What's On & Upcoming Events in Japan
Check out the most up-to-date listings of what's going on in Japan right now or in the near future, including fun activities, art exhibitions, festivals, parties, food markets, flea markets, sporting events, fairs, concerts, and more.
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Banksy Artworks from Masatoshi Kumagai Collection
Only at GMO Digital Museum can visitors enjoy three of Banksy's most famous works at the same time. https://banksy.tokyo/ (JP) Tickets: https://www.e-tix.jp/gmo-art/en/
Egon Schiele from the Collection of the Leopold Museum – Young Genius in Vienna 1900
Egon Schiele (1890-1918) —one of the outstanding painters of late 19th-century Vienna. In his short life of 28 years, he produced numerous works and forged his own distinctive style. Drawn largely from the collection of Vienna’s Leopold Museum, this exhibition will introduce Schiele’s life, works, and artistic milieu through paintings and sketches from his early to late career along with works by other artists of fin de siècle Vienna. https://www.tobikan.jp/en/exhibition/2022_egonschiele.html
Marie Laurencin et la mode
Paris in the 1920s, caught between two world wars. It was a miraculous space where various talents crossed genres and produced exceptional fruits. The success of women in particular was remarkable, and Marie Laurencin and Coco Chanel, both born in 1883, were representative of the women who lived in the post-war era of freedom. Laurencin and Chanel, who were both with the times and yet became timeless. The exhibition commemorating the 140th anniversary of their births will reveal the contemporary significance of their creations and their true value. The exhibition will feature a lineup of approximately 90 works from domestic and international collections, including the Musée de l'Orangerie and the Musée Marie Laurencin*. https://www.bunkamura.co.jp/museum/exhibition/23_laurencin/
Beautiful people : From Shoen to Laurencin
Although the term 'bijinga' has only become common since the Meiji period (1868-1912), beautiful images of women can be found in ancient images of deities and Buddhas, as well as in paintings of women from the Tang dynasty in the Shosoin storehouse. Attractive male figures from stories such as those of Uehara no Narihira, Hikaru Genji and Minamoto no Yoshitsune have also been depicted in many paintings and crafts. This exhibition introduces the works of popular 'beauty painters' such as Uemura Shoen, Ito Sho-po, Kaburaki Kiyokata and Ito Shinsui, as well as beautiful people of all ages and genders in Japanese painting and crafts from the Edo to Showa periods, and in modern Western painting. https://www.matsuoka-museum.jp/contents/7542/
Yoshiiku and Yoshitoshi : Ukiyo-e Masters at the Dawn of Modernization
This exhibition introduces the art of two ukiyo-e artists who studied under Kuniyoshi Utagawa: Yoshiiku Ochiai and Yoshitoshi Tsukioka. Details:https://mimt.jp/ex/yoshiyoshi/english.html (English)https://mimt.jp/ex/yoshiyoshi/ （Japanese)
Painting Love in the Louvre Collections
Love, the most fundamental of human emotions, has perhaps been one of the most fundamental themes in Western art since ancient times. In paintings depicting the Greco-Roman myths and genre paintings depicting daily life, love took various forms in scenes representing gods and people longing for that someone special, illustrated by passion, desire, and sensual pleasure, and even anguish and sorrow. In contrast, Christian religious art gave believers images of the Holy Family, depictions of the Crucifixion of Jesus, and scenes capturing the martyrdom of saints, thereby embodying themes revolving around God’s unconditional love for humanity or the love for God reciprocated by the faithful.This exhibition will show how Western artists have portrayed love in its many forms through 73 paintings carefully selected from the vast collections of the Musée du Louvre. We invite you on a tour of passionate expressions of love gathered from masterpieces by the leading Western artists, from the 16th century to mid-19th century. https://www.ntv.co.jp/love_louvre/english/
Special Exhibition: Tōfuku-ji in Tokyo
