Featured Events in Tokyo in March, 2025 (May Updated)

The newly launched "Ginza Sony Park" has officially opened on January 26, 2025 (Sunday), and the first wave of planning activities "Sony Park Exhibition 2025" will be held simultaneously. With the theme of Sony's six major fields of music, semiconductors, finance, games, entertainment technology and movies, six groups of artists including YOASOBI, Sheep Literature, Vaundy, BABYMONSTER, Creepy Nuts, and Kensuke Ushio will be invited to participate in the creation, using art and high technology to create amazing experiences. Exhibiting works, the event will be divided into two stages, with three groups of works on display in each stage.

With the explosive growth of artificial intelligence (AI) and the integration of virtual and real worlds, the latest cutting-edge technologies have quickly penetrated our daily lives. This tendency has become especially apparent since the COVID-19 pandemic, when many human activities shifted towards virtual space. Looking back, the progress of art and technology has run parallel to each other throughout the course of history, a phenomenon that is especially evident in the field of computer art and video art. While recent innovations in video game engines and AI offer unprecedented possibilities for artists, the advent of generative AI also has raised significant concerns. Such developments are now attracting considerable attention in various fields and industries, including the contemporary art world.

Ramses The Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs will feature 183 pieces of rare artefacts from ancient Egypt that focus on the almighty pharaoh, Ramses The Great and it will be the largest collection of artefacts on Ramses II to ever leave Egypt. This spectacular exhibition will also boast the FIRST ever virtual walkthrough of Ramses II’s famous temples as well as a full-length documentary ever produced on Ramses II’s tomb.

"Maybe Yoshitake Shinsuke Exhibition" opened in Tokyo in April 2022 and then toured all over Japan. This time, the exhibition will be "plenty expanded" with new large-scale experience exhibits and original exhibition goods, and will open on March 20th at CREATIVE MUSEUM TOKYO as "Maybe Yoshitake Shinsuke Exhibition Plenty Expanded Type"! Yoshitake Shinsuke, the author of the best-selling "Maybe Apple" (Bronze Shinsha), made his debut in 2013. Since then, in about 11 years, he has published 30 picture books and about 100 books including other writings and illustration work. He has gained wide support from children to adults. This exhibition is a unveiling of the huge number of sketches that Yoshitake has accumulated over the years in small notebooks, observing events around him. There are also plenty of idea sketches and original drawings that allow you to trace the process of creating a picture book. The exhibition will also feature Yoshitake's treasured collection, which has served as a source of inspiration, and allow visitors to take a peek inside Yoshitake's mind from various angles.

Experience the floating world of Edo as seen by Hokusai through technology. The works of Katsushika Hokusai, which everyone has seen at least once, are reproduced in high-definition images with a sense of realism using ultra-high definition image data and Sony's Crystal LED LED display. In addition, with effects such as Sony's haptics technology that makes it feel as if the floor has turned into a puddle or a sandy beach, visitors can experience the scenery and walking sensation of Edo as Hokusai saw it with an overwhelming sense of immersion. During the event, collaborative goods with brands that represent Japanese craftsmanship and are inspired by Katsushika Hokusai will also be on sale.

This exhibition is set in the magnificent world of the anime "Chi. - About the Movement of the Earth" and features a wealth of knowledge, from historical research on the heliocentric theory to modern observation technology. With the "Heliocentric Theory Research Notes" handed out at the entrance to the venue in hand, visitors can take part in quizzes, while experiencing the experiential exhibits that faithfully reproduce famous scenes from the anime, powerful images, and photo spots that allow visitors to experience the world of the anime as it is. This is an exhibition where adults and children alike can enjoy exploring the universe in a fully immersive way.

