Sébastien Raineri

At 23 years young, Art Osaka is going stronger than ever. That’s our main takeaway after the 2025 edition of the longest-running contemporary art fair in Japan ended its five-day programme across two complementary venues: the Osaka City Central Public Hall in Nakanoshima and Creative Center Osaka in Kitakagaya. From June 5 to 9, Osaka once again shone as a vital axis of the country’s contemporary art scene, as it hosted a celebration of cutting-edge work; one that continues to distinguish itself through a dual commitment to curatorial ambition and grassroots creativity. Here are some of the things that caught our eye at Art Osaka 2025. RECOMMENDED: How to see the highlights of Osaka’s arts and culture scene in one day

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、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

When the boundless imagination of Pablo Picasso meets the vibrant creativity of Sir Paul Smith, fireworks follow. Picasso (1881–1973), one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, revolutionised modern art with his radical innovations in form and colour. British designer Smith, noted for his playful approach to tailoring and his masterful sense of colour and pattern, brings his unique sensibility to the table, transforming the NACT’s galleries into a dialogue between art and fashion, and tradition and reinvention. ‘Adventure of Playful Spirits’ offers a fresh encounter with approximately 80 works from the Musée National Picasso-Paris. Following the success of the 2023 Paris exhibition ‘Picasso Celebration: The Collection in a New Light!’, this Japan edition invites visitors to rediscover the painter’s creative evolution from his early Portrait of a Man to the tender Paulo as Harlequin, through Smith’s imaginative spatial design. From colour-splashed walls to whimsical décor, every element of the exhibition reflects Smith’s joyful spirit and his fascination with artistic play. This meeting of two creative giants – one who shaped modern art and another who redefined contemporary design – conjures up a vibrant, immersive world where curiosity, humour and craftsmanship intertwine.

Emerging in the wake of the Margaret Thatcher era, the Young British Artists (YBAs) and their contemporaries embraced shock, irreverence and entrepreneurial flair. While the YBA label (applied after the landmark 1988 ‘Freeze’ exhibition organised by Damien Hirst) was often contested, it came to define a generation that reimagined what art could be. Painting, sculpture, photography, video and installation all became tools for probing themes of identity, consumer culture and shifting social structures.  The National Art Center’s ‘YBA & Beyond: British Art in the 90s from the Tate Collection’ is the first exhibition in Japan devoted exclusively to British art of the 1990s. Featuring around 100 works by some 60 artists, the show captures a turbulent and transformative period in British culture, when politics, society and art collided to spark a wave of radical experimentation. Highlights include works by Hirst, Tracey Emin, Steve McQueen, Lubaina Himid, Wolfgang Tillmans and Julian Opie, alongside others who reshaped contemporary art on a global stage. More than a retrospective, ‘YBA & Beyond’ offers a vivid portrait of 1990s Britain, an era when art intersected with music, fashion and subculture, leaving a legacy that continues to resonate today.

Having spent over four decades redefining the relationship between art, technology and desire, Hajime Sorayama is one of Japan’s most celebrated contemporary artists. Noted for his iconic Sexy Robot series and his pioneering fusion of human sensuality and mechanical precision, Sorayama’s work has influenced generations of creators across art, design and popular culture – from RoboCop to Dior. His visionary approach, uniting the sensual with the synthetic, has earned him international acclaim and a lasting place in the subcultural art canon. Opening this spring at the Creative Museum Tokyo, ‘Sorayama: Light, Reflection, Transparency -Tokyo-’ marks the artist’s largest retrospective in Japan to date, following its acclaimed debut in Shanghai. The exhibition traces Sorayama’s artistic evolution from his first robot painting in 1978 to his latest digital and sculptural works. Visitors will encounter highlights such as the original Aibo robot design for Sony, the artwork for Aerosmith’s Just Push Play album, and an immersive installation that embodies Sorayama’s lifelong pursuit of capturing light, air and reflections. By blending futuristic imagination with classical mastery, Sorayama invites viewers to contemplate a world where human emotion and machine form merge in radiant harmony.

