To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the anime series Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, which aired from 1990-1991, an exhibition is now taking place at Niigata Prefecture Manga and Anime Museum until June 20, 2021. The series was directed by Hideaki Anno who also worked on Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995-1996) and The End of Evangelion (1997).

©ＮＨＫ・ＮＥＰ

The exhibition features a bounty of original materials from the anime’s production, from notes jotted down by Hideaki Anno to image boards, character designs, storyboards and more by Mahiro Maeda, and so on. It’s an unmissable deep-diving opportunity into the anime classic.

Studio Chizu, the Japanese animation studio working on the upcoming anime film Belle which is set for release sometime this summer, has announced an exhibition at TeNQ Space Museum in celebration of their 10th anniversary and in promotion of their newest work. It will be held from July 7 to November 14.

Studio Chizu’s past works have enjoyed great success both in Japan overseas and include Wolf Children (2012), The Boy and the Beast (2015), Mirai (2018), and the highly-anticipated forthcoming entry Belle (2021). All the films are directed by the Academy Award-nominated Mamoru Hosoda.

One of the biggest aspects when it comes to creating an animated world are the backgrounds used. This exhibition will focus on two key background features threaded throughout Hosoda’s creations: the sky and clouds. Both of these sceneries are showcased in different ways in all four of his films and will be explored throughout the event with a special, exclusive showing of a slideshow with various scenes of the sky and clouds littered in the filmography, as well as a more ‘academic’ exhibit of the cumulonimbus, a cloud that symbolises Studio Chizu, and more.

Limited edition mask case 

There will also be a selection of original merchandise for anime fans to pick up, as well as a limited stock face mask case when purchased together with select tickets.

Exhibits to look out for at the event

Who are Studio Chizu?

Learn about the 10 year history of the Japanese animation studio Studio Chizu.

Studio Chizu and the cumulonimbus

The cumulonimbus is a cloud synonymous with Studio Chizu’s works – see it in all forms from their filmography in this special exhibit.

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Nara TSUTAYA BOOKS opened the Ball & Chain Fair on May 11, stocking a wide selection of thick embroidered polyester eco shopping bags.

Ball & Chain is a shopping bag brand focused on spreading happiness and energy to the world through its products and designs. Its stylish eco bags are high quality and made to be long-lasting with fun and colourful designs that make you want to take it out when shopping. The bags are made from thick polyester so are waterproof and durable.

The Ball & Chain Fair features the brand’s signature RED LABEL bags and welcomes the all-new BLUE LABEL models. Help protect the environment by picking up your very own eco bag.

Niigata Prefecture Manga and Anime Museum is currently holding a special event to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the popular manga series The Prince of Tennis. Centred on both The Prince of Tennis and The New Prince of Tennis, the event is running until February 14.

©Takeshi Konomi / Shueisha

The event is a must-visit for fans of the manga series, who will get to enjoy seeing drafts by the author, full-colour manga panels, and more. They can also get their hands on a line-up of original merchandise produced for the event.

Five new Pokémon manhole covers were laid in Japan’s Nara Prefecture on Wednesday (January 20) as part of the Poké Lid  project to place Pokémon-design manhole covers across the country. There are now a total of 148 lids in 13 locations in Japan.

Nara’s 5 new Poké Lids

All of the Poké Lids placed across Japan feature completely original Pokémon designs making each individual one the only one in the world. The Pokémon Company is also working to make each one of them PokéStops for Pokémon GO.

If you’re planning a trip to Japan, be sure to check if there are any Poké Lids at your destination.

©2021 Pokémon. ©1995-2021 Nintendo/Creatures Inc./GAME FREAK inc.
Pokémon, ポケットモンスター, and ポケモン are registered trademarks of Nintendo, Creatures Inc., and GAME FREAK inc.

Art collective teamLab opened a shop at their Shanghai-based art museum teamLab Borderless Shanghai on Saturday (December 5). teamLab Borderless Shanghai opened its doors in Huangpu, Shanghai, in November 2019, displaying around 50 pieces of artwork by teamLab. The company’s Borderless project is a ‘world of artworks without boundaries, a museum without a map.’

The museum’s new shop sellings a variety of items, from stickers to postcards to the official teamLab Folding Rice Bag. More items are scheduled to be added to the stock in the future.

teamLab Folding Rice Bag

The eco bag can be folded up and stored when not in use. It’s a 30kg rice bag that was acquired directly from the farmer, originally used for storing rice before milling and would normally be discarded after use. It’s traditionally used to store and sell rice. Still present in the Japanese countryside today, these bags are made of strong, durable materials that protect the rice inside from moisture and damage. The bag is made of paper, and it can be folded up and stored in your pocket for use at any time.

