Featured Events in Kyoto Prefecture in May, 2025 (May Updated)

This exhibition introduces the world of prints by world-renowned avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama (1929-). Yayoi Kusama made her international debut at the 45th Venice Biennale in 1993 as a representative Japanese artist, but her active involvement in printmaking from an earlier stage of her career was a major driving force behind her current acclaim. In 1979, Yayoi Kusama exhibited her first prints. In contrast to her other works based on themes such as death and suffering after returning from the U.S., her prints are rich in color with vivid motifs. In addition to abstract expressions of her earlier works, motifs such as pumpkins, dresses, grapes, flowers, and butterflies covered in distinct colors and composed of mesh and polka dots are distinctive in her printworks. It is no exaggeration to say that Kusama, whose creative activities are rooted in the proliferation of dots and nets, inevitably encountered printmaking, an art of reproduction.

Legend has it that the Kannon of Kiyomizu-dera Temple transforms into a blue dragon and drinks from the waterfalls at night, so this event is held to honor the Yasha Goddess, and to pray for the people who come to worship. The dancing blue dragon parades from Okuno to the cobblestone streets around Kiyomizu-dera Temple. The blue dragon is believed to be one of the four great gods that protect the city of Kyoto. In addition to the blue dragon, there are men dressed in traditional samurai clothes, and the streets are filled with music and spectacular dancing. It's really magical! The Spring Festival is on March 14-15 and April 3. The Fall Festival is September 14-15, starting at 14:00 (2pm).

The November Uprising in Warsaw in 1830 and its failure the following year were the indirect reasons why Polish composer Fryderyk Chopin ended up spending the rest of his life in Paris after leaving his homeland. In 1795, Poland was divided and occupied by Russia, Prussia, and Austria, and disappeared from the world map. After this, there were repeated uprisings and rebellions calling for the independence of the homeland, but they had to wait until the end of World War I in 1918 for this to be realized. For these 123 years, the people who had lost their country based their identity on the arts, including literature, music, and painting, as well as culture in a broad sense, including language and religion. And the ancient city of Krakow played an important role as the center of all this.

This special exhibition aims to present the historical treasures of Japanese art in the cultural exploration and exchange between China and foreign countries on the occasion of the 2025 Osaka World Expo. Over the years, more than 200 rare regional artifacts, including paintings, sculptures, sketches and crafts, have been exhibited, spanning more than 1,000 years from pre-Japanese history to the Meiji era, and are a mockery of cross-cultural exchanges in Japanese art.

Ryukoku Museum (about a 12-minute walk from Kyoto Station, in front of Nishi Honganji Temple) will be holding a spring special exhibition, "Otani Expedition: Yoshikawa Koichiro - Search and Perseverance, Exploring the Man" from Saturday, April 19th to Sunday, June 22nd.

In the spring of 2025, 65 years after its opening in Shishigatani, Higashiyama, Kyoto, the museum will reopen with a new look after a year of renovation work. The first commemorative event will feature a carefully selected collection of masterpieces of art and crafts from Japan, China, and Korea from ancient times to the early modern period, focusing on the art pieces handed down by the Sumitomo family, which have always been the core of the museum's activities. These include masterpieces that have been famous since ancient times, excellent pieces that have been discovered to have new value over time, and rare pieces that have the potential to attract attention in the future. Each piece shows a different expression each time you encounter them, sometimes noble, sometimes gentle. This is a rare opportunity to rediscover the depth of the timeless Sumitomo Collection, which touches the hearts of all who see it.

In 2013, "washoku" (traditional Japanese cuisine) was registered as an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO. Ten years have passed since then. The special exhibition "Washoku - Japanese Nature, People's Wisdom" has been touring the country since its debut at the National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo, and is now coming to Kyoto, the home of washoku. Washoku, which is gaining more and more attention around the world, will be introduced from multiple perspectives, including science and history, along with a wide variety of specimens and materials. The exhibition will explore the diverse ingredients nurtured by the diverse nature of the Japanese archipelago, the technologies born from people's wisdom and ingenuity, historical changes, and even the future. We will explore the charms of washoku, which may seem familiar but is surprisingly unknown.

