Kaikai Kiki opens gallery, shops, and office in legendary subculture building Located near Nakano Staion one step from Shinjuku Station on a JR express train, the Nakano Broadway commercial facility opened in 1966, originally as a group of small local shops. In the early 1980s, a famous second-hand bookstore specialized in manga, Mandarake, opened its shop in this building and attracted many fans of...
A collaboration between the University Museum, the University of Tokyo (UMUT) and Japan Post Co., Ltd., this showcase opened inside the JP Tower (KITTE) near Tokyo station in 2013. The items on show from a collection of more than 4 million include natural history exhibits, such as animal bones, taxidermy and botanical and mineralogical specimens, as well as mathematical and scientific models from the...
Owing to the vision of creator Issey Miyake, the Tadao Ando-designed exhibition space 21_21 Design Sight was opened in the Tokyo Midtown shopping complex in 2007. In addition to Miyake, directors Naoto Fukasawa and Taku Satoh, both leading designers in Japan, have staged exhibits presenting their own understanding of the contemporary scene, with the help of the associate director and design journalist Noriko Kawakami....
Tokyo Photographic Art Museum is Japan’s first and only public museum specializing in photography and moving images. Since opening in 1995, its mission has been to “collect original prints and all aspects of photography”; today they own more than 35,000 pieces. The museum’s particular focus has been on collecting photographs by major Japanese photographers, including Yasuhiro Ishimoto, Shoji Ueda, Kikuji Kawada, Ihee Kimura, Eikoh...
Hokusai Katsushika was an internationally renowned Ukiyo-e artist, featured at the Paris World Exposition in 1867, who influenced French Impressionists. The Sumida Hokusai Museum opened in 2016 in the Sumida district area, where Hokusai was born in 1760 and lived for most of his life until he passed away in 1849. The museum houses about 1,800 artworks——including hand-drawn paintings, multi-colored woodblock prints, and woodblock-printed...
Modern art source supports up-coming artists Opened in 1919 by Shinzo Fukuhara, the Japanese cosmetic giant’s first president, who was also a keen photographer, the Shiseido Gallery is the oldest existing gallery in the country. Throughout its long history, the gallery has honored a policy of discovering and creating new value, providing exhibition spaces for young artists who later proved pivotal to the Japanese...
Truly an urban oasis, this museum not only presents pre-modern Japanese and East Asian art but also offers an extensive Japanese garden in which to stroll. A private collection, based on businessman Kaichiro Nezu’s (1860-1940) collection, comprises more than 7,400 items including bronze sake vessels dating to the pre-Common Era as well as a vast collection of Buddhist art and tea utensils, many of...
Enjoy exhibitions, architecture by Kisyo Kurokawa Opened in 2007, The National Art Center, Tokyo, boasts a 14,000 square-meter exhibition space, making it one of the largest art centers in Japan. Since it does not have a private collection, this center is dedicated to special exhibitions and traveling expositions from abroad, as well as serving as the base for the Japan Media Arts Festival held...
Founded in Kyoto about 500 years ago, Toraya is a confectionery shop that has served as a purveyor for the imperial household. The main store in Tokyo was renovated in October 2018. This store was designed by the renowned architect Hiroshi Naito. Toraya also opened a gallery in the first basement floor that organizes exhibitions on Japanese sweets and culture, and precious documents and...
Takashi Murakami exhibits the works of remarkable artists in his gallery Takashi Murakami, Japan’s leading artist, is also renowned for supporting young artists and collecting art, whether antiques or modern art. In short, he is a curator of extraordinary talent. Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd, Murakami’s company, opened a gallery in 2008, located a 15-minute walk from the Roppongi Station. In addition to managing the...