Having only held annual summertime events up to now, Art Aquarium Museum in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, is celebrating Christmas for the first time this year with a series of holiday season festivities.

The Aquarium’s first Christmas tree

Art Aquarium Museum will display its very first Christmas tree for the event indoors near the entrance. The tree artwork was created by Hidemoto Kimura using 550 colourful crystals that have been made to look like goldfish. Made from venetian glass, he had them shipped himself from Italy. They are strung in 10 different colours which glow and glisten to create a romantic atmosphere.

Artwork Name: Natale di Pesce D’oro
Running: December 1, 2020 – December 27, 2020
Location: Art Aquarium Museum entrance

Pair tickets for Christmas with alcohol

Pair Ticket (2 People) + 2 Drinks | ¥4,600 (Tax Included)

Those arriving in twos can buy Pair Tickets which come with two alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages so you can plunge into the magical underwater world of the aquarium while enjoying a drink.

Buy Tickets: https://ticket.artaquarium.jp/en/
Running: November 24, 2020 – December 27, 2020
Validity Period: December 1, 2020 – December 27, 2020
Drinks Menu:

[Alcohol] COEDO Beer / Marihana / Louis Raison Rouge Délice

[Non-Alcoholic] Sanpellegrino Pompelmo / Grapefruit

Christmas menu served up in the lounge and cafe

2-Person Hors d’oeuvre With 2 Drinks | Online Booking ¥4,200, Same-Day ¥5,000 (Tax Included) | Serving: December 18, 2020 – December 25, 2020

The aquarium’s lounge restaurant is serving an hors d’oeuvre for pairs of Japanese and western food together with two drinks.

2-Person Christmas Sweets Plate With 2 Drinks | Online Booking ¥3,300, Same-Day ¥3,850 (Tax Included) | Serving: December 1, 2020 – December 27, 2020

The cafe is serving up plate of assorted desserts, perfect for a post-aquarium date.

Christmas Special Cocktail | ¥2,200 (Tax Included) | Serving: December 1, 2020 – December 27, 2020

Both the restaurant and cafe are also serving a seasonal cocktail of chocolate, strawberries, cranberries, and champagne jelly for a sweet and refreshing mix.

To promote the upcoming anime film adaptation of mobile RPG Fate/Grand Order‘s popular episode “6th Singularity: Camelot,” an event will take place at SKY CIRCUS Sunshine 60 Observation Deck and Sunshine Aquarium in Ikebukuro, Tokyo from December 4, 2020 to January 31, 2021.

New artwork displayed for the event

A collection of new artwork has been drawn specially for the event. Fans will find life-sized cut-outs of Bedivere, Mashu Kyrielite, Lion King, Gawain, and Lancelot at the observation deck and Ozymandias, Nitocris, and Arash at the aquarium. There will also be voiced panels at the observation deck with newly-recorded lines by Mamoru Miyano (Bedivere) and Takehito Koyasu (Ozymandias). Different voice recordings will be rolled out throughout the duration of the event. This info can be found by following the venue on Twitter @skycircus60.

Anime photos and signed exhibits

The observation deck will also feature photos taken from scenes in the anime series as well as exhibits signed by the character voice actors.

Original Merchandise

Stickers

Pins

Both the observation deck and aquarium will sell their own original merchandise, so fans will want to visit both venues.

Keyword Rally

Keyword Rally answer sheet

Both venues will host a keyword rally where fans will have to fill out their answers of the correct words on the sheets in Japanese. Clearing each one will get them an original card with five different designs from the observation deck and three from the aquarium.

Answer sheets can be bought for ¥600 each from the 60th floor ticket counter at the observation deck and next to the annual passport counter at the aquarium.

Tully’s Coffee Collaboration

Tully’s Coffee coasters

Both venues have their own branches of Tully’s Coffee, a cafe chain. For every ¥800 spent on a transaction you will receive one of eight possible coasters chosen randomly.展

Movie ticket campaign

If you go to see the upcoming Fate/Grand Order movie in Japan and show your movie ticket at either the observation deck or aquarium you can get 20% off your entry to the event.劇

More original merchandise

Starting on December 4, the observation deck will begin selling merchandise tickets in addition to regular entry tickets which include both admission and a piece of merchandise.