Ron Mueck has long been celebrated for redefining figurative sculpture through extraordinary craftsmanship and emotional acuity. After early work in film and advertising, the Australian-born, UK-based artist emerged on the contemporary art scene in the mid-1990s, gaining international attention with Pinocchio (1996) and Dead Dad (1996-97), the latter exhibited in the landmark ‘Sensation’ show at London’s Royal Academy in 1997. Over the decades, his meticulously crafted human figures, rendered at startlingly altered scales, have probed themes of vulnerability, solitude, resilience and the fragile complexity of existence. With a rare and limited oeuvre of about fifty works, each sculpture distills months or even years of observation and reflection, resulting in pieces that feel at once hyper-real and quietly enigmatic. From April 29 to September 23, the Mori Art Museum hosts the artist’s first solo exhibition in Japan in eighteen years. Organised in collaboration with the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, the exhibition gathers eleven works tracing Mueck’s evolution, including six making their Japanese debut. Its monumental centrepiece is the Japan premiere of Mass (2016-17), an immersive installation of 100 giant skulls reconfigured to reflect the museum’s architecture. Other highlights include Angel (1997), Woman with Shopping (2013) and the iconic In Bed (2005), each inviting viewers into a deeply intimate emotional space. Complementing the sculptures, photographs a

From August, the Yokohama Museum of Art will unveil a dazzling exhibition dedicated to one of history’s most iconic queens. Known as the ultimate symbol of elegance and excess, Marie Antoinette (1755–1793) transformed the aesthetics of 18th-century France and continues to shape fashion, design and visual culture today. Curated by London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and making its Japan debut in Yokohama, the exhibition traces how the young queen’s refined taste, from her ornate gowns and glittering jewels to her whimsical interiors at Versailles and the Petit Trianon, established a new mode of sophistication that bridged courtly grandeur and personal fantasy. Through exquisite dresses, jewellery and furniture from her era, ‘Marie Antoinette Style’ explores the queen’s bold creativity and her role as a forerunner of modern self-expression. It also reveals how her image has been endlessly reinvented in art, cinema and haute couture, from rococo opulence to contemporary runways. A celebration of beauty, rebellion and individuality, the exhibition invites visitors to rediscover the woman behind the legend – a monarch whose influence still defines the art of style.

Andrew Wyeth (1917–2009) forged a singular path apart from the dominant movements of his time. While abstract expressionism, pop art and neo-Dada reshaped post-war American art, Wyeth turned inward, devoting his life to depicting the people and landscapes surrounding his homes in Pennsylvania and Maine. His meticulously rendered paintings, often executed in tempera and watercolour, transcend realism to reveal the quiet poetry of solitude, memory and introspection. Marking the 100th anniversary of the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, ‘Boundaries or Windows’ is the first major retrospective of Wyeth’s work in Japan since the artist’s death. The exhibition explores one of his most persistent motifs: the boundary, embodied by windows, doors and thresholds that separate interior and exterior worlds, yet invite reflection on the spaces between life and death, self and nature, and perception and imagination. Over ten works, including Winter Fields (1942, from the Whitney Museum of American Art), Cooling Shed (1953, Philadelphia Museum of Art) and Departure Party (1984, Philbrook Museum of Art), will be shown in Japan for the first time. The long-awaited exhibition offers an intimate look into the spiritual and emotional landscapes of one of the most celebrated American realist painters of the 20th century.

Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis (1875–1911) is one of Lithuania’s most celebrated cultural figures, a visionary who fused painting and music into a singular artistic language. Trained as a composer before turning to visual art in the early 1900s, Čiurlionis created more than 300 works in just six years, drawing on Art Nouveau, Symbolism and Japonisme while grounding his imagery in Lithuanian identity under Russian imperial rule. His dreamlike canvases, rich in myth and cosmology, reveal a rare talent whose life was tragically cut short at the age of 35. The National Museum of Western Art marks the 150th anniversary of the artist’s birth with ‘The Inner Constellation’, running from March 28 to June 14. Presented in collaboration with the National M. K. Čiurlionis Art Museum in Kaunas, the exhibition will feature around 80 major works, including the Japanese debut of The Altar (1909) and the monumental masterpiece Rex (1909), the artist’s largest and most enigmatic painting. Organised into five thematic chapters, the retrospective also highlights Čiurlionis’s innovations in integrating musical structures into visual art, presenting sonata-inspired series, handwritten scores, and his own compositions playing in the galleries. Here, audiences can fully immerse themselves in Čiurlionis’s cosmic vision of the human spirit and the universe.

To celebrate its 100th anniversary, the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum hosts an exceptional exhibition showcasing masterpieces borrowed from one of the world’s most iconic institutions. Founded in 1753, the British Museum houses the most comprehensive collection of Japanese art outside Japan, reflecting over a century and a half of fascination with Japanese aesthetics. ‘Edo in Focus’ brings together a carefully curated selection from the museum’s 40,000-piece collection, including folding screens, hanging scrolls and narrative handscrolls from the Edo period (1603–1868). You’ll also encounter celebrated ukiyo-e prints by eight masters, including Utamaro, Sharaku, Hokusai and Hiroshige, that capture the vibrancy of Edo culture. Beyond the artworks themselves, the exhibition sheds light on the history of Japan-UK cross-cultural exchange and the figures who shaped it, such as the surgeon and early collector William Anderson. By tracing how Japanese art inspired and connected people across continents, the show invites visitors to reflect on the enduring dialogue between Japan and the world, and on Edo’s timeless artistic spirit.

Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) stands tall as one of Japan’s most celebrated artists, renowned for his dazzling imagination, bold compositions and mastery of line. While his brush paintings reveal his singular vision, ukiyo-e prints – commercially produced, widely circulated images – were what cemented his global legacy. These prints, once everyday commodities, now serve as invaluable windows into the culture, lifestyles and visual sensibilities of the period. The Sumida Hokusai Museum’s ‘Exploring with Hokusai! The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Ukiyo-e Prints’ delves deep into the medium that shaped Hokusai’s fame. Rather than simply showcasing masterpieces, the exhibition illuminates the evolution of ukiyo-e technology, from early monochromatic sumizuri-e to the vivid nishiki-e that revolutionised colour printing. You’ll get to discover the ingenuity of carvers, printers and publishers, whose finely tuned collaboration brought each work to life. The exhibition also highlights ukiyo-e as Edo-period (1603–1868) media. Portraits of actors, travel images, fans and advertisements reveal a lively society recorded through prints that doubled as entertainment and information. Together, the works on display offer a richly layered portrait of Edo’s visual culture and the enduring appeal of ukiyo-e.

Nearly three decades after it first hatched in the palms of Japanese schoolgirls, Tamagotchi – Bandai’s iconic handheld digital pet – returns to the spotlight with a major anniversary exhibition at the Roppongi Museum. Released in 1996, the tiny egg-shaped device quickly became a global sensation, inspiring devoted caretakers, schoolyard debates and a cultural phenomenon that reached far beyond Japan. With more than 100 million units shipped worldwide by 2025 and 38 evolving models, from early black-and-white screens to today’s wi-fi-enabled devices, the Tamagotchi remains an icon of playful companionship and digital nostalgia. The Tamagotchi 30th Anniversary Exhibition invites you to step inside the world of these strange, charming creatures from the distant Tamagotchi Planet. Through immersive installations, historical displays and interactive environments, the show revisits three decades of innovation while exploring the irresistible appeal of a being that needs you to feed it, entertain it, clean up after it – and love it. Exclusive exhibition merch, including artist collabs and limited-edition items featuring the main visual, will of course also be available. Celebrating the quirky digital lifeform that once demanded the attention of millions, the exhibition offers both a heartfelt tribute to, and a fresh encounter with, a beloved cultural icon. Following its Tokyo run, the exhibition will travel to Nagoya, Ibaraki, Osaka and additional cities to be announced.

