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

For three days this autumn, the grand halls of Higashi Honganji Temple in Kyoto will host an unprecedented fusion of manga and fine art with Hirohiko Araki’s JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. Presented by Shueisha Manga-Art Heritage, the exhibition showcases 18 new art prints – nine lithographs and nine lenticular works – by Hirohiko Araki, creator of the globally celebrated manga. Marking the artist’s first venture into lithography, the works were produced in collaboration with Itazu Litho Tokyo using the same meticulous, hands-on techniques that once captivated artists like Edgar Degas. Araki’s drawings, depicting iconic characters such as Jotaro Kujo, Dio and Giorno Giovanna, were rendered directly onto metal plates with lithographic pencils and chalk, preserving every rhythmic stroke of his hand. Complementing these are lenticular prints that bring dynamic scenes from all nine JoJo parts to vivid, three-dimensional life. As viewers move around the works, they appear to shift and animate, mirroring the surreal vitality of Araki’s storytelling. Set within the sacred architecture of Higashi Honganji, this limited-time exhibition transforms a centuries-old temple into a portal between tradition and pop culture, where manga artistry attains the permanence and reverence of fine art.

​​The world of manga meets the legacy of traditional Japanese craftsmanship in this exhibition at Kyoto’s Benrido Collotype Gallery. For the first time, fans of 'One Piece' can experience the complete version of 'Hundred Views of Pirates', a grand visual panorama reimagined as a fine art masterpiece. Originally created to celebrate the 1,000th chapter of the 'One Piece' manga, Oda’s sweeping illustration features fan-favourite characters selected through a global poll. When combined, the artwork unfolds into a breathtaking horizontal composition that captures the boundless spirit of Oda’s pirate world. To bring this monumental piece to life, Benrido – founded in 1887 and the world’s only producer of colour collotype prints – collaborated with the Iwano Heisaburo paper mill, Japan’s sole maker of large-format handmade Echizen washi. The result is a meticulous creation spanning three connected sheets, each printed with an astonishing 23 colour plates to achieve extraordinary depth and vibrancy. Timed with Art Collaboration Kyoto 2025, the exhibition invites visitors to rediscover Oda’s universe through the timeless lens of Japanese artistry, where cutting-edge imagination meets centuries-old technique. Admission is free but you need to register online in advance.

This winter, the Sagamihara City Museum invites visitors on an interstellar adventure where science meets imagination, plus more cuddly Pokémon than you can shake a stick at. ‘Pokémon Observatory’ is organised in collaboration with the Pokémon Company, the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan and JAXA, transforming the mysteries of the universe into a playful, educational journey guided by the beloved creatures of the Pokémon world. From the familiar glow of the Moon and Sun to distant galaxies, the exhibition employs the world of Pokémon to explain celestial phenomena in engaging, accessible ways. Visitors of all ages will get to explore how the fantastical ecologies of Pokémon mirror the diversity and wonder of the cosmos. And yes, of course – there’ll be limited-edition merch available. Among the highlights is the debut of Starry Sky Pikachu, a plush mascot sold exclusively at the venue. With interactive displays and imaginative storytelling, ‘Pokémon Observatory’ captures the spirit of discovery, and invites young and old to gaze upward and ask new questions about the universe.

The Watari-um’s ‘One More’ brings together two global icons of contemporary urban art: Brazilian twins Osgemeos and American artist Barry McGee. Emerging from graffiti and street culture, both artists have redefined the boundaries between public art and the museum space, infusing walls, cities and galleries around the world with vivid colour, rhythm and humanity. Known for their dreamlike murals and whimsical characters, Osgemeos have exhibited from the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington to Milan’s Pirelli HangarBicocca. McGee, celebrated for his bold, socially engaged work under the tag ‘Twist’, has been a central figure in the American street art scene, showing monumental installations at SFMOMA and the Venice Biennale. With ‘One More’, the duo transforms the Watari-um into a dynamic playground of imagination. Conceived as a spontaneous dialogue between long-time friends and collaborators, the exhibition blurs the lines between painting, sculpture, animation and installation. Expect a universe where urban energy meets poetic introspection – a celebration of creativity, community, and the enduring spirit of the streets that inspires the artists.