©TYPE-MOON / FGO6 ANIME PROJECT

Sumida Aquarium in Tokyo has announced a special winter event called “Moon & Jellyfish” which will run from November 20, 2020 to February 14, 2020, creating a spectacle that weaves a story of moon jellies in the twinkling night sky.

Moon & Jellyfish will be the first event to take place inside Big Petri Dish, a giant seven-metre tank that opened at Sumida Aquarium in July of this year and houses around 500 jellyfish. The tank’s flat appearance allows visitors to look out across the water to see what looks like a sea of floating Moons.

For the event, special visual imagery will be shone onto the ceiling, walls, and floor to weave together a story. On the ceiling, visuals will show a moon jelly growing, like a waxing moon, into a full adult jellyfish. On the walls and floor, ephyra, which are one of the early stages of a jellyfish’s lifecycle, will be displayed. They are star-shaped and so will look like stars of the night sky next to the moon jellies.

On Fridays and weekends this December, Sumida Aquarium is also hosting a projection mapping event called Penguin Candy where the penguin pool will be lit with Christmas illuminations to the sound of festive music.

Visitors to the Penguin Cafe will also find a limited-edition winter hot cocoa inspired by the Moon & Jellyfish event, with the tapioca pearls as the jellyfish, a moon marshmallow, and blue mint whipped cream.

YM House is set to open the new YOKU MOKU MUSEUM in Minami-Aoyama, Tokyo, on October 25, 2020. The museum began taking bookings on October 2. It will limit the number of people allowed in the museum at once as a precaution against the spread of COVID-19 so that visitors can enjoy the works on display without worry. Tickets are available directly at the museum on the day, but since there’s a capacity limit, it’s recommended that visitors book online.

About YOKU MOKU MUSEUM

YOKU MOKU is a Japanese confectionery company best known for their Cigare cookies which are shaped to look like cigars. The company was founded by Noriichi Fujinawa, who maintained that “confections are creations.” Toshiyasu Fujinawa, the Chairman of YOKU MOKU Holdings, will act as the Museum Director at YOKU MOKU MUSEUM where a wide selection of artworks from YOKU MOKU’s collection will be displayed, including the Picasso ceramics the company has collected for over 30 years.

About the YOKU MOKU Collection

YOKU MOKU’s collection boasts a comprehensive line-up of Picasso’s ceramics that the artist himself made at the Madoura workshop in Vallauris. That makes the works in the collection even more prized as the ceramics themselves were shaped by Picasso’s skilled hands.

The artist’s passion for ceramics developed in 1947 and he worked on them at the Madoura workshop until his death in 1973. He forged everything from bowls to plates, jugs, and more.

ART AQUARIUM MUSEUM officially opened permanently in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, on August 28, 2020. Before that, it was simply an exhibition that was held around Tokyo which brought together over 10 million visitors throughout its run, exhibiting goldfish in a variety of breathtaking ways.

We visited ART AQUARIUM MUSEUM together with Japanese model Yuna Yabe to take a deeper dive into what lies within those doors.

ART AQUARIUM MUSEUM can be found in Nihonbashi, an area of which served as one of many places where ART AQUARIUM previously held its exhibitions. Nihonbashi is steeped in tradition and is actually the place where Japan’s goldfish culture spawned from during the Edo Period.

ART AQUARIUM was conceived and is managed by Hidetomo Kimura, an author and general producer. It’s a collaboration between art, design, and entertainment, all fused into an aquarium to create a completely unique experience. The museum has taken what was once a pop-up exhibition and expanded it many-fold, housing close around 30,000 goldfish.

The aquarium is divided into different areas each with its own unique theme that plunges visitors into a multitude of fantastical worlds. One of the must-sees when visiting ART AQUARIUM MUSEUM is the masterful Oiran works—giant goldfish bowls as pictured above—which are inspired by the red light district of the Edo Period.

Perhaps the most striking and gorgeous part of the Edo Period was Hanamachi, the districts where geisha worked. The high-ranking courtesans, known as Oiran, engaged in what was known as the Oiran Dochu, or procession of the courtesans, and this too has been captured at the museum in the designs of the beautiful fish tanks in this area.

Another unmissable part when visiting the aquarium are the Goldfish Shrines, towering fish tanks lined up like a column of water trees which make for an incredible viewing experience.

The lighting and music is ever-changing, and so transports visitors into a completely different realm every time. It can be one way one moment, and in the next instant it changes entirely.

From the second floor you can overlook the fish shrines with dynamic 3D visuals in the background. These visuals change depending on the season, so you’ll be in for a treat however many times you visit.