Famed for its spring verdure and rich autumn colors, Tōfuku-ji is one of Kyoto’s representative Zen temples. It was established during the early Kamakura period on the orders of the imperial regent and advisor Kujō Michiie. He entrusted the founding to Enni (Shōichi Kokushi), a priest who had previously travelled to China to study Zen (Ch.Chan) Buddhism. The name "Tōfuku-ji" was taken from the first character of Tō-ji and the second character of Kōfuku-ji, two temples in Nara. Also known as the "Tōfuku no Garanzura", the temple complex creates a striking impression with its vast array of huge medieval-style buildings. This exhibition marks the first chance to view the temple’s many treasures in one place. The legendary Buddhist painter Minchō’s Five Hundred Arhats will be displayed in its entirety for the first time since the completion of restoration work, for example. It will be joined by a number of precious cultural properties that somehow survived destruction during Ōnin War of 1467-77. The exhibition also showcases several masterpieces of painting and calligraphy as well as Buddhist sculptures whose monumental size chimes well with the temple’s vastness. While tracing the temple’s history since its founding, the exhibition presents a board overview of the Zen culture that bloomed through exchanges with the rest of Asia. It also explores Tōfuku-ji’s enduring appeal and its significance to Japanese culture. https://tofukuji2023.jp/english.html
European Mode
European dresses show trends in the shape and length of the skirt and the size of the sleeves in different periods. These fashions are closely linked to political, economic and social factors. This exhibition introduces the evolution of women's fashion over the past 250 years from its origins in Europe, from the 18th century, when the court created fashion, through the 19th century, when it changed with industrial development and social maturity, to the end of the 20th century, when young people and the masses became the trendsetters, together with their social background. The special feature is Art Nouveau, a decorative style that flourished from the end of the 19th to the beginning of the 20th century. The exhibition features elegant crafts that have remained unchanged to this day, such as elegant glassware, ornaments and Mucha's prints. https://museum.bunka.ac.jp/
Midtown Blossom 2023
The glorious sunshine invites you to go for a spring stroll. Why not celebrate the arrival of a new season in the heart of the city while enjoying cherry blossoms, gourmet food and art? https://www.tokyo-midtown.com/jp/event/blossom/
Poison Exhibition (Mokudoku Exhibition) ReMix
In commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the Sunshine Aquarium Special Exhibition of Poisonous Creatures “Modokuten”,which had attracted 400,000 total visitors throughout the series, has come back! Why not learn about the diversity of creatures that coexist with humans on this earth from the theme of “poison”?This invites you to the world of poison. https://sunshinecity.jp/file/aquarium/moudoku_remix/
Secrets of national important cultural properties
The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo opened in December 1952 and will celebrate its 70th anniversary in 2022. To commemorate this anniversary, the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo will hold a sumptuous exhibition of paintings, sculptures and crafts from the Meiji era onwards, featuring only works designated as Important Cultural Properties. The exhibition will also explore the secrets of art history, such as how works that were initially regarded as "problematic" because of their new and unprecedented expressions at the time of their release underwent changes in evaluation before being designated as Important Cultural Properties. https://jubun2023.jp/
Spring Festival in The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
Flowering masterpieces in one of the rooms of the exhibition hall. The gorgeous screens include Tamaki Funada's Flower Evening (Flower Evening), with its vivid pink petals, and Yoshifumi Kikuchi's Yoshino in a Light Rain. We also recommend looking for works depicting flowers dotted around the venue and enjoying the contrast with the cherry blossoms around Chidorigafuchi and the surrounding area. https://jubun2023.jp/
Sakura Night Garden at Shinjuku Gyoen
NAKED, which has produced events such as Tokyo Tower and the World Heritage Site Nijo Castle, will decorate the approximately 900 cherry trees of about 70 varieties blooming in Shinjuku Gyoen. With "NAKED Distance Lanterns" in hand, which maintain a social distance from other groups, visitors will be able to enjoy an overwhelming cherry blossom experience as they tour the Shinjuku Gyoen. https://event.naked.works/shinjukugyoen/#tickets
Tokyo Grand Sumo Tournament
This event is May Grand Sumo Tournament held at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo. For more information, please visit the following website.Details:https://www.sumo.or.jp/En/ (English)https://www.sumo.or.jp (Japanese)