The official name of Sensoji Temple comes from the Golden Dragon Mountain, and it is called "Golden Dragon Mountain Sensoji Temple", and the name "Golden Dragon Dance" comes from the name of this mountain. "Golden Dragon Dance" is a dance that started in 1958 to commemorate the reconstruction of the main hall of Sensoji Temple, Kannon Hall. This dance is based on the story of Guanyin Bodhisattva enshrined in Sensoji Temple. According to legend, she appeared as a golden dragon that descended from the sky, and overnight she created a thousand pine trees that symbolize a good harvest. The 18-meter-long, 88-kilogram shining golden dragon dances gorgeously to the music of the celebration, and this scene is absolutely impressive.

From the late 1960s to the 1970s, the "underground," commonly known as "angura," took the Japanese art world by storm, mainly in the urban space of Tokyo. The underground, which replaced the "avant-garde" as the gathering point of cutting-edge art, was imported to Japan from the United States through experimental films and spread to fields such as fine art, music, manga, design, theater, and dance, becoming a trend recognized by the general public in just a few years. However, because it was established through its interaction with the anti-establishment movement of the time, it disappeared in the early 1970s as the movement declined. Although it was a short-lived phenomenon, underground culture had a great impact on postwar Japanese society, and it can be said that it remains as a style to this day. In addition, by its very nature, underground culture focused on temporary "events" rather than physical "works," and placed importance on the "places" that welcomed its bearers. For this reason, the underground is seen as the atmosphere of the times, and its actual nature has yet to be clarified. "MAM Research 011: Tokyo Underground 1960s-1970s - A turning point in postwar Japanese culture" will display many materials, mainly ephemera (printed material intended for temporary use), that are suited to conveying the rise and fall of underground culture in Tokyo. Furthermore, by examining these materials, we will attempt to look in detail at the history of "underground," its ideas and those who carried it, as well as its spread and limitations.

The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo is pleased to present Hilma af Klint (tentative title) from March 4 to June 15, 2025. This will be the first major retrospective in Asia of Hilma af Klint (1862–1944), a pioneer of abstract painting. The painter from Sweden has been reevaluated in recent years as a creator of abstract paintings that preceded her contemporaries, such as Wassily Kandinsky and Piet Mondrian. For many years, her oeuvre of more than 1,000 works was known only to a very few people. As late as in the 1980s, several exhibitions began to introduce her works, and by the turn of the 21st century, her presence became international all at once. Her 2018 retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the U.S., attracted 600,000 visitors, the largest attendance in the museum’s history. Including The Ten Largest (1907), a set of ten paintings over three meters high, all 140 works in this exhibition will travel to Japan for the first time. Centering on her representative accomplishment, The Paintings for the Temple, the exhibition will provide an overview of af Klint’s career, while introducing materials left by the artist and diverse sources of her inspiration, including the spiritualism and the women’s movements of her time.

Ancient DNA research involves deciphering minute traces of DNA remaining in the bones of ancient people excavated from ruins, and tracing the footsteps of humanity. In recent years, with the development of technology, it has made great strides, and it has become clear that the path that Homo sapiens walked was far more complicated than previously imagined. This exhibition uses ancient human bones and archaeological materials from all over Japan, as well as high-definition CG images of ancient human skulls, to convey the long path that the Japanese people have taken, as revealed by the latest research, and the message that the collective history has for the future.

In cooperation with the "Museum Spring Festival" held annually at the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, the Marubeni Gallery will be holding a special exhibition of "The Beautiful Simonetta," the only tempera painting by Botticelli (Sandro Botticelli, 1444/1445-1510) in Japan, which is owned by Marubeni. The model for this painting was the beautiful Simonetta Vespucci (1453-1476), who died young and is said to have been the model for Botticelli's masterpieces "Primavera (Spring)" and "The Birth of Venus," and was also a symbol of "Spring in Florence" or "Spring of the Renaissance. "The year 2025 also marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Yashiro Yukio, who is known worldwide for his research on Botticelli. Around the same time, the Yamato Bunkakan Museum in Nara will hold a special exhibition commemorating the 50th anniversary of Yashiro Yukio's death. Furthermore, 2025 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Tsuji Kunio, author of "The Coronation of Spring," a novel in which Simonetta appears. This exhibition will be held in response to these anniversaries. We hope that as many people as possible will take this opportunity to enjoy "The Beautiful Simonetta."