There are countless works of goldfish art scattered throughout the aquarium—too many to count, so your eyes will never grow tired.

Suigian Lounge – Old Pine Tree Area

ART AQUARMIUM MUSEUM even has its own dining lounge where guests can enjoy a meal while gazing at a painting of old pine trees, a cultural property of the Edo Period said to have been painted by those of the Kano school of Japanese painting. Traditional performances are also carried out on the stage for diners.

These drinks are ¥1,200 each (before tax)

Every five days, a new line-up of cocktails is served at Suigian Lounge. Japan used to be divided into 24 sekki rather than the now-used four seasons of springs, summer, autumn, and winter. These were further divided into 72 Kō, which are five days apart each. That’s where the lounge gets its idea for changing its cocktails every five days. So you’re sure to find an interesting flavour on every visit.

Kagyo Ryoran – Joy Area 

Kagyo Ryoran is a separate cafe lounge at the aquarium where they serve authentic Japanese sweets in collaboration with famous confectionery shops.

From Left Clockwise: Goldfish Sarasa ¥750 / Palet D’or Cacao Soda ¥900 / Echire Butter & Cream Castella ¥800 / lohasbeans coffee Matcha Tiramisu ¥850 / Goldfish Jelly ¥750 (All Before Tax)

The cafe serves up range of tasty Japanese desserts, from traditional ones to others inspired by goldfish and some made in collaboration with other shops.

Large Plush Toys: ¥3,200 Each (Before Tax)

The aquarium event sells its own souvenirs, such as goldfish plushies in various sizes, original confections, collaborative products, and more.

“Everything was magical—the goldfish, the sounds, the lights, the atmosphere!” explains Yuna. “They have a lot of different varieties of goldfish, and the fish tanks come in all shapes and sizes, which makes for plenty of Instagram-worthy moments. And since it’s inspired by Edo culture, it has a Japanese vibe to it too. The fish are always swimming around, so no two moments are ever the same, meaning you’re offered something fresh every time you visit.”

If you’re visiting Tokyo, be sure to pay a visit to ART AQUARIUM MUSEUM.

Kyoto City and Art Aquarium are set to host Art Aquarium Castle -Kyoto・Kingyo Dance- this year at the World Heritage Site of Nijo Castle from October 14 to December 7.

Art Aquarium is an art, design, and entertainment fusion created by aquarium artist Hidetomo Kimura, who opened the first ART AQUARIUM MUSEUM in Nihonbashi, Tokyo back in August.

Art Aquarium Castle -Kyoto・Kingyo Dance- will be the first outdoor exhibition by Art Aquarium, vividly portraying the Japanese world of goldfish and carps through traditional Kyoto-inspired works.

Exhibition Concept

Nijo Castle has a rich history. Constructed by Tokugawa Ieyasu in the early days of the Edo Bakufu, it is a striking symbol of the Edo Period. It will play as the stage for the exhibition, which will be themed on goldfish—which first arrived in Japan in the Muromachi Period and became a boom during the Edo Period—and carp, which were propagated to Japan in the Edo Period.

Displayed artwork will be inspired by the castle’s Ninomaru Palace and sliding door artwork, the season flowers that bloom in the Ninomaru Palace Gardens and castle grounds, and more. It will be a marriage of both historical art and contemporary art that captures the beauty of Japan.

Lotusrium: Its first exhibit in western Japan

The design motif based on the lotus, a flower whose name is a seasonal haiku word for summer. Lotus plants require thick, muddy water in order to make the large, beautiful flowers bloom, despite the hardship and difficulty they must overcome to do so. This art piece imbibes a worldview of grace and splendour that interweaves the lotus, a symbol of beautiful and painfully ephemeral things, with the kingyo, an elegant fish that swims beautifully.

Sakurarium: A flower symbolising Nijo Castle

Combined with the cherry blossom shape of compound works. Swimming freely under the shining of the cherry blossoms, those are goldfish bearing “Sakura” such as Sakura Nishiki, Sakura To Nishiki and Sakura Ryukin,

Taisei Hokan Kingyo Large Byobu: A large-scale piece capturing Nijo Castle’s history

The huge fish tank with a length of 5.4 meters and an expansion of 18 screens projected beautiful paintings like splash-ink art through light and shadow. Countless goldfish swim among them, interpreting the changing process of Japanese art history in the scattered lights.

Even more new artworks are scheduled to be displayed. If you’re in Kyoto this autumn, don’t miss Art Aquarium’s first-ever outdoor exhibition.