An exhibition focusing on the Mugen Train and Entertainment District Arcs of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba will open at Sapporo Factory in Hokkaido from July 15 until August 7, 2022.

Fans of the series won’t want to miss this huge showing of Demon Slayer materials, including a video exhibit showing off some of the best fight scenes from the film and anime series on a massive screen. 

Stay tuned for more details!

©吾峠呼世晴／集英社・アニプレックス・ufotable

The Nakamura Keith Haring Collection in Yamanashi Prefecture will be holding a celebratory exhibition in honor of the location’s 15th anniversary from May 14, 2022 until May 7, 2023.

In April 2007, the Nakamura Keith Haring Collection opened in Kobuchisawa, located at the foot of Mt. Yatsugatake. The only museum in the world dedicated entirely to New York-based artist Keith Haring, Kazuo Nakamura collected the works and acts as the director of the museum. Over 300 works of art are on display along with 500 other pieces, from photographs and videos to merchandise. The new exhibition features approximately 150 works.

Three Lithographs (People Ladder), 1985

Icons (Radiant Baby), 1990

Untitled, 1984

Untitled, 1988

Untitled (Subway Drawing), 1981-1983

The ‘Chaos and Hope’ exhibition was originally held during the museum’s first year of operation and looks back at Haring’s first experiences in New York City in 1978. The artist was present at the dawn of the hip-hop movement and was struck by the clash between typical white art and underground minority artists. In only five years, Haring rose to stardom. Sadly, while traveling the world, he contracted AIDS, passing away at the age of 31. Behind the bright and cheerful artwork he left behind, he hid his inner suffering and desire for hope and freedom.

All Keith Haring Artwork ©Keith Haring Foundation
Courtesy of Nakamura Keith Haring Collection.

From July 15 until November 6, 2022, the ‘teamLab: A Forest Where Gods Live’ exhibition at Mifuneyama Rakuen, an ancient forest at the Takeo Hot Springs in Saga Prefecture. The massive event is held each summer and fall and was named CNN World’s ‘Best Outdoor Art Exhibition to Visit’ in 2021 and one of the Top 10 Art Installations in the world by DesignboomMagazine in 2017.

Works on Display

Universe of Water Particles on a Sacred Rock, 2017

Drawing on the Water Surface Created by the Dance of Koi and Boats – Mifuneyama Rakuen Pond, 2015

Ever Blossoming Life Rock, 2017

 Life is Continuous Light – Azalea Valley, 2017

Rock Wall Spatial Calligraphy, Continuous Life – Five Hundred Arhats, 2017

Split Rock and Enso, 2017

Resonating Forest – Cherry Blossoms and Maple, 2017

Megaliths in the Bath House Ruins, 2019

Graffiti Nature – Living in the Ruins of a Bathhouse, Red List, 2017-

Resonating Forest in the Ravine, 2019

Abstract and Concrete – Forest Entrance, 2018

Flowers Bloom in an Infinite Universe inside a Teacup, 2016

Forest and Spiral of Resonating Lamps in the Forest – One Stroke, Summer Forest, 2018

Mifuneyama is said to have risen from the Ariake Sea 3 million years ago. The 500,000 square meter Mifuneyama Rakuen Park was created in 1845, at the end of the Edo period. The park is home to megaliths, caves, and forests that have been slowly shaped over thousands of years. teamLab believes that the shapes and textures of these objects are important, serving as traces of ancient people and natural changes over time.  The concept of the project is that non-material digital technology can turn nature into art without harming it.

The creative team will be holding a number of other high-profile exhibitions this year, including installations in Paris, Tallinn, Shanghai, and Geneva. Their sauna collaboration with TikTok for teamLab Reconnect in Roppongi made huge waves in 2021–guests would take alternating hot and cold baths to experience intense physical sensations while surrounded by digital art.

The Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media will house a new work by DJ Licaxxx, the fifth installment of the ‘sound tectonics installation.’ The new work, Reason and Emotion ‘22, will be on display in the museum’s courtyard. 

