Things to do in Tokyo today

The symbiotic relationship between photography and architecture began in 1827, when French inventor Joseph Nicephore Niepce (1765-1833) took the first ever photograph of a corner of a building through a window. Niépce was searching for ways to produce images, and thus set up a device called a camera obscura, which captured and projected scenes illuminated by sunlight. The result he got was a blurred image of a building, but from then on, a new medium was born and the link was created – photography has since been used to document old and new structures as well as cityscapes. Taken mostly from the museum’s collection, this exhibition will feature architectural stills by local and international photographers. The works on display include works from the late 1820s to newer works by contemporary photographers. Here you will discover and experience architecture from the photographer’s perspective.

Ukiyo-e prints were to Edo-period folks as magazines and comic strips are to us in modern times: a form of amusement and mass entertainment, depicting scenes from everyday life. This exhibition of ‘cute and funny’ ukiyo-e prints has been curated to evoke in us modern-day viewers the same feelings the Edo-ites folks would have felt when viewing Ukiyo-e art at the time: a sense of humour and light-heartedness. The prints show strange creatures, slapstick comedy, anthropomorphised animals interacting with humans, caricatures of characters from classical stories, and women donning kimonos decorated with outlandish motifs.

To commemorate what would have been the 100th birthday of beloved painter and illustrator Chihiro Iwasaki, the Chihiro Art Museum has been holding a series of events throughout 2018. Along with its sister museum in Nagano, Chihiro has invited architects, fashion designers, poets and more to adapt Iwasaki’s works. Up next in the spotlight is photographer Yurie Nagashima, who will be exhibiting works on ‘women’ and ‘family’.

One of the most celebrated 17th-century Dutch masters, Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675) is the current feature at the Ueno Royal Museum. While Vermeer is known for his limited production (some scholars believe he only painted 35 pieces in total), this exhibition will be showing the most number of his paintings ever in Japan – nine, to be exact. Vermeer is considered a shadowy figure in the history of art as little was known about him and his importance until the 1870s when he was rediscovered, with 35 paintings identified as his. Recognised as a ‘master of light’, Vermeer’s painting captures the everyday life in 17th century Netherlands, depicting women in sparse domestic interiors. One viewing tip: Vermeer used light to guide the viewers through his paintings. Once you follow the natural lighting, the subject will draw you in. The closer you look, the more you will notice the details Vermeer put into not only light and colour but also the textures and the perspectives. (Do note that there may be changes in the exhibits during the exhibition run.)