21_21 Design Sight invites you to reflect on the essence of design and its human spirit through this exhibition directed by design journalist Noriko Kawakami and curator-writer Kaoru Tashiro. In an age of accelerating change and overflowing information, the exhibition looks back to six visionary 20th-century figures who shaped modern design thinking: Bruno Munari, Max Bill, Achille Castiglioni, Otl Aicher, Enzo Mari and Dieter Rams. Spanning Italy, Germany and Switzerland, these masters transcended aesthetics to forge ethical and philosophical foundations for design, each emphasizing creativity, clarity and social purpose. Their influence endures through their iconic works as well as through their teaching and writing, which encouraged independence and critical reflection among generations of designers. Complementing their works is a special focus on Japanese designer Shutaro Mukai (1932–2024), whose exchanges with Max Bill and Otl Aicher helped lay the groundwork for what’s called the ‘Science of Design’ in Japan. Through rare documentary footage, archival materials and seminal creations, the exhibition explores how these pioneers of modern design envisioned the discipline as a dialogue with life itself, inspiring reflection on how creativity can shape a more thoughtful and humane society.

From the Bronze Age to the present, metal has embodied power, endurance and mystery. Alchemists once revered it as the material of transmutation, and blacksmiths, who mastered the art of molding metal with fire, were seen as keepers of divine knowledge. Ginza Maison Hermès revisits this legacy through a group exhibition that explores the elemental, cultural and symbolic dimensions of one of humanity’s most transformative materials. Curated to accompany the Hermès Foundation’s publication Savoir & Faire: Metal (Iwanami Shoten, 2025), the exhibition reflects on the ambivalence of metal – its duality as both raw matter and refined craft, as nature shaped by human hand. The show presents the works of three artists: Chu Enoki, who breathes new life into industrial scrap and relics of weaponry; Maiko Endo, whose films merge mercury and vermilion to bridge inner and cosmic worlds; and Élodie Lesourd, who reinterprets heavy metal music through hyperrealist painting and semiotic play. Together, their works illuminate how metal, through sound, image and form, continues to shape the human imagination. Presented across the luminous 8th and 9th floors of Le Forum, the exhibition invites visitors to experience the alchemy between material, meaning and creation that defines our modern relationship with this ancient element.

Tokyo’s dynamic art scene takes centre stage once again with Art Week Tokyo, unfolding from November 5 to 9 across the capital. Now in its fourth edition, the event brings together more than 50 museums, galleries and art spaces, affirming the capital’s position as a vital hub for contemporary art on the global stage. Organised by the Japan Contemporary Art Platform in collaboration with Art Basel, Art Week Tokyo seamlessly links the city’s artistic heritage with its vibrant present. This year’s highlights include ‘Prism of the Real: Making Art in Japan 1989–2010’ at the National Art Center, Tokyo, a landmark survey developed with Hong Kong’s M+. At the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, multimedia artist Aki Sasamoto presents her first midcareer survey, while the Mori Art Museum showcases the visionary architecture of Sou Fujimoto. The Artizon Museum features a dual exhibition by Chikako Yamashiro and Lieko Shiga, whose works probe the lived realities of Okinawa and post-3.11 Tohoku. Alongside the exhibitions, Art Week Tokyo encompasses curated sales platforms, video screenings, talks, and a pop-up bar designed under the guidance of Pritzker Prize-winning architect Kazuyo Sejima. Free buses will connect venues, ensuring the entire city becomes a stage for art. Over three days, you can pick up an AWT wristband at any bus stop – that will get you discounted exhibition passes and free rides on the AWT Bus to hop between events and exhibitions. The buses will take seven different

Born in 2004 and currently studying oil painting at Tokyo University of the Arts, Yuzuki has already drawn attention across Japan and abroad for her unflinching portrayals of human vulnerability. Shimokitazawa Arts now presents her solo exhibition ‘At the Kingdom’s Edge’, showcasing work that bridges tenderness and unease with striking emotional depth. Rendered in richly layered oils, figures appear suspended between beauty and disquiet, their torn skin, distant gazes and luminous flesh evoking both pain and quiet resilience. Beneath the eerie allure of Yuzuki’s subjects lies a deep empathy for those who live on society’s margins – individuals whose self-expression defies convention and, in doing so, exposes their fragility. Her works, imbued with warmth amid darkness, challenge viewers to find humanity in discomfort. The exhibition expands on this exploration through new paintings and multimedia works that continue the artist’s ongoing inquiry into existence at the periphery, the ‘edge’ where identity, isolation and freedom intertwine. Accompanied by a poetic narrative about a ‘gossip-loving wolf girl’ searching for colour at the border of a kingdom, the show invites visitors to step into a dreamlike frontier where innocence meets defiance.