Held at the Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka until March 8, this ambitious exhibition reconsiders surrealism as a far-reaching cultural force that has reshaped both art and everyday life. Defined by André Breton in 1924 as a practice grounded in the ‘omnipotence of dreams’ and the pursuit of a ‘superior reality’, surrealism drew deeply on Freudian psychoanalysis to unlock the subconscious. While its dreamlike imagery and unsettling juxtapositions are widely recognised in painting and photography, the exhibition reveals how surrealist thinking extended far beyond the gallery, infiltrating advertising, fashion and interior design. Organised into six thematic sections, the show traces the movement’s expansion across media, examining how techniques such as automatism, collage and dépaysement (‘disorientation’) transformed both visual culture and lived environments. Masterpieces by leading figures of the genre, including Salvador Dalí, Max Ernst, René Magritte, Man Ray and Giorgio de Chirico, are shown alongside rare objects, posters, photographs and design works. Highlights include Magritte’s ‘The Museum of the King’, Elsa Schiaparelli’s iconic fashion designs, and striking examples of surrealist advertising and interiors. Drawing on major collections throughout Japan, the exhibition offers a timely reappraisal of surrealism’s enduring power to unsettle reality – and reimagine it. Note: this exhibition is closed on Mondays (except January 12 and February 23), December 30–January

The MOT will launch visitors into the mysteries of the universe with this groundbreaking exhibition running from January 31 to May 6. Marking ten years since the museum’s acclaimed ‘Mission [Space x Art]’, the new show expands the former’s scope in celebration of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (2025), bridging cosmic exploration with the ever-evolving field of quantum research. The exhibition traces the origins of the world and the invisible forces that shape it through collaborations between artists, space scientists and quantum researchers. Alongside works inspired by astronomical investigation and spaceflight, the show will unveil the first artwork created using a Japanese quantum computer – a milestone revealing the expressive potential of a realm where conventional notions of time and space dissolve. Visitors can expect a constellation of installations, extended-reality experiences and experimental prototypes by leading creators including Akihiro Kubota, Norimichi Hirakawa, Takuro Osaka, Yoichi Ochiai, Hideki Yoshimoto, JAXA’s research teams and many others. The exhibition also features a robust programme of talks by artists and scientists, encouraging audiences to imagine their own ‘quantum-native’ futures. Bold, exploratory and visionary, ‘Mission∞Infinity’ invites you to witness how art continues to push beyond the boundaries of the known universe.

