The permanent museum teamLab Forest Fukuoka is bringing autumn scenery to the virtual exhibition for a limited time only beginning September 18, 2021. A number of animals made of autumn foliage will be roaming through the space, and you won’t want to miss this memorable experience!

teamLab Forest Highlights

Shifting Valley, Living Creatures of Flowers, Symbiotic Lives – teamLab, 2020

Animals of Flowers, Symbiotic Lives II – teamLab, 2019

Soft Terrain and Granular Topography –  teamLab, 2020

Flutter of Butterflies, Ephemeral Life –  teamLab, 2020

The prolific works of the teamLab art collective change with the seasons. In the Forest of Movement, guests can enter the ‘Shifting Valley, Living Creatures of Flowers, Symbiotic Lives’ exhibit, where creatures made of flowers exist in a three-dimensional space. For this fall event, these flowers will be those found in the autumn months. The ‘Soft Terrain and Granular Topography’ will display tons of colorful grains raining down on visitors, while the ‘Flutter of Butterflies, Ephemeral Life’ will change the usual butterflies to have autumn colors as they fly around guests. 

teamLab Forest is a new museum created by art collective teamLab. The museum consists of two sections: the first, ‘The Catching and Collecting Forest,’ invites guests to explore with their smartphone to capture various unique creatures, while the second, ‘The Athletics Forest,’ is a physical creative space which asks visitors to use their body to immerse themselves in interactive areas. 

Would you like to visit this distinctive museum in Fukuoka on your next trip to Japan?

The Kadokawa Musashino Museum in Tokorozawa, Saitama, has been holding an exhibition honoring the works of contemporary writer and poet Machi Tawara since July 21 of this year. Now, the showing has been extended until December 5, 2021, to allow more people to enjoy the work of this inspirational and prolific creator. 

Tawara won the Kadokawa Tanka Award in 1986, and in 1987, her collection of poems were published in the book Salad Anniversary, which went on to sell three million copies and become a literary phenomenon. In the 35 years since, Tawara has published six more poetry books, and in 2021, her latest collection Size of the Future received the highest award in the world of tanka. A genre of classical Japanese poetry, tanka is what put Tawara on the map, and the writer is credited with revitalizing the style in the modern age. Her poetry tackles countless personal subjects, including love, childbirth, single motherhood, the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake, moving, and most recently, COVID-19. 

Since its opening in July, the exhibition has been well-received by visitors, resonating with both the young and old and bridging the gap between those who lived in the Showa era, the Heisei era, and the current Reiwa era. There is something for everyone to connect to in this gorgeous showing of raw emotion in the form of poetry. 

New Prints: The Evolutionary Beauty of UKIYO-E, featuring pieces from the Chiba City Museum of Art, will be held at Takashimaya Osaka from September 15-27, 2021. 

Ukiyo-e, or woodblock prints, were exceptionally popular as a Japanese art style from the 17th to the 19th centuries. Now, a new exhibition coming to Osaka is highlighting the ‘Shin-hanga’ movement, which took place during the early 20th century and focused largely on the creation of pieces to sell to foreign markets. The man behind this movement was Shozaburo Watanabe, who commissioned artists to design prints blending traditional Japanese techniques with unique elements of Western paintings at the time, such as shadowing and different perspectives. 

The exhibition will contain 120 works selected from the Chiba City Museum of Art’s Shin-hanga collection, ranging from early masterpieces such as Goyo Hashiguchi’s ‘Woman at her Bath,’ Ito Shinsui’s ‘Before the Mirror,’ as well as rich depictions of Japanese landscapes by Hasui Kawase and international landscapes by Hiroshi Yoshida. 

Selection of Featured Works

Twelve Months of Tokyo: Evening Glow at Yanaka – Hasui Kawase. 1921. 

The Twelve Months in Tokyo series consists of twelve paintings based on sketches made by Kawase between December 1920 and October 1921. While twelve pieces were planned, only four circular pieces and one square piece were completed. Evening Glow at Yanaka depicts a five-story pagoda glowing faintly in the light of the setting sun. Kawase has stated that as he finished sketching the piece, he heard the sound of a bell, and for some reason, he had the uncanny feeling that he needed to straighten his collar. 

Sailing Boats in the Morning: Inland Sea – Hiroshi Yoshida. 1926.