Are you ready for a great party? Join Kuromi, My Melody and Hapidanbui for an exciting exhibition! Dive into interactive displays, dance to hit music, and enjoy hands-on fun.

For millions of years, unique aesthetics have been born on the islands of Japan and have been passed down from generation to generation. From Jomon earthenware, Haniwa, Erika, armor, and ukiyo-e, to the popular anime that has taken the world by storm, this is an immersive theater that combines NHK's high-definition video technology with “New Wafuism”. The New Wafuism Theater is an immersive theater that incorporates NHK's high-definition video technology. In the theater, you will be able to experience Japanese culture through a time-traveling journey with national treasures and important cultural properties of the Tokyo National Museum.

Ryudai Takano (1963-) is a photographer and artist who won the 31st Kimura Ihei Photography Award for his photo book "IN MY ROOM" (2005) and continues to work both in Japan and abroad. In addition to his works on the theme of sexuality, such as "IN MY ROOM," Takano also takes snapshots of everyday life, such as "Daily Photos" and "Kasubaba." Since the Great East Japan Earthquake, he has also been working on the theme of exploring the origins of photography, using "shadows" as a subject. The title of this exhibition, "Kasubaba," is a word coined by Takano and is the plural of the word for a place like kas (ba). We live in the midst of rapid change in the times, with large-scale natural disasters, global epidemics of infectious diseases, environmental destruction and urban development due to economic development. Takano accepts reality, which is not just beautiful, and presents the viewer with raw images of weak and ugly things as they are. Through Takano's works, we will be able to see anew the richness and chaos of the everyday life we ​​live in, something that is familiar to us but that we do not look closely at. We hope that this exhibition, which surveys Takano's career, including works shown for the first time, will provide some hints for surviving this everyday life, from which it is becoming increasingly difficult to see an exit.

Joan Miró (1893-1983) was born in Catalonia, Spain in 1893. Along with his fellow countryman Pablo Picasso, he is considered one of the most outstanding artists of the 20th century. His unique style of painting, which depicts natural shapes such as the sun, stars, and moon with symbolic symbols, is also popular in Japan. Today, 40 years after Miró's death, his creative activities are once again receiving praise from the world. This exhibition, including the "Constellations" series, comprehensively introduces Miró's art, who continued to challenge various new expressions until he was 90 years old, by exhibiting paintings, ceramics, and sculptures that reflect each period from his early years to his later years. This exhibition is an unprecedented large-scale retrospective exhibition, and visitors can experience the essence of Miró's art through many selected masterpieces collected from all over the world.

Tokyo Metropolitan Government has created a new tourist resource for nighttime viewing by using the exterior wall of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building No. 1 as a screen to express a variety of art with light and sound, and to perform projection mapping all year round in order to activate and revitalize nighttime tourism. This time, as the 45th anniversary is approaching next year, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government will begin showing works using the world-famous "Pac-Man". The game board appears on the outer wall of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, and Pac-Man, who is making a futuristic scene, eats up everything vividly. The music of the game of Pac-Man, which has a futuristic feel, and the music of the highly friendly soundtrack maker Mr. Haraguchi Sasuke have produced. Please enjoy the collaborative work of Pac-Man and Tokyo that can only be seen in the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building.

"MAM Collection 019: Perspective" focuses on the photographic expressions of three female artists from the Mori Art Museum Collection: Maiko Haruki, Mari Katayama, and Tomoko Yoneda. This exhibition introduces photographic works in which the image is completed through the viewer's involvement, rather than as a so-called recording medium. Maiko Haruki's series "either portrait or landscape" attempts to destabilize and liberate the viewer's perspective from the perspective of form, and also by incorporating the relationship between photography and abstract expression as a theme. Mari Katayama reverses the power relationship between image and viewer, challenging conventional traditional notions of diversity, normative values, and agency. Tomoko Yoneda's series "Between the Visible and the Invisible" expresses the interrelationship between the image on the surface and the narrative behind it.

