shape our lives. Takano has been shooting kasubaba since 1998, reflecting his enduring commitment to photographing the overlooked textures of urban life through scenes so mundane they often escape notice. This exhibition brings together these candid images, alongside works exploring shadows and the nature of photography itself, created in the wake of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake. Through his quiet yet profound visual diary, Takano invites viewers to confront the fragile beauty of the everyday. In a world marked by upheaval, disaster and uncertainty, kasubaba offer a meditation on resilience, presence, and the act of truly seeing. The retrospective celebrates Takano’s artistry while providing a poignant reminder of life’s fleeting, unadorned moments.

Formula 1 represents the pinnacle of motorsport, a global spectacle combining cutting-edge technology and adrenaline-fuelled drama. Japan has played a key role in F1 history, from iconic races at Suzuka to Honda’s engineering prowess shaping race-winning machines driven by legends including Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost. As F1 celebrates its 75th anniversary and Honda marks 60 years since its first Grand Prix victory, Tokyo is set to host a special event that could bring fans closer to the sport than ever before.  From April 2 to April 6 – the weekend of the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka – the F1 Tokyo Fan Festival will descend on Odaiba and Aomi to offer an immersive motorsport experience. The festival will feature three distinct zones: the F1 Village zone, where fans can admire real F1 cars, test their skills in a simulator and participate in a pit stop challenge; the World Food Circuit zone, which offers international flavours from Grand Prix races; and the Twilight Music zone, where dynamic performances are combined with live F1 projections. A pre-event on April 2 will feature current drivers and team staff, making this a must-attend celebration for motorsport enthusiasts.

If you’re looking to escape the city and soak up some inspiration in soothing surroundings this Golden Week, consider heading out to the Hyogo coast between May 4 and 6. That’s when the Hayashisaki Matsue Beach House in the city of Akashi will open its doors for ‘The Homesick Moon’, a collaborative exhibition between celebrated Thai artist Juli Baker & Summer and Akio Isshiki Architects. Photo: Ludovic BalayInside the house at Hayashisaki Matsue Beach The venue, a 50-year-old seaside home lovingly restored by and for the aforementioned architectural firm, provides an immersive environment for an event that blends art, architecture and dialogue while reflecting on memory, light and place. Photo: Yosuke OhtakeThe venue seen from the outside Known for her radiant illustrations and poetic storytelling, Juli Baker & Summer presents a series of lantern-inspired works designed to harmonise with the house’s warm, nostalgic atmosphere. Her exhibition explores the emotional resonance of light and how it connects rural and urban experiences, past and present, and homesickness and belonging. Photo: SuppliedArtwork by Juli Baker & Summer The event also features a series of talks and a portrait workshop, including a talk session on May 4 about regional revitalisation through international artistic collaboration, and a family-friendly portrait session with Juli Baker & Summer on May 5. Proceedings will close with a discussion on the intersection of art and architecture on May 6. The e

Deservedly known as the ‘God of Manga’, Osamu Tezuka continues to loom large over Japanese pop culture more than 35 years after his passing. A visionary whose artistic and philosophical contribution to the medium of comics is without equal, the Osaka native created a wealth of works now considered masterpieces. Phoenix (Hinotori; 1967–1988), however, stands apart as Tezuka’s self-proclaimed ‘life’s work’: a sprawling epic that weaves together past and future, delving into profound questions about life, death, and humanity’s eternal struggle for meaning. Tokyo City View at Roppongi Hills now presents the first large-scale exhibition dedicated to this epic saga. Running from March 7 to May 19 2025, ‘Osamu Tezuka’s “Hinotori” Exhibition’ offers an unprecedented look into the artist’s most monumental undertaking. It’s a display worth making the trip for, whether you’re a hardcore Tezuka acolyte or a complete newcomer to the manga form. Photo: Sébastien Raineri The god of manga Over the course of a career that spanned more than four decades – from the immediate post-World War II period to the dawn of the Heisei era – Osamu Tezuka revolutionised the medium of comics, shaping its narrative and artistic conventions. With more than 700 titles and 150,000 pages, his extensive body of work laid the foundation for modern manga and anime. Born in 1928, Tezuka’s artistic vision was shaped by Western cinema, early Disney animation, and Japanese storytelling traditions. His breakthrough wo

If your familiarity with Ryuichi Sakamoto is limited to his scores for films like Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence and The Last Emperor, a visit to the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo this winter or spring may prove startling and satisfying in equal measure. At ‘Ryuichi Sakamoto: seeing sound, hearing time’, on at the MOT until March 30 2025, the interdisciplinary segment of Sakamoto’s oeuvre takes on a monumental dimension by way of a multisensory experience that connects sound, space and time. Encouraging contemplation, lingering and meditation, the immersive retrospective offers an unparalleled opportunity to discover the artist’s sound installations and traces his experimental and pioneering journey through landmark pieces as well as previously unseen works conceived shortly before his untimely death in 2023. Photo: Kisa Toyoshima Room-sized artworks explore Sakamoto’s concept of ‘installation music’, under which the artist and his collaborators designed environments for the public to experience sound in physical space. These three-dimensional experiences interact dynamically with the museum’s architecture and highlight Sakamoto’s understanding of technology as an essential tool for making sense of the world as a whole, including the relationship between humans and their environment. An eclectic career – and a lingering influence Born in Tokyo in 1952, Ryuichi Sakamoto’s passion for music began early, inspired by a home rich in art and literature. His love for Debussy an