The globally popular anime series Chainsaw Man will get a mini-exhibition at TSUTAYA and TSUTAYA Books locations nationwide from December 23, 2022 until January 22, 2023. A special poster is being prepared for the exhibition and original drawings will be on display. New merchandise will be available during the event period. For more information, follow MAPPA’s official Twitter page (@MAPPA_Info) for updates!

Original Reproductions to be on Display

One original reproduction will be displayed at each of the approximately 300 participating stores. 

Original Goods

Details on MAPPA x TSUTAYA Chainsaw Man Mini-Exhibition Goods

Acrylic Keychain (4 varieties), ¥935 each / Pin (4 varieties, random), ¥550 each / Acrylic Figure (4 varieties), ¥1,925 each / Clear Folder (4 varieties), ¥440 each / Leather Sticky Note Book (4 varieties), ¥605 each / Premium Postcard Holder (1 variety), ¥1,760 each / Mobile Accessory Case (1 variety), ¥2,200 each

As a purchase bonus, guests spending ¥2,200 (including tax) or more will receive a limited edition postcard (4 varieties).

©藤本タツキ／集英社・ ＭＡＰＰＡ

Shohaku Art Museum in Nara will be exhibiting works by Uemura Shoen, Shoko, and Atsushi from September 6 until November 27. This will include sketches and rare works by these classical Japanese artists, many of which will be shown for the first time in two years.

Hanagatami. Uemura Shoen, 1915

Hanagatami (Rough Sketch) Uemura Shoen, 1915

Yang Guifei. Uemura Shoen, 1922

Tsudumi no Oto. Uemura Shoen, 1940

Flowers and Birds of the Four Seasons. Atsushi Uemura, 2010. 

The museum has a large number of valuable materials in its collection, including drafts, miniatures, and drawings by Shoen and Shoko. Even the drafts by Shoen are meticulously crafted, down to each and every crease in the kimonos. By viewing the original sketches with the final paintings, guests can feel the emotion that went into them. The exhibition also provides a glimpse of how Shoko and Atsushi deepened their understanding of their subjects through sketching. Fans of Japanese artwork shouldn’t miss this valuable exhibition!

The first Evangelion-themed Edo faceted glasses were released in November 2021, and Tsutaya Books Daikanyama will soon be selling limited quantities online! These items were previously only available to purchase locally.

Evangelion Unit 1 Edo Faceted Glass: ¥64,900 (Tax Included)

The Evangelion Unit 1 Edo Faceted Glass was designed along with a traditional pattern inspired by chrysanthemums, which symbolize longevity in Japanese culture. While the standard colors of faceted glass are red and blue, the gold and purple colors used in this unique item are extremely difficult to create, with only a few factories capable of producing them.

The glassware is designed and cut by Kosho Nemoto at Nemoto Glass, which has produced the finest Edo faceted glass in Tokyo for three generations. The webpage below also explains how these glasses are produced.

The product is scheduled to be released in late June 2022 and is currently available for pre-order. The amount available is extremely limited, so be sure to order as soon as possible if you’d like to add one of these valuable glasses to your collection.

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!

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?

A popular stationery event held last year is back! The pop-up space on the first floor of Tsutaya Books Nara has been filled to the brim with unique stationery items from a number of creators. Guests can grab these inspiring items from March 15 until April 17, 2022.

echos

Visitors can use a variety of printing techniques like letterpress and foil stamping at echos. Connect with your loved ones through printing and design, and show your creativity!

These nostalgic yet new paper products pull from Showa-era illustrators to give an authentic antique feel. 

Osoblanco

This general store and gallery is located in Nanba, Osaka. The shop mainly deals in original handmade goods, antique European tools, and merchandise by illustrator makomo. Both store owners are stationary lovers, and they have recently begun offering a wide selection of paper products of all genres and styles.

Otome Printing

Otome Printing makes paper goods by printing each sheet of paper one color at a time on a letterpress! The handmade printing gives each sheet a one-of-a-kind feel by virtue of the indentation of the printing plate, ink blurring, and crooked prints. The lineup includes postcards, letterheads, pouch bags, and gift bags decorated with these unique prints.

Printing Studio Tan

Printing Studio Tan has been making Nara-inspired letterpressed pieces since it opened its doors. The symbol for ‘tan’ refers to the color of red earth, symbolizing the values of ancient Nara, once the central city of Japan. The company’s products feature ancient patterns associated with classic Japanese culture. 

Kei Printing

Kei Printing, with a factory in Kobe, offers delicate items with incredible attention to detail. With the goal of designing ‘memorable printed materials,’ customers are sure to find items that will help them to express themselves. 

Yonagadou

With a storefront located in Tenmabashi, Osaka, Yonagadou also has a small gallery in the back featuring items from both Japan and abroad. The shop offers a wide variety of small items, from Taisho and Showa-inspired paper goods, handkerchiefs, and more. 

This year, paper lovers will find an array of products using letterpress printing. Many items were also inspired by Nara, so travel lovers will also be thrilled!

Ginza Tsutaya, located on the 6th floor of the GINZA SIX department store, is now holding a Spring Ceramic Fair until March 7, 2022.

Many popular ceramic artists are coming together for the event. This year’s lineup includes dishes and mugs with botanical patterns and animal motifs in spring-like colors to add color to tables and living spaces. A large number of works, from vases to tableware and even ceramic brooches, will be on display, including works by Wato Maekawa and Oda Pottery. 

Participating Ceramic Artists

Ritsuko Imai

After studying pottery in England, Imai currently lives and works in Mashiko, Tochigi Prefecture. This year’s exhibition will show off her dyed works, including Zougan works, a technique in which different materials are inlaid into one material. Enjoy her small plates and teapots with soft colors.