Joan Miró (1893-1983) is one of the most important Spanish artists of the 20th century, as famous as Picasso and Dali. His creations experienced changes from Fauvism, Realism to Surrealism, and finally established his own unique style. His paintings are famous for their strong colors, imagination and poetry. This exhibition will present the artist's works collected by the Joan Miró Foundation. Through Miró's representative works from his early years to his later years, it will review his creative career of more than 60 years and show the development of his artistic language and creative process. .

Tokyo City View will hold the Tezuka Osamu "Phoenix" exhibition - the Phoenix is ​​a symbol of dynamic equilibrium (dotekiheikou) that resists the increase of entropy, i.e., cosmic life (cosmozone) - from Friday, March 7, 2025 to Sunday, May 25, 2025. Tezuka Osamu, who created many masterpieces, declared that the manga "Phoenix" was his life's work. It is a masterpiece long work that depicts the conflict of people who pursue the legendary bird "Phoenix", whose blood is said to grant eternal life to those who drink it. The magnificent worldview of this work, which alternates between the past and the future and freely expresses philosophical themes such as "life and death" and "reincarnation", continues to capture people's hearts even today. This exhibition will interpret the epic poem, which was written over a long period of more than 30 years, focusing on the 12 main chapters from "Dawn" to "Sun", which began in the magazine "COM". Now that 70 years have passed since the serialization of "Phoenix" began, biologist Shinichi Fukuoka will guide us as we interpret the story structure of "Phoenix" from a new perspective of bioscience and seek the answer to the question "What is life?" that Tezuka Osamu continued to express throughout his life.

When Charlie Brown and his sister Sally get on the school bus with their friends and head off to school, various events await them. They meet unique friends and teachers. Classes are conducted day by day, and sometimes there are tense presentations, and as a reward, there are dance events. When they get home, they do their homework, and during summer vacation, they meet new people at summer camp. The school life of the Peanuts gang is a familiar, bittersweet experience. Enjoy school life with the Peanuts gang through about 45 carefully selected comics.

In December 2024, a new craft collection was donated to our museum. It consists of approximately 150 pieces. Almost all of them are enamel pieces. "Emayu" may be an unfamiliar word. It is the French katakana spelling, and in English it is called enamel, and in Japan it is usually called Shippo. In other words, enamel refers to a craft in which a glassy glaze is baked onto a metal base. The donor is jewelry artist Mitsuo Kaji. This new "Kaji Collection," consisting of carefully selected enamel gems, will make its debut at this exhibition.

This exhibition combines 88 pieces from the collections of the San Diego Museum of Art and the National Museum of Western Art, and offers tips on how to enjoy the artworks. The 49 pieces on display from the San Diego Museum of Art, including world-renowned masterpieces by Giorgione and Sánchez Cotán, will all be shown in Japan for the first time. Come and discover your own "where to look" as you trace the history of Western art spanning 600 years from the Renaissance to the end of the 19th century.

This exhibition focuses on publishers related to Katsushika Hokusai, a famous Ukiyo-e artist from the Edo period of Japan, exploring how they planned and promoted Hokusai's works, showcasing the masterpieces they brought to the world, and leading viewers to gain an in-depth understanding of the world of "producers" who supported the Ukiyo-e industry.

Beginning in the 1920s, architects including Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe explored new residential designs with function and comfort in mind. Their experimental visions and innovative ideas eventually intersected with everyday life, greatly reshaping people’s lifestyles. This exhibition focuses on seven dimensions of modern houses: hygiene, materials, windows, kitchen, furnishings, media, and landscape. Approximately 14 masterworks of residential architecture spanning the world will be presented in detail through photographs and drawings, sketches, models, furniture, textiles, tableware, magazines, graphics, and films. The modernity of this residential architecture in this exhibition continues to resonate today, offering an opportunity to reflect on our own living spaces and ways of living.