Yoshida began work on the Sailing Ship trilogy in 1921 under Shozaburo Watanabe, but all of his woodblocks and most of his works were lost in the Great Kanto Earthquake. Five years later, Yoshida decided to tackle the project again, this time deciding on six pieces. In contrast to the originals under Watanabe, these pieces tackled more nuanced periods of time and give a stronger sense of tranquility. Pay attention to the slight variations in color and light. 

Before the Mirror. Ito Shinsui. 1916. 

This is the first Shin-hanga work by Ito Shinsui. The piece only uses three colors: red, black, and white, and utilizes serrated carving to give the impression of shadows. Using layers of rare high-quality red paint, this work has been deemed a masterpiece by fans of the movement, conveying Shinsui’s subtlety when depicting the feminine figure. 

Fashions of the Modern World: Tipsy – Kiyoshi Kobayakawa. 1930.

This portrait of a modern lady is one of six in the Fashions of the Modern World series by Kobayakawa, and is regarded by many as the best in the bunch. Produced between 1930 and 1931, the artist portrayed the unique personalities of women, rather than sticking to tradition. The woman in this portrait isn’t demure or quiet, but instead shows off her short hair, a cigarette, rings, and a cocktail in her hand, showing a different side to the Japanese women of the period. 

Combing the Hair. Goyo Hashiguchi. 1920. 

With her overflowing black hair and elegant appearance, the subject of Combing the Hair makes it clear why this is Hashiguchi’s most representative work. The woman’s name is Tomi Kodaira, and she modeled for many of the artist’s works, being discovered by him as she was modeling at a nearby art school. The pose is said to be inspired by Rossetti’s Lady Lilith, but her expression is unique to Hashiguchi and the typical style of ukiyo-e. 

A celebration of light, sound, and food, the biennial Noseden Artline 2021 Festival will take place from October 30 until November 23, 2021. Set in one city and three towns along the Nose Electric Railway, the regional art event began in 2013 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the rail line, and brings local artists and residents together. 

The festival will be in Kawanishi and Inagawa in Hyogo Prefecture, as well as in Toyono and Nose in Osaka Prefecture, with Mt. Myoken marking the center point. Each part of the event will connect the history, industry, and tradition of the area with new and engaging creations. 

The theme of the 2021 Noseden Artline Festival is ‘Enlarged Mentality.’ By taking things that are subjective, like an artist’s thoughts and senses, and applying them to the objective world that can be shared, it creates a one-of-a-kind way to connect fully with others. The event will feature local cuisine and music, as well as art focused on light, inspired by the North Star. After a year of solitude due to the pandemic, the festival hopes to remind people to cultivate, nourish, and preserve local relationships. 

Art can make life more enjoyable, so why not come and see what the area has to offer?

 (C)Kousei Ikeda(SPEKTRA)

A new collaborative exhibition is coming to WHAT CAFE in Tokyo! The WHAT CAFE x DELTA EXHIBITION -EXPANSION- will run from September 25 until October 24, and will give guests some incredible pieces to ponder while sipping some warm coffee. 

WHAT CAFE is an art and culture facility opened with the goal of supporting artists with promising futures in the industry. Guests can wander the gallery while enjoying a meal or beverage, with some art being available for purchase.

Flash FINCH – Ji-hae Park

Combination-cut in 2 – Saki Matsumura

Galloping on a Free-floating Planet – Yui Suzuki

real screen – Takuro Sugiyama

This exhibition was inspired by WHAT CAFE’s interest in the activities of DELTA, an art project that helps plan and organize art fairs and exhibitions around Japan. It’s mission is to create a new place connecting galleries, artists, and collectors, while also breaking the norm and making a space that is more accessible. The WHAT CAFE x DELTA EXHIBITION -EXPANSION- will feature 60 works by 17 cutting-edge artists carefully selected from seven different galleries based in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. The showing will ask visitors to expand their minds and become more flexible when pondering the meaning behind each of the pieces on display.

Does this art-gallery-meets-cafe sound like your kind of place? 

Last year, the Pola Museum Annex in Tokyo hosted a charity auction to support the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic breaking out across the globe. As the world continues to feel the effects of the virus, the charity event is returning for a second year, and is set to be held from November 12 until December 5, 2021. The title for this year’s art exhibition is ‘Find Your Travel.’ 

Lemon Tree – Yuka Kashihara. Acrylic and oil on canvas.  2020. 