『ストリートファイター』『バイオハザード』『ロックマン』『モンスターハンター』――世界のゲームカルチャーへの影響力という点で、カプコンに並び称されるスタジオはそう多くない。 1983年に大阪で創業したカプコンは、この40年以上にわたり、次々と時代を象徴するフランチャイズを生み出してきた。その作品群は、家庭用ゲーム機やパソコンの枠を超え、映画やファッション、さらにはポップカルチャーの言語表現にまで影響を及ぼしている。 最先端の技術、引き込まれるストーリーテリング、そして記憶に残る世界観とキャラクターデザインを一貫して融合させてきたカプコン。その創造のDNAをひもとく「大カプコン展」が、2026年2月22日（日）まで「CREATIVE MUSEUM TOKYO」で開催中だ。ビデオゲームに少しでも関心のある人なら、ぜひ足を運びたい。 © CAPCOM 革新と想像力の軌跡 本展はすでに大阪、名古屋、鳥取で大きな反響を呼び、東京開催後は新潟へ巡回予定。カプコンの歩みをたどると同時に、表現としてのビデオゲームの歴史にも光を当てる。ノスタルジックな回顧展でありながら、ゲーム文化の未来を見据えた祝祭でもあり、長年のファンから初めて触れる来場者まで、幅広い層に響く構成だ。 「世界を魅了するゲームクリエイション」をサブタイトルに掲げる本展。想像力の力やゲームテクノロジーの進化、そしてピクセル時代のヒーローから最先端のビジュアルストーリーテリングに至るまで、カプコン作品が持つ普遍的な魅力を没入型展示で体感できる。 ROUND 1：歴史、キャラクター、象徴的アート 「カプコン ゲームクロニクル」のセクションでは、リュウ、春麗、レオン・S・ケネディらお馴染みのキャラクターが新規アニメーションで登場する「キャラクターパレード」の映像からスタート。鮮烈な演出が、五感で体験する展示の幕開けを告げる。 Characters on Parade © CAPCOM 「ヒストリー」は、同社の成長とゲーム業界の進化を重ね合わせて紹介。初期ハードウエアやゲームカートリッジ、コンセプトスケッチなどを通して、地方スタジオから世界的クリエーティブ集団へと発展した軌跡をたどる。 Posters & key art © CAPCOM さらに、貴重なデザインシートや設定資料、制作メモにより、キャラクター誕生の裏側にも迫っていく。有名キャラクターの初期のビジュアル案が並び、その背後にある緻密な考え方を知ることができる。また、オリジナルのメインアートやポスターは、それぞれの時代の空気感や精神を鮮やかに映し出す。 ROUND 2：テクノロジーとアイディアの融合 「テクノロジーとアイデアの進化」では、限られた技術環境の中でいかに創意工夫がなされてきたかを紹介。また「ドット絵時代の創意工夫」では、1980年代の技術的制約を示すとともに、『ロックマン』など初期ゲームで発揮された驚くべき工夫と創意を体感できる。 来場者がタブレットを使って、アイコニックなドット絵を描く体験ができる「カプコンピクセルラボ」も登場。絵心がなくても短いミニゲーム形式で楽しめる仕組みで、これは初期ゲーム開発の手軽さと創造的チャレンジに対する遊び心あるオマージュでもある。 Capcom Pixel Art Lab © CAPCOM このほか、来場者の表情をリアルタイムでキャラクターに反映する「フェイシャルトラッキングミラー」や、野菜を折る音など意外な素材から効果音を生み出すサウンド制作展示「カプコン流 効果音メイキング」など、

Street Fighter, Resident Evil, Mega Man, Monster Hunter and more – when impact on global gaming culture is used as the yardstick, few studios bear mentioning in the same breath as Capcom. Founded in Osaka in 1983, the company has birthed one seminal franchise after the other over the past four decades. Its titles have extended their reach far beyond TV and computer screens, influencing film, fashion, and even the vocabulary of popular culture. Throughout its history, Capcom has demonstrated remarkable consistency in its ability to combine cutting-edge technology, captivating storytelling, and unforgettable worlds and character design. Showcasing all these aspects – and so much more – the ‘Capcom Creation’ exhibition, on at Creative Museum Tokyo until February 22 2026, explores the studio’s creative DNA through a display that makes essential viewing for anyone with even a passing interesting in video games. © CAPCOM A legacy of innovation and imagination Having already drawn huge crowds in Osaka, Nagoya and Tottori, and slated to continue on to Niigata following its Tokyo run, the exhibition traces the legacy of Capcom as well as the broader history of video games as an expressive art form. It’s both a nostalgic retrospective and a forward-looking celebration of gaming culture, designed to resonate with lifelong fans and curious newcomers alike. Subtitled ‘Moving Hearts Across the Globe’, the immersive exhibition is a tribute to the power of imagination, the evolution of gam

