The Sailor Moon franchise’s 30th-anniversary museum will run from July 1 to December 30 at Tokyo’s Roppongi Museum. The series became a global phenomenon in the 1990s and remains massively popular to this day.

　
The exhibition will feature the largest-ever exhibition of original illustrations by Sailor Moon’s creator Naoko Takeuchi, at over 600 pieces. The museum will have three phases, each swapping out different pieces, so fans can have a different experience depending on when they visit!

The event will include an ‘immersive experience theater,’ which will display colored images on a massive 4.5 x 8-meter screen with special effects. Fans can also enjoy a ‘hologram manuscript exhibit,’ which will display the Sailor Scouts’ famous dialogue. Plenty of merchandise will also be available for purchase, with the second round of available goods just announced!

Original Merchandise (Second Lineup)

Clear Folder (’90s Anime Logo)

Clear Folder (Random, 5 varieties)

Masking Tape Holder

Masking Tape (Luna, Artemis & Diana)

Hat (’90s Anime Logo)

Cloth Shirt (’90s Anime Logo)

Aurora Sticker (Random, 10 varieties)

Reversible Cushion (Luna & Artemis)

Pochette (Luna)

Face Powder Collection (5 varieties)

The second round of original merchandise features many items utilizing the ‘90s anime logo, including a shirt, hat, and clear folders. A themed masking tape holder was made to resemble Sailor Moon’s Moon Stick, and the tape itself features the cats Luna, Artemis, and Diana.

The interior of the special store created for the exhibition was designed by Wataru LINDA Igarashi, an art director known for his cute pieces based on the concept of ‘window shopping.’ 

Come experience some serious nostalgia at the Sailor Moon museum later this year!

© Naoko Takeuchi

The Sailor Moon franchise’s 30th-anniversary museum will run from July 1 to December 30 in Tokyo’s Roppongi Museum. The series became a global phenomenon in the 1990s and remains popular to this day.

The exhibition will feature the largest-ever exhibition of original illustrations by Sailor Moon’s creator Naoko Takeuchi, at over 600 pieces. Rare original color drawings and some never-before-scene creations will be on display, and fans won’t want to miss this incredible chance. The museum will have three phases, each swapping out different pieces. Fans can have a different experience depending on when they visit!

Postcard Set (A): ¥880 (Tax Included)

Clear Folder A (Set of 2): ¥770 (Tax Included)

Nakayoshi Extras Reprint – Premium Card Collection Graffiti Ver. 1 / Ver. 2: ¥1,650 

A special store at the exhibition will sell original goods featuring original artwork by the original series creator Naoko Takeuchi. Postcards and clear folders feature colorful designs of famous scenes from the series, and longtime fans will appreciate a reproduced collection of trading cards that appeared in Nakayoshi Magazine.

New original goods will be available during each period of the museum. In late June, the interior of the exhibition and the second batch of original merchandise will be revealed!

© Naoko Takeuchi

UNIQLO’s graphic T-shirt brand UT has launched an artful new collection! The Museums of the World collection of men’s shirts features beloved museums like the Tate Modern, the Louvre, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, and more. This valuable collection was made possible by UNIQLO’s continued art initiative, as the company has continued to work with museums around the world to share the wonders of art with as many people as possible.

A Collection Allowing Customers to Enjoy the World’s Best Museums as Part of Their Daily Lives

This collection brings together some of the world’s most beloved museums, with designs inspired by the exteriors of these well-known homes of art. The Louvre design fully captures the iconic pyramid, while the contemporary MoMA is expressed with simple lines. The name of each museum is also printed on one sleeve for extra style.

UNIQLO’s Art Initiative

UNIQLO has partnered with some of the world’s leading museums over the years. Through free admission programs, sales of collaborative products and various events, these museums aim to provide opportunities for more people to experience and deepen their understanding of art.

May 2013 – Present / The Museum of Modern Art (New York, USA) 

March 2016 – Present / Tate Modern (London, England) 

September 2017 – Present / Museum of Fine Arts (Boston, USA) 

March 2018 – Present / Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art (Barcelona, Spain)

February 2021 – Present / Louvre Museum (Paris, France)

Don’t miss this unique collection! Which museum would you like represented in your wardrobe?

The National Museum of Western Art, located in Ueno Park, reopened in April 2022 after being closed for renovations for 18 months. The first special exhibition post-reopening will feature Van Gogh’s works in Japan for the first time, along with paintings depicting modern nature from both the National Museum of Western Art and the Museum Folkwang in Essen, Germany.

To commemorate the post-renovation reopening of the National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo, this exhibition traces the development of modern art born out of the dialogue between nature and humankind.

The event was realized in collaboration with the Museum Folkwang, and both institutions were founded on private collections: that of Karl Ernst Osthaus (1874–1921) in Germany and Matsukata Kojiro (1866–1950) in Japan.