Miki Furuhata

Miki Furuhata is a pottery artist in Nagano. Using gentle colors and unique self-made glaze, her colorful pieces are a lovely addition to one’s daily life.

Hanako Sakashita

Hanako Sakashita uses a ‘kneading’ technique, in which colorful clays are kneaded together to create patterns, marbles, stripes, checks, and countless other patterns. Enjoy the many textures, shades, and patterns found in her works!

Wato Maekawa

A ceramic artist living in Toyama Prefecture, Wato Maegawa creates works inspired by the four seasons. Her flower-shaped plates are reminiscent of Japanese sweets.

Toutousya

Using candle wax to make prototypes, these ceramic brooches and boxes are made with a technique adapted from candle making. These hand-painted pieces are very popular, and those on sale in this year’s exhibition are covered with flowers, birds, and animals in spring colors.

Oda Pottery

Oda Pottery was founded in 1921 in Mizunami City, Gifu Prefecture. Their lineup features vases that are easy to incorporate into any interior. 

From January 15 until February 4, 2022, an exhibition of Naoki Nomura’s works will be on display at the Tsutaya location in Ginza, Tokyo. The art show will feature ten ceramic works created between 2015 and 2021, tracing Nomura’s history and growth as an artist. 

Rain. 2020

Strawberry Girl. 2020

Naoki Nomura was familiar with clay before he became an artist. Fascinated by the firing of clay and the beautiful colors of finished ceramics, Nomura’s works are inspired by daily life. Fans of the artist’s work have fallen in love with his strangely adorable ‘creatures,’ each featuring a strange appearance. Some are wearing seasonal fruits, others have distinctive hairstyles, and all of them have ambiguous and unreadable expressions. 

Visitors are invited to imagine their own stories as they wander the exhibition.

Comment from the Artist

There are so many little discoveries to be made in our daily lives.

Through our encounters with various objects and people, through our casual conversations, our imagination expands and we invent our own stories. 

The characters from my own stories take up residence in my mind and using my hands, I have brought them into the real world.

Naoki Nomura

From January 5 until February 13, 2022, the Museum of Japanese Art Yamato Bunkakan in Nara will feature a large exhibition of Japanese pottery, spanning from the Jomon period to the present day. 

Important Cultural Property – Painted Platter (Imari Ware) / Yamato Bunkakan Collection

Celadon Porcelain Vase – By Soubei Kinkouzan (Taisho Period) / Privately Owned

The exhibition will feature both potteries from the museum’s collection and those held by private individuals. The history of pottery in Japan began in the Jomon period around 14,500 BCE, and this earthenware eventually evolved into Sue ware, formed on a potter’s wheel. The Nara period saw the emergence of glazed ceramics. During the Momoyama period (1573-1603), the world of pottery was revitalized with the popularity of the tea ceremony. During the Edo period (1603-1868), porcelain was first successfully fired in Arita, and these pieces became popular throughout Japan. Painting on ceramics also became popular during this period, and although pottery saw less popularity after the Meiji Restoration, it has since evolved in different ways with more modern technology. 

From December 21, 2021 until February 13, 2022, TSUTAYA Nara will hold the HAPPA STAND Fair to coincide with the traditional holiday season. This special location will highlight traditional Japanese teacups under the concept of ‘Be Classic, Not Old.’ Enjoying traditional tea doesn’t have to be old school–it can be chic and fit into a modern lifestyle as well.

HAPPA STAND is located on a corner in Mino, Gifu Prefecture, surrounded by classic Japanese homes. This area is an important traditional building preservation district and aims to blend the chic with the classic to attract visitors and show off local artisans and food.

The creator of this event previously lived abroad, and after experiencing ‘fake Japanese food culture,’ he decided to return to Japan to find a way to highlight the reality of Japanese cuisine. HAPPA STAND was initially begun in 2018.

The stylish store was renovated from an old house built over 150 years ago, and is filled with delicious tea grown in Uji, Kyoto, and local Mino ware ceramics. For those thinking of enjoying a taste of authentic Japan, this won’t be a place to miss.

BE:FIRST, scheduled to make their debut on November 3, will serve as the managers of Shibuya’s Tsutaya location for a limited time. Visitors can enjoy some exclusive privileges and see special videos only at this location during the event. 

The group was assembled during BMSG’s ‘THE FIRST’ audition and will release their first single Gifted next month. The sales floor of Shibuya’s Tsutaya location will be decorated to celebrate, with huge panels of each member lining the aisles and a huge monitor showing videos of the band. 

Those who purchase the Gifted single at this location will be given a special Store Manager member card (7 varieties) at random. Those who purchase the CD from the Shibuya Tsutaya official online store will also receive this special gift!

Two new tasty types of shaved ice are now on sale at Hotel Nikko Nara! The Shinkansen Shaved Ice will be available until November 30, 2021, at the Lobby Lounge Fountain on the hotel’s third floor. 

Shinkansen Shaved Ice – N700S

Sliced Mango, dried apricots, and almond jelly

Shinkansen Shaved Ice – Inspection Train

Caramel sauce, chocolate syrup, and dried apricots

This collaboration with JR Central Japan Railway is only available for a limited time, though Hotel Nikko Nara serves up tasty shaved ice year-round. This collaboration began on October 1 to celebrate the opening of the Tokaido Shinkansen. These treats are created with nitrous oxide, which transforms the shaved ice into a mousse-like foam!

For those able to make it to Nara in time, which of these special sweets will you be trying?