Set against the vibrant, dangerous backdrop of 1980s Shinjuku, Tsukasa Hojo’s manga City Hunter defined urban cool for an entire generation of readers. Seamlessly blending hard-boiled action, comedy and emotional depth, the series ran from 1985 to 1991, driven by the chaotic but intimate bond between ‘sweeper’ Ryo Saeba and his partner Kaori Makimura. City Hunter elevated Tsukasa Hojo as one of Japan’s most influential and stylistically distinctive manga artists. Now, 40 years after its serialisation, the franchise boasts more than 50 million copies in circulation, countless adaptations, and a legacy that continues to define the genre. Celebrating that four-decade history, the Ueno Royal Museum presents ‘Forever, City Hunter’ – the largest exhibition ever devoted to the franchise. Running from November 22 to December 28, the display is both a commemoration and a homecoming, an opportunity for long-time admirers and new fans alike to rediscover the pulse-pounding pace and iconic characters that made City Hunter a cultural milestone. A monumental showcase of original art Photo: Sébastien Raineri At the heart of the exhibition are more than 400 original drawings – the most extensive display of Hojo’s hand-drawn work ever assembled. These reveal the precision and expressive power of his linework: the sharp contrasts of night-time shootouts, the swirling motion of chases across neon-lit Tokyo, and the subtle softness in Kaori’s expressions as her relationship with Ryo evolves. S

Casual and die-hard Eva fans alike: set course for Tokyo City View now. The lofty exhibition space on the 52nd floor of Roppongi Hills Mori Tower is currently showing ‘All of Evangelion’, the most extensive showcase ever devoted to the franchise. Marking three decades since Neon Genesis Evangelion first appeared on television in 1995, the exhibition invites visitors to explore the evolution of one of the most influential works in contemporary Japanese animation through the production materials, design documents and visual experiments that shaped its striking world. Here’s what to expect at the show, which is set to run until January 12 2026. Entering the world of Evangelion Photo: Sébastien Raineri | © khara/Project Eva © khara ©1997 khara/Project EVA After stepping through the venue’s atmospheric entrance, the first thing you’ll see is a huge Evangelion Unit-01 figure standing against the panoramic backdrop of Tokyo. Illuminated with a special light arrangement exclusive to the Tokyo venue, this introductory space establishes the exhibition’s tone: a celebration of scale, craftsmanship and visual imagination. From here, the exhibition unfolds chronologically, tracing the development of the franchise from its earliest conceptual foundations to the expansive, technologically innovative productions of recent years. Photo: Sébastien Raineri | © khara/Project Eva © khara ©1997 khara/Project EVA Beyond the giant Eva, the prologue section introduces the earliest phase of creati

Roppongi has long balanced two identities: a hub of world-class museums and cultural spaces by day, and a vibrant party destination after dark. Every autumn, Roppongi Art Night fuses these two sides into a citywide festival of creativity. Held from September 26 to 28, the 14th edition of the event will see streets, plazas, museums and shopping complexes transformed into open-air galleries and performance venues. Themed ‘A Festival of City, Art, and Future’, the 2025 festival features more than 50 programmes by around 30 artists, ranging from installations and performances to video pieces, digital art and workshops. This year’s edition is especially notable for highlighting the latest in Korean art – a focus chosen to celebrate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea. Contributing everything from extensive public installations to participatory performances, Korean artists will bring a fresh perspective on urban life, identity and tradition to the capital. Across Roppongi Hills, Tokyo Midtown, the National Art Center, Suntory Museum of Art, 21_21 Design Sight and beyond, you can expect an eclectic journey through art that reflects on the present while imagining possible futures. Here are five highlights not to miss. Digital visions of a dizzying future ‘Delivery Dancer’s Arc: 0° Receiver’, 2024. Photo: Ayoung Kim At Roppongi Hills Arena, a 13-metre-wide LED screen will showcase Seoul-based artist Ayoung Kim’s dazzling video install