Licaxxx is a popular DJ and beatmaker who has been active in many unique fields over the past few years. The artist has created music for commercials and other advertisements while also contributing works to museums and art spaces.

The new sound installation features trackmaker Dan Kubo and electronic musician Kazuki Muraoka as collaborators. The goal of this ongoing project is to critically examine the act of viewing art in general, including music, and to generate music in real-time based on the current environment. The installation is impacted by weather, temperature, and the number of people viewing the work. The courtyard venue faces the main foyer and features a large glass atrium. 

Come enjoy a new listening experience like no other before the installation disappears in November.

The Heike Story anime series premiered in Japan on Fuji TV’s +Ultra programming block on January 12. With character designs by Fumiko Takano, fans instantly fell in love with the show’s cast of characters, and an art book will be released soon, with preorders opening this week.

The Kyoto International Manga Museum has opened an exhibition displaying character concept art from SCIENCE SARU’s The Heike Story and INU-OH anime from April 21 to June 27. The exhibit commemorates The Heike Story‘s TV broadcast and INU-OH‘s theater opening in Japan. Fumiko Takano (The Heike Story) and Taiyo Matsumoto (INU-OH)’s character concept drawings are on display in Gallery 4. 

Both titles are based on Hideo Furukawa’s modern language rendering of the classic Japanese epic The Tale of the Heike.

The Heike Story will additionally release an art book titled The Colors of The Heike Story in June. The book will feature an interview between art director Tomotaka Kubo and series director Naoko Yamada, and is scheduled for release in June. Those pre-ordering the book will receive a special gift.

©高野文子 /「平家物語」製作委員会 
©松本大洋 /2021 “INU-OH” Film Partners

Art collective NAKED is teaming up with Panasonic LUMIX digital cameras for a new version of the NAKED BIG BOOK. The new work is on display at LUMIX BASE TOKYO in Aoyama until May 29, 2022. 

LUMIX BASE TOKYO is a gallery inspired by the LUMIX brand of digital cameras. The location is meant to serve as a base for the next generation of creators and strives to bring tons of creative energy to those looking to hit it big as artists in the future. 

Naked and LUMIX have come together to make LUMIX BASE TOKYO not only a showroom but also a place where guests can experience creativity in a new way. The NAKED BIG BOOK,” the brand’s most famous work, has been decorated with seasonal flowers and will be exhibited for a limited time. 

NAKED BIG BOOK invites visitors to enter a storybook world with each turning page. The work uses projection mapping on a giant book sculpture to inspire audiences and wow guests with the wonders of technology. The book has appeared at FLOWERS BY NAKED and other locations throughout Japan in the past. 

The exhibition will also feature original artwork inspired by LUMIX’s marketing campaign for 2022, ‘COLORS OF LUMIX.’

Mickey Mouse is beloved by people all over the world. To liven up the Golden Week holiday, Shinsaibashi PARCO in Osaka is showing off the ‘Mickey Mouse Osaka Collection’ for a limited time, This collection, available until May 8, is the first Disney collection featured at Shinsaibashi PARCO.

A number of Mickey Mouse-inspired products created by numerous designers will be featured, all of which already have shops in Shinsaibashi PARCO. A Mickey Mouse Collection pop-up shop is also open for a limited time at THE WINDOW SHINSAIBASHI on the first floor.

©Disney

©Disney Artwork by Yoshirotten

©Disney Designed by Javier Calleja

©Disney Designed by Keiichi Tanaami

©Disney Designed by Tetsuya Nakamura

Visitors can also enjoy the ‘Mickey Mouse Now and Future’ exhibition at the PARCO GALLERY on the 14th floor. The exhibition is a collaborative art project by artists from around the world who love Mickey! Curated by Shibuya’s contemporary art gallery NANZUKA, fans won’t want to miss this unique collection of art.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the anime series Penguindrum, a special exhibition will be held in Tokyo from April 29 to May 8, and in Osaka from May 12 until May 24, 2022. The exhibition will include original artwork and reproductions of spaces from the series. There will also be a corner highlighting the works of director Kunihiko Ikuhara and an on-site shop selling commemorative goods. 