The exhibition will feature over 100 paintings, drawings, prints, and photographs from both museums, spanning from German Romanticism to the art of the twentieth century, ranging from Impressionism to Post-Impressionism. 

Guests can enjoy all aspects of the infinite expanse of nature as shown in both collections, from the smallest roadside flowers to the vast universe and all humanity contained within. Would you like to come and experience this unique exhibition?

In April, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu made a big splash around the world when she performed at Coachella, one of the largest music festivals in the United States. 

The second half of the singer’s 10th anniversary nationwide tour 31-show has begun, gaining even more momentum following the announcement of a solo concert at Nippon Budokan in October. In conjunction with the nationwide tour, the LOCAL POWER JAPAN Project was launched to energize Japan through the appeal of regional towns and cities. As with past concert locations, a new collaboration has been announced following Kyary’s June 5 performance in Nara.

During the late Meiji period, persimmon leaf-wrapped sushi became a local delicacy during the summer months in Nara after the delicacies began popping up at a shopping district near JR Gojo Station. In 1973, Kakinohasushi Hompo Tanaka officially opened its doors, selling this delicacy for dine-in or carry-out. Kyary has collaborated with this famous local treat, transforming the shop’s logo into a new version inspired by the singer’s 2014 song Kira Kira Killer. The jacket art originally featured Kyary with a collection of bizarre hairstyles, but these have been turned into persimmon leaves for the collab.

During the collaboration period, fans were able to buy specially-branded packages of Kirakira Persimmon Leaf-wrapped Sushi. While the leaves themselves aren’t edible, they act to preserve the sushi for days without refrigeration. This version contains mackerel and vinegar-soaked rice. The sushi was sold in limited quantities at Nara Centennial Hall, the venue of Kyary’s June 5 concert.

A collaborative T-shirt is also on sale featuring the new logo and the singer’s 10th-anniversary logo. The shirt is available on the LOCAL POWER JAPAN Project website for two weeks only starting June 3. Support Japanese businesses and pick one up while you can!

The poop-themed Unko Museum is heading to Shizuoka for the first time! Guests will be able to visit the unique exhibition from July 15 until September 25, 2022.

The Unko Museum has previously popped up in Yokohama, Tokyo, Shanghai, Fukuoka, Hiroshima, and even online. In Shizuoka, it will be held inside S-Pulse Dream Plaza, a spectacular venue with a view of Mt. Fuji. The educational museum features tons of poo-themed attractions, from the poop-spurting Unko Volcano to a game area. 

The museum first opened in 2019 and made news around the world. Since the flagship location opened in Tokyo, over 800,000 visitors have come to openings around the world.

While it may seem like a strange way to spend a day, would you like to come and experience this museum for yourself?

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu concluded her tour stop in Kochi on May 29, and as expected, the singer has announced another collaboration with a local business as part of the LOCAL POWER JAPAN Project! Launched to energize Japan through the appeal of regional towns and cities, the project has received both domestic and global attention. 

In Kochi Prefecture, Kyary is collaborating with the Katsurahama Aquarium! Located on the water at Kochi’s famous Katsurahama Beach park, the location is filled with Kochi flare and remains a valuable and beloved place to local residents. The building has long been popular as a museum and has been both a tourist attraction and a local hangout for decades. Known affectionately by locals as ‘Hamasui,’ the 99-year-old structure has often been a hot topic for its unique advertising strategy, with Hamasui Twitter posts going viral and making their way to late-night TV programs.

For the collaboration, the aquarium’s cute creepy-crawly mascot Otodo-chan has been transformed as an homage to Kyary’s music video for PONPONPON released in 2011. 

A collaborative T-shirt is also on sale featuring the new logo and the singer’s 10th-anniversary logo. The shirt is available on the LOCAL POWER JAPAN Project website for two weeks only starting May 27!

PAC-MAN is one of the most important characters in video game history, so celebrating his birthday is a given! Bandai Namco has announced a number of projects to take place in 2022 based on the theme of ‘Be PAC-TIVE!!’

PAC-MAN Official Theme Song, We are PAC-MAN!

The ‘Be PAC-TIVE’ initiative wants to inspire people to eat well and live well, and to place more importance on cultivating a healthy body and mind. PAC-MAN’s circular shape is also symbolic of a circle of friends, harmony, the spirit of cooperation, and the shape of the planet we all inhabit. Who knew that a simple character and game like PAC-MAN could be so deep?

We are PAC-MAN! (Japanese ver.):  https://youtu.be/JKque0N2bww
We are PAC-MAN! (English ver.): https://youtu.be/5_JzxszEpmc
We are PAC-MAN! (Chinese ver.): https://space.bilibili.com/287390748

PAC-MAN MUSEUM+ Commemorative T-Shirt

The PAC-MAN MUSEUM+, which includes 14 classic and modern titles from the PAC-MAN universe, will soon be available. New T-Shirts commemorating the release will be available on Amazon starting May 23. The birthday version of the shirt will be released on June 23, and will feature the key visual alongside a festive newly-drawn illustration. 