POLA Dot or snowball ~Based on Tosa Mitsuyoshi’s Colored Painting of Yugiri from The Tale of Genji~ – Tetsuya Noguchi. Acrylic. 2020. 

our whereabouts – Moe Nakamura. Camphor, bronze, oil. 2021. 

Philanthropy – Yuko Higuchi. Hemp paper, pen, watercolor. 2020. 

Baby Heel-less Shoes – Noritaka Tatehama. Cowhide, pigskin, dye, metal zipper, coated crystal glass. 2020. 

Last year’s charity auction raised over ¥9,145,000 (about $83,000) for the Japanese Red Cross. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues around the globe, and as Japan remains locked down, this year’s event hopes to raise even more useful funds to help medical professionals on the front lines. 

20 artists are participating in the exhibition, with each creating one work based on the theme of ‘travel.’ In addition to simply viewing these pieces at the exhibition, a silent auction will also be held online. With travel being severely restricted, these works of art seek to inspire and encourage visitors to imagine a better future, when the world is open once again. All proceeds will once again be donated to the Japanese Red Cross. 

Tsutaya Ginza, located inside Ginza Six, will hold an exhibition of new works from artist Yasunari Ikenaga starting September 25, 2021. Titled ‘Shonen, Shou,’ the pieces in the collection were all inspired by up-and-coming actor and model Shou. 

Physical Education, Shou – Yasunari Ikenaga. 2021. 

Glaring, Honami – Yasunari Ikenaga. 2015

Yasunari Ikenaga is a leading figure in the world of contemporary beauty painting. In 2012, he won Honorable Mention at the 8th Tatehiko Suga Grand Prize Exhibition, which attracted a great deal of attention in the art world and established the genre of contemporary beauty painting. Ikenaga’s paintings are characterized by their unique coloring, which is created by using mineral-based pigments. This style, as individual as the models he paints, has a uniqueness and presence that has redefined the art of painting human beings in the Japanese art world. 

‘Shonen, Shou’ is an exhibition focusing on new model and actor Shou, born in 2006. This is the first time Ikenaga has used a boy as his muse, and various prints of past works will also be on display during the event. 

The globally-beloved Pokemon franchise is celebrating 25 years throughout 2021. Throughout the year, the POKEMON COLORS exhibition has opened in cities throughout Japan, bringing a barrage of bright colors, fantastic art, and Pokemon-themed activities to fans nationwide. As guests move throughout the event space, various projections and images around them change, with popular Pokemon characters popping up and flooding the world around them in color. Now, the POKEMON COLORS exhibition is set to open in Osaka beginning September 30. 

Exhibition Preview

Concept Video

COLORS ROAD

COLORS LAKE

COLORS FOREST

COLORS CITY

COLORS CIRCLE

Inspired by the more than 800 Pokemon species in the franchise, the POKEMON COLORS project uses sensors placed throughout the event space to track visitors movements, altering the images, music, and lighting accordingly. Meant to be a combination of pop culture and minimalist digital art, it’s an experience like no other. 

160 unique goods will be available at the exhibition, from apparel and art pieces to cell phone cases and office supplies. Be sure to check it out if you’re in Osaka this fall!

©2021 Pokémon. ©1995-2021 Nintendo/Creatures Inc./GAME FREAK inc.

The Mana series (known in Japan as Seiken Densetsu) began in 1991 as an offshoot of the popular Final Fantasy RPG series. Since release, the twelve original Mana titles released have sold over eight million copies, and to commemorate 30 years, the ‘Mana: 30th Anniversary Exhibition in animate ONLY SHOP’ will take place at certain Animate locations around Japan. The event will kick off at Ikebukuro animate on October 9, 2021. 

Character Pin Collection HEROS&HEROINES (24 varieties): ¥440 each (Tax Included)

Legend of Mana Character Pin Collection (20 varieties): ¥440 each (Tax Included)

T-shirt – Monster Design: ¥7,150 (Tax Included)

Blanket – Monster Design: ¥4,400 (Tax Included)

Legend of Mana Mini Acrylic Stand Collection (23 varieties): ¥770 each (Tax Included)

Postcard (51 varieties): ¥165 each (Tax Included)

Hardcover Notebook (3 varieties): ¥1,650 (Tax Included)

Legend of Mana Tote Bag: ¥2,750 (Tax Included) 

Mug – Monster Design: ¥1,650 (Tax Included)

What’s your favorite game in the Mana series? 

© SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. All Rights Reserved.