©イクニチャウダー／ピングループ ©2021 イクニチャウダー／ピングローブユニオン

The Toshio Suzuki and Ghibli Exhibition opened at The Museum of Kyoto on April 23, 2022.

Toshio Suzuki, a producer at Studio Ghibli, has worked with both Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata on a number of beloved masterpieces. The exhibition will feature a large bookshelf housing 8,800 of Suzuki’s publications. Many of these were published before Suzuki joined Studio Ghibli, and guests are invited to see how the producer was inspired to join the legendary studio after working as an editor at a manga magazine. 

This exhibition was realized after Suzuki himself proposed the idea of exhibiting his books for the first time. At the press preview, Suzuki made a statement. “My dream was to collect all the books I’ve read over the past 70 years and display them in one room. Today, I’m so happy to stand in the middle of it. On one hand, I’m amazed by how much there is. On the other hand, I feel like there could always be more.”

Many of Studio Ghibli’s most famous works were born from casual conversations between Isao Takahata, Hayao Miyazaki, and Toshio Suzuki. Suzuki has played a large role in film advertising, including many of the memorable posters and ads almost everyone has seen. He has always included each film’s most inspiring song in television ads, which has dramatically increased audience attendance. After all, who doesn’t love the music in Studio Ghibli films?

What’s your favorite Ghibli film?

The popular manga series Tokyo Revengers began serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2017 and has sold over 50 million copies. The traveling Tokyo Revengers exhibition previously held in Tokyo and Osaka will now be coming to Nagoya PARCO from April 29 until May 22, 2022!

Sticker (6 varieties, random)

※Admission bonus will be available while supplies last.

※Only those showing proof of paid admission will receive a sticker.

The name of the exhibition has been changed to Tokyo Revengers Exhibition Return to commemorate its reopening. Visitors will be able to stroll around the packed event space, which also includes rare original drawings by series author Ken Wakui.

Why not stop by this popular exhibition to spend some time with your favorite characters?

GUCCI LOVE PARADE TOKYO, an interactive event themed around the brand’s latest collection GUCCI LOVE PARADE, is now open at Miyashita Park in Shibuya, Tokyo, until May 31, 2022. Guests are invited to enjoy the glamour of old Hollywood reimagined in a contemporary way with Gucci’s one-of-a-kind aesthetic. Three distinct locations are open, each ready to surprise you!

The new Gucci event features a special installation celebrating the brand’s collection presented last November on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. Fashionistas can wander around the decorated spaces, browsing looks embodying the free spirit of Hollywood stars. A photo spot is also available, making visitors look as though they’ve traveled to Hollywood Boulevard. Others feature a backstage area and a retro game room. What kinds of photos would you want to take?

On the first floor of RAYARD MIYASHITA PARK North, the GUCCI SNEAKER ROOM will be open for a limited time! The shop pays homage to Miyashita Park, the current center of street culture and fashion in Tokyo, by offering a wide variety of Gucci sneakers. The fourth floor of Hotel sequence Miyashita Park is now home to Gucci Cafe by Valley Park Stand, offering menu items inspired by a Hollywood-based Italian bar.

During the event period, visitors can participate in a special stamp rally. The only way to play is by connecting from the official Gucci LINE account. Visitors who visit the three locations and collect the appropriate stamps will receive a special GUCCI LOVE PARADE gift only available at this event. (While supplies last.)

‘Rooms,’ Umishima Senbon’s first solo exhibition, is currently underway at the pixiv WAEN GALLERY by TWIN PLANET x pixiv until May 5, 2022!

Goods at a Glance

After working as a chief animation director and character designer, Umishima Senbon is now an illustrator and manga artist. This exhibition features approximately 70 illustrations on canvas to specifically highlight the artist’s characteristic use of soft colors and delicate brush strokes. Some of the works will be swapped out during the second half of the exhibition, allowing visitors to see even more images–110 in total! Certain pieces will be available for purchase exclusively at the venue on a first-come, first-served basis.