This exhibition will introduce the methods and history of observing various natural phenomena, and how the observational data accumulated to date has shed light on the state and changes of the global environment, while also introducing how it has contributed greatly to disaster prevention and mitigation.

This exhibition is being held to mark the 40th anniversary of the opening of Shokokuji Jotenkaku Museum. It will showcase masterpieces from the Shokokuji School, including over 40 national treasures and important cultural properties, and will offer a glimpse into the world of beauty at Shokokuji and entrust it to the future.

This exhibition was initiated by the Mino Ramen Bowl Exhibition, one of the Mino ware projects Sato and Hashimoto have been working on since 2012. Mino ware is a general term for ceramics made in the western Tono region of Gifu Prefecture (Tajimi City, Toki City, Mizunami City), among other areas. In fact, 90% of ramen bowls in Japan are Mino ware. By looking at ramen bowls from various perspectives, Sato and Hashimoto have conveyed the history and background of Mino ware, which has a history of more than 1,300 years, the activities of its makers, and the richness that everyday tableware brings to our lives.

The exhibition brings together about 240 selected works, introducing the origin of Japanese prints, the changes of Ukiyo-e, the influence of Western art on prints, and the internationalization process of Japanese prints after the war. Exhibits include the "Immaculate Pure Light Great Dharani Sutra" from the Nara period, Utagawa Hiroshige's "Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido: Lake Hakone", Kawase Hasui's "Morning in the Mist (Yotsuya Mitsuko)", and Tokata Shiko's "Two Bodhisattvas and the Ten Great Disciples of Sakyamuni: The Fence of Purna", etc., leading the audience to explore the artistic charm of Japanese prints for thousands of years.

Shokoku-ji is an ancient Zen temple founded in 1382 by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (1358-1408), the third Shogun of the Muromachi Shogunate, and invited Muso Soseki (1275-1351), the founder of the Muso school, the largest school of the Five Mountains of Kyoto, as its founder, and his disciple Shun'ya Myoha (1311-1388) as its actual founder. It is still proud of its large appearance to the north of the Imperial Palace in Kyoto, and is the head temple of the Rinzai Shokoku-ji school, which includes Rokuon-ji, commonly known as Kinkaku-ji and Ginkaku-ji, and Jisho-ji. With a history of over 640 years since its founding, Shokoku-ji has nurtured many artists throughout the ages and led to the creation of masterpieces. Josetsu and Shubun, the painter-monks of Shokoku-ji, were considered to be the official painters of the Muromachi Shogunate. Sesshu, known as a master of Muromachi ink painting. Kano Tan'yu, who was deeply involved in Shokokuji culture in the Edo period. And then there are the fantastical painters Ito Jakuchu, Hara Zaichu, Maruyama Okyo... The pursuit of beauty in the Shokokuji cultural sphere, which gained its model in the Middle Ages, has continued through the early modern, modern and contemporary periods, and artworks owned by Shokokuji, Rokuonji and Jishoji have been exhibited at the Jotenkaku Museum located within the Shokokuji temple grounds. This exhibition is being held to mark the 40th anniversary of the opening of the Shokokuji Jotenkaku Museum. The exhibition will focus on masterpieces from the Shokokuji school, including over 40 national treasures and important cultural properties, and will offer a glimpse into the world of beauty at Shokokuji and entrust it to the future.

Why are people so touched by the natural beauty of Mingei, born from nature? Naoto Fukasawa, product designer and museum director, will select everyday items from the museum's collection that have touched and inspired him, shedding light on the appeal of Mingei beauty, such as its "warmth," "intimacy," and "loveliness." The existence of Mingei, the crystallization of the beauty of everyday life, will serve as an important touchstone for ascertaining our "manufacturing" and "direction of life" for the future.