Few would argue against the late Leiji Matsumoto as one of Japan’s most visionary manga artists. Best known for sci-fi epics like Space Battleship Yamato, Galaxy Express 999 and Space Pirate Captain Harlock, the Fukuoka native conjured up incredibly intricate worlds to convey a deeply humanistic message. This summer, the master storyteller’s seven-decade career and the creative cosmos he envisioned can be explored in great detail at Tokyo City View, where ‘Leiji Matsumoto Exhibition: A Creative Journey’ is on show until September 7. ©Leiji Matsumoto/Leijisha | Photo: Sébastien Raineri The first large-scale retrospective dedicated to Matsumoto, who passed away in 2023, the exhibition traces the evolution of an artist whose pen moved across space and time with unshakable conviction and emotional resonance. Among the highlights on display is a trove of original drawings discovered in the artist’s studio after his death, each a testament to his precision, poetic imagination and narrative mastery. These hand-drawn works, some shown for the first time, allow you to rediscover Matsumoto as both a craftsman and a dreamer. Here’s what else to look forward to at the exhibition. The departure platform in the sky Before stepping into the world of Leiji Matsumoto’s imagination, you’re invited to begin your travels in the sky. High above the city, a familiar scene awaits: an evocative recreation of the departure platform from Galaxy Express 999. ©Leiji Matsumoto/Leijisha | Photo: Sébast

From the dreamlike forests of My Neighbor Totoro to the bustling bathhouse of Spirited Away, Studio Ghibli has enchanted audiences around the world with unforgettable visuals as much as with its acclaimed poetic storytelling. Over the four decades since Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata and producer Toshio Suzuki co-founded the studio back in 1985, Ghibli has cultivated an imagery so recognisable that it’s come to be considered a style all unto its own – as the recent brouhaha over AI-generated Ghibli art proved. This summer, Miyazaki and co’s magical universe takes physical form at Tennozu Isle, where Warehouse Terrada B&C Hall is hosting the Studio Ghibli 3D Sculpture Exhibition until September 23. Both a meticulous exploration of iconic Ghibli scenes and a celebration of the international bonds that have carried the studio’s stories far beyond Japan’s shores, the show offers an unmissable opportunity to see, feel and experience some of your favourite Ghibli moments in an all-new format. A new dimension of animation Photo: Sébastien RaineriThe bakery from ‘Kiki’s Delivery Service’ The centrepiece of the exhibition is an extraordinary collection of three-dimensional models and sculptures, each capturing a key scene from some of Ghibli’s most iconic films. Titles such as Kiki’s Delivery Service, Castle in the Sky, Pom Poko and My Neighbor Totoro come alive in everything from miniature landscapes to life-sized recreations, allowing you to step into spaces once confined to the tw

Seventy years after the King of the Monsters first emerged from the depths of the Pacific, Godzilla returns to Tokyo by way of a sweeping, boundary-defying art exhibition at the Mori Arts Center Gallery. Running until June 29, ‘Godzilla The Art Exhibition’ marks the fifth instalment of the celebrated Godzilla: The Art series and one of the most ambitious artistic reinterpretations of the cinematic icon to date. The exhibition employs contemporary art to showcase Godzilla as a mirror for modern anxieties, a symbol of cyclical destruction and rebirth, and an evolving artistic archetype capable of speaking across media, cultures and generations. It’s also an absolute blast, providing a monster-sized serving of material for die-hard Big G fans and lizard laypeople alike to geek out over. Art beyond the silver screen Ever since making its first cinematic appearance in 1954, Godzilla has loomed large as a vessel for cultural and historical tensions. Born from the trauma of nuclear warfare and inspired by the real-world fallout of hydrogen bomb testing, the irradiated lizard initially symbolised Japan’s post-war fears. But over time, this figure has taken on new shapes: protector, anti-hero, metaphor for environmental catastrophe. Photo: Maki Matsumoto | Haroshi "GODZILLA" TM ＆ © TOHO CO., LTD. © HAROSHI Courtesy of NANZUKA | Roby dwi Antono "Godzi-lab" TM ＆ © TOHO CO., LTD. © Roby Dwi Antono Courtesy of NANZUKA ‘Godzilla The Art Exhibition’ makes it clear that there’s no single a

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