Tsukasa Hojo’s popular manga City Hunter debuted in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1985, and the action comedy series has since become firmly established in the Japanese comics canon. The story follows the charismatic but easily distracted private investigator Ryo Saeba, an inveterate womaniser, as he takes on high-stakes missions in Tokyo, helping those in need while navigating an ever-expanding cast of allies and adversaries. Known for its gripping blend of action, humour and heartfelt moments, City Hunter has inspired anime adaptations, films, and live-action interpretations around the world. To commemorate the manga’s 40th anniversary, the Ueno Royal Museum will be hosting ‘Forever, City Hunter’ from November 22 to December 28 2025. The special showcase is set to feature a vast collection of original artwork, tracing the series’ evolution over four decades. Fans will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of City Hunter through rare illustrations, behind-the-scenes sketches, and iconic moments that have defined the series. Sharing his thoughts on the milestone, Tsukasa Hojo humorously noted that while protagonist Ryo Saeba repeatedly proclaims himself ‘twenty years old’ (regardless of his real age), City Hunter is now celebrating its ‘second coming-of-age ceremony’. Here’s to hoping that Ryo’s adventures will continue to resonate with readers for decades to come.

The late Samiro Yunoki (1922–2024) was a trailblazer in the world of stencil dyeing, known for his vibrant, free-spirited forms and joyful colours that radiate life. Deeply influenced by the Mingei folk craft movement and mentored by renowned dye artist Keisuke Serizawa, Yunoki brought a fresh sensibility to traditional Japanese techniques. Over his remarkable 75-year career, he broke through the confines of genre to explore illustration, collage and more, each work reflecting his passion for beauty in the everyday. From October 24 to December 21, the Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery presents this comprehensive retrospective celebrating the life and art of the centenarian creator. The exhibition traces Yunoki’s artistic journey through the cities and landscapes that inspired him, aiming to offer visitors a deeply personal and visually rich experience. More than a chronological survey, it’s a meditation on time, memory, and the artist’s abiding belief in savouring the present. With works filled with warmth, humour and a profound love of life, Yunoki’s legacy reminds us that the now, fleeting and fragile, is a moment to be treasured. The exhibition is both a tribute and an invitation to rediscover that joy.

Portuguese filmmaker Pedro Costa has long been recognised as one of contemporary cinema’s most uncompromising and visionary voices. Emerging in the 1980s, Costa quickly established a distinctive style defined by stark contrasts of light and shadow, rigorously composed frames, and an unflinching gaze at the margins of society. His films, such as In Vanda’s Room (2000), which captured the daily struggles of Cape Verdean immigrants in Lisbon’s Fontainhas district, marry documentary intensity with painterly precision. Acclaimed internationally, Costa’s work has extended beyond the cinema screen to major exhibitions, including ‘Company’ (Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art, 2018) and ‘The Song of Pedro Costa’ (Spain, 2022-23). Celebrating its 30th anniversary, the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum presents Costa’s ‘Innervisions’ until December 7. Inspired by Stevie Wonder’s 1973 album of the same name, which profoundly influenced Costa’s youth, the exhibition reflects on the interplay between individual lives and wider social realities. The show introduces characters that play vital roles in the artist’s oeuvre, alongside the environments they inhabit, situating Costa’s cinema within its broader sociohistorical context. Complementing the exhibition, the museum will host Carte Blanche, a film series curated by Costa, together with screenings of his own seminal works. Offering rare insight into the filmmaker’s creative universe, ‘Innervisions’ invites audiences to rediscover the power

Born Hirose Kinzo in Tosa (now Kochi prefecture), the enigmatic painter Ekin (1812-1876) became renowned for his striking depictions of Kabuki plays, festival banners and lanterns. Beloved in his home region, the artist mainly worked on folding screens that were often illuminated at night during summer festivals, captivating audiences with dramatic scenes of heroes, villains and ghosts. Though rooted in the government-approved style of the Kano school, Ekin’s art was uniquely theatrical, filled with tension, atmosphere and vivid storytelling. This exhibition at the Suntory Museum of Art gathers together a plentiful selection of folding screens, scrolls and other festival-related works, many usually kept at shrines and local associations in Kochi. Highlights include two-panel screens illustrating some of Kabuki’s most suspenseful narratives, picture scrolls of annual events, and a newly discovered set of ema lanterns. One section recreates the shrine displays that once defined Kochi’s summer nights, immersing visitors in the festivals where Ekin’s works came to life. By placing his masterpieces alongside works of his disciples and contemporaries, the exhibition not only celebrates Ekin’s genius, but also situates him within the vibrant cultural fabric of late-Edo Tosa.

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