Collaboration with Popular Online Game Fortnite

PAC-MAN will also be teaming up with the globally-popular online game Fortnite starting June 2! Players will be able to purchase items with a PAC-MAN motif.

It’s likely that you haven’t played a PAC-MAN game in a while, so why not pick one up for old times’ sake?

PAC-MAN MUSEUM™+ & ©BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc.
“PlayStation”および“PS4”は、株式会社ソニー・インタラクティブエンタテインメントの登録商標または商標です。
Nintendo Switchは任天堂の商標です。
STEAM および STEAM ロゴは、米国およびまたはその他の国の Valve Corporation の商標およびまたは登録商標です。

Tokyo’s Sumida Aquarium welcomed three new baby Magellanic penguins on April 14! This marks the 10th year in a row that the location has seen new baby penguins born. 

Magellanic penguins start their breeding season in March each year, finishing in May. The first baby born this year, Daifuku, hatched on April 14, becoming Sumida Aquarium’s first second-generation penguin. Komari hatched on April 20 and Shiratama hatched on April 30.

The penguins were given names signifying good luck and joy. Komari and Shiratama both evoke images of ‘circles’ in Japanese, with the aquarium hoping that the penguins will sever as a link to guests.

All three babies will make their public debut towards the end of June in the designated penguin pool. The Sumida Aquarium Twitter feed will provide updates about how the babies are progressing, so be sure to keep an eye out!

Nara-based tea ceremony brand Saron is serving up a tasty treat perfect for the warm weather! White shaved ice with dark matcha topping is now available until mid-September, and guests are invited to adjust the taste by altering the amount of tea added.

Lately, Nara has been experiencing a major shaved ice boom. Inspired by Himuro Shrine, known for housing a guardian deity of ice, the city introduces plenty of created recipes for the summer treats each year. The tea ceremony brand Saron was founded by Nakagawa Masashichi Shouten, in business since the Edo period–so it’s safe to say that the company knows what they’re talking about!

Guests can enjoy shaved ice made from pure Yamato ice, which is frozen for 72 hours, gently shaved, and topped with Nara’s Kasiya sweet bean paste, shiratama, agar, and condensed milk that has been boiled for four hours. 

To finish off this luxurious dish, guests can add koicha, a thick matcha tea with concentrated flavor and incredible sweetness and depth. Polished twice as much as typical matcha, this is a taste you’ll never forget.

Why not come enjoy this traditional Japanese sweet this summer?

The Sailor Moon franchise’s 30th-anniversary museum will run from July 1 to December 30 in Tokyo’s Roppongi Museum. The series became a global phenomenon in the 1990s and remains popular to this day.

The exhibition will feature the largest-ever exhibition of original illustrations by Sailor Moon’s creator Naoko Takeuchi, at over 600 pieces. Rare original color drawings and some never-before-scene creations will be on display, and fans won’t want to miss this incredible chance. The museum will have three phases: volume 1 (July 1 – September 4), volume 2 (September 10 – November 6), and volume 3 (November 12 – December 30). 

The event will also include an ‘immersive experience theater,’ which will display colored images on a massive 4.5 x 8-meter screen with special effects. Fans can also enjoy a ‘hologram manuscript exhibit,’ which will display the Sailor Scouts’ famous dialogue. Anime materials and a selection of classic merchandise from the 90s to the modern-day will be available to peruse, as well as outfits from the musicals.

More information regarding original merchandise and the on-site cafe menu will be announced soon, so stay tuned!

© Naoko Takeuchi

Tokyo’s Maxell Aqua Park Shinagawa has opened its seasonal event NAKED FLOWER AQUARIUM -Bring You Happiness- until June 19, 2022.

The aquarium has been continuously developing entertaining exhibits and events based on the beauty of each season. The creative company NAKED uses projection mapping to transform the space with cherry blossoms in spring and fireworks in summer, allowing guests to enjoy a special atmosphere indoors.

Welcome Flower Gate 

Marine Forest 

Blooming Street 

Jellyfish Ramble 

Floral Café Bar 

For spring, the Aqua Park has been decorated with gorgeous flowers and lush greenery. The new event uses state-of-the-art technology to surround visitors with a spectacular view of early summer. Each area of the aquarium was inspired by the subtheme of ‘bringing happiness,’ with seven different Happiness Experiences for guests to enjoy. These experiences offer things like healing sound effects and scents made to calm the mind and offer additional immersion.

The popular dolphin performance has both a day and night show. The day version offers guest participation, in which the dolphins will show off their choreographed moves. The night version was inspired by the early summer sea and uses projection mapping to bring the underwater world to life in a spectacular way.