The Hot Toys flagship store, TOY SAPIENS Tokyo, will begin hosting a free Back to the Future event titled RETRO SAPIENS starting September 18, and running until October 31, 2021. 

Along with the opening of this exciting event, the TOY SAPIENS Tokyo store is also unveiling its new location. The much larger shop is now an easy walk from Shibuya Station and Harajuku Station!

After the event at the Tokyo location concludes, the event will travel to three more TOY SAPIENS stores nationwide, to allow more fans to see these legendary props in person. RETRO SAPIENS will open in Osaka in November 2021, and in Nagoya in February 2022. 

One-of-a-kind props, clothing items, and set pieces from the Back to the Future film will be on display for the first time ever in Japan during this event. If you’re a fan, be sure to come and enjoy–admission is free! A number of Back to the Future related merchandise will also be on sale, including figures, apparel, and items only available at the RETRO SAPIENS event. These limited-edition products will also be available online at the TOY SAPIENS Official Online Store starting September 21. 

A special Cosbaby Keychain will also be handed out to guests who clear certain conditions while enjoying the event. Those who purchase Back to the Future merchandise will receive a RETRO SAPIENS-themed shopping bag on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Sado Island, sitting off the Japanese mainland close to the Niigata coast, has been holding an incredible art festival since August 8, 2021. The highlight of the event is a massive glowing sculpture, made as a collaboration between Koiwa Kanaami Co., Ltd. and the Nobuaki Furuya+Yuri Fujii Laboratory at Waseda University. The eye-catching installment is meant to honor the historical Sado gold mine, one of the largest in the country, and a designated National Historic Site of Japan.

The peak production period of the mine was 400 years ago, between 1615 to 1645. The mines on Sado produced over 400 kilograms of gold and nearly 38 tons of silver each year, making it one of the largest producers in the world at the time. The town of Aikawa, where the mine is located, is now filled with historical and tourist sites, with many buildings preserved and used as museums to teach visitors about mining technology over the years. A number of rail lines once ran around today’s Oma Port, carrying ore and other mining materials.

The Sato gold mine was developed by Takato Oshima, one of the most important engineers in Japanese history, and the man also responsible for creating the first blast furnace and Western-style gun in Japan.

Headlining the event, the ‘Scene Spinner’ installation consists of two spiral concepts: one, based on the spiral pumping machine used to drain water seeping into the mine, and the other inspired by the rail system around Oma Port. These spirals were made by using a wire mesh frame, which resembles the silhouette of the Sado gold mine. Each piece shown at the Galaxy Art Festival is meant to express the remaining historical importance of this often-overlooked area.

The exhibition site, the former Oma Port, marks the location where materials were brought from the mines, and where the remains of the modern mining industry remain today. Oma Port, which has served as the gateway between Sado Island and the mainland, seems the perfect spot to hold this inspiring event, asking visitors to look around and think about the history made on this beautiful island.

A special exhibition titled ‘Japanese Landscapes Discovered: Views from and for the Outside World,’ showcasing a private collection of Meiji era paintings, is now on display at the National Museum of Modern Art in Kyoto until October 31, 2021.

Inside the Exhibit

Inside the Exhibit

This exhibition is designed to take visitors on a journey through the Meiji period (1868-1912), the beginning of Japan’s modern era, through oil and watercolor paintings of the time, and through the landscapes and customs depicted in these pieces of art. During this time, many foreign painters visited Japan, and were inspired to paint the country’s beautiful landscapes and unfamiliar customs, bringing these creations back to their countries of origin. Japanese artists studied these unfamiliar painting techniques, and made their own culturally-inspired paintings, often selling them to foreign visitors as souvenirs.

Many works on display in this exhibition have never been shown publicly, with many being brought back to Japan from locations abroad. These include long-lost oil paintings by Kuroda Seiki and a massive newly-discovered work by Tamura Soryu. Other Japanese artists inspired by Western-style on display include Hiroshi Yoshida, Jirokichi Kasagi, Shotaro Koyama, and Ioki Bunsai.

Also on display are works by foreign artists who visited Japan during this period, including British news painter Charles Wirgman, French news painter Georges Bigot, and British landscape painters Alfred Parsons, Alfred East, and John Varley Jr. These three men in particular triggered a watercolor boom in Japan during the late Meiji period. Vibrant female painters such as British watercolorist Ella du Cane, a lover of Japanese gardens, also make an appearance.

Be sure to see these incredible depictions of Japan before they’re gone.