10 things to do in Japan this November and December

The sprawling digital art, music and tech festival returns with one of the strongest line-ups in recent memory, with audiovisual artist Max Cooper and Tokyo post-rock outfit Mouse on the Keys topping the bill. Expect cross-disciplinary electronic music paired with immersive installations and dazzling visuals.

Moving seamlessly between fine art, graphic design, moving image and spatial design, Yoshirotten, one of Japan’s most influential contemporary visual creators, showcases his speculative and sci-fi-inspired worldview with a massive solo show introducing new large-scale, site-specific installations.

Here’s a hotel restaurant worth travelling for: Savour wild vegetables and mushrooms, melt-in-your-mouth Furano wagyu and other flavours unique to this picturesque part of Hokkaido as reimagined by chef Makoto Ishii, who earned a Michelin star with his Sapporo establishment Le Musée. Opening Dec 4.

Originating at the Barbican in London, this multisensory journey into our personal relationship with sound highlights work by the likes of Ryuichi Sakamoto and Miyu Hosoi across installations combining noise, vibration, music and technology, promising to turn attendees’ bodies into ‘listening instruments’.

Reborn from the ashes of a destructive fire seven years ago, the symbol of Okinawa’s distinctive history and culture is finally reopening to the public on November 23. Constructed anew by artisans from across Japan, the former Ryukyu royal palace has lost none of its historic splendour.

Handling everything from printing and book binding to distribution, creative collective and indie publisher Neutral Colors’ work is driven by the desire to capture emotions on paper. This exhibition, on until Apr 18 2027, showcases the group’s activities over the past year as a ‘circuit’, exploring alternatives to the traditional publishing cycle.

Experience the ancient mystique and deep tranquillity of the mountaintop Yamadera temple complex by way of meditation, scent artworks and video installations that respond to visitors’ vital signs at this reservations-only gallery filled with digital art.

Kobaien has been in the calligraphy tools business for nearly 450 years, so they know a thing or two about making ink. Classes offered in the company’s heritage-listed workshop from November to April let you try kneading your own nigirisumi, moulding a slab of traditional ink with your bare hands.

Buaisou has established itself as a difference-making force in the revival of traditional Japanese indigo dyeing, collaborating with the likes of Jimmy Choo and Nike while refining its proprietary ‘farm-to-closet’ approach to the craft. Set amidst indigo fields in rural Tokushima, the group’s first flagship store stocks its full line-up, from denim to pouches, while the gallery nearby showcases indigo artworks.

Decorated with porcelain-like tiles and nestled within Ohori Park, this stately city-run art museum boasts one of the nation’s finest collections of works by artists with ties to Kyushu – think Seiki Kuroda and Shigeru Aoki – plus Yayoi Kusama’s first-ever open-air pumpkin sculpture.