The Izumi Museum has a collection of more than 3,500 pieces, with a core collection of about 500 Chinese bronzes and bronze mirrors. Both in terms of quantity and quality, it is the leader in overseas bronze collections. Therefore, the "Age of Chinese Bronze" held at the Izumi Museum this spring is also worth paying attention to. If you go to visit the Izumi Museum's reopening exhibition, we also recommend that you pay special attention to this bronze exhibition, including the museum's treasure Tiger You, the early Warring States period chime bells, the Qiang bell, the Kui God drum, the owl zun, the taotie pattern square lei, the taotie pattern square yi, the ge you and other important bronze objects in the collection are all on display.

To commemorate this, we will introduce the development of transportation, centered on railroads, in the Keihanshin area around 1970, along with scenes from the Expo held 55 years ago.

Ying Ying takes as her subject matters events and systems in society that are invisible or ungraspable, such as slaughterhouses, oil extraction, the steam cycle, and the wool industry, and attempts to "approach" them through performances using life-size installations. The performances consist of installations made of everyday objects such as wood, cloth, and plastic, and the inadvertent actions of moving these installations, which are interpreted and reconstructed by the artist and presented in the form of a series of abstract mechanisms. The "Approach" series can be said to be a practice in which the artist herself turns her gaze and approaches the "unknowable". This is not only a repetitive act for understanding, but also a reflection of the way we look at the work. The exhibition will show works presented in various ways, including immediate or conceptual understanding, misreading, and misunderstanding.

Kyoto has long been home to numerous textile artists, whose exceptional designs are founded on dyeing and weaving techniques that have been cultivated over many years. Since the modern era, a more innovative approach to dyeing and weaving was sought, as seen in the handwoven brocades of Yamaga Seika and Nakamura Hosei, who express rich textures by weaving together various materials, as well as the fiber art movement that gained popularity from the late 1960s onwards. This exhibition introduces the textile art of Kyoto from the 1930s to the present, incorporating recent acquisitions while focusing on techniques, choices of materials, and distinctive forms of expression. For the first time since the Museum’s renewal, the Collection Room Spring will be held on the second floor of the North Wing. Please enjoy the impressive works in this spacious gallery.

Ishikawa Kyuyo’s calligraphy works, with their overwhelming momentum, delicate expression, and unique presence, have completely broken the long-standing discussion of “Is calligraphy painting or writing?” He reinterpreted the “writing” that was originally placed in painting and gradually blurred its essence. While drawing on the long historical background of East Asia, he captured the essence of the text and showed us what the art of calligraphy is like as a living expression.

Connecting the world and Kyoto through the art of photography KYOTOGRAPHIE International Photography Festival 2025 is Japan's leading international photography art festival, which will be held from Saturday, April 12th to Sunday, May 11th, 2025 in Kyoto, a city steeped in history and tradition. This year, a diverse range of artists from around the world will gather to share their diverse perspectives and stories through photography. Theme for 2025: "HUMANITY" We will explore "HUMANITY" from both Japanese and Western cultural perspectives, focusing on the essence of who we are as humans, such as love, empathy, and the ability to overcome crises. Fourteen artists and groups from ten countries will participate, and through each exhibition they will question our individual existence and highlight the possibilities for connection and harmony with others. Historical architecture unique to Kyoto × contemporary photography The exhibition will take place in venues that are normally closed to the public and spaces of great cultural value, such as townhouses, temples, sake breweries, and modern architecture in Kyoto City. The unique spatial experience-based photography exhibition, born from the resonance between the artwork and the architecture, is a charm unique to KYOTOGRAPHIE. An art festival that brings photography closer to everyone and that everyone can enjoy During the event, there will not only be a photo exhibition, but also a wide range of experiential events such as artist talks, workshops, and programs for kids. Additionally, the open exhibition "KG+," known as a stepping stone for young photographers, will feature over 150 exhibitions scheduled to be held in various locations throughout Kyoto City. Experience "Connecting the World through Photography" in Kyoto A moving spring arts festival where people and cultures intersect through photography. As you encounter works that connect history and the future, and the individual and society, you will be prompted to reconsider the question, "How should we live?"

Sony Creative Products Inc. (President and CEO: Ken Otake, Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo) is holding the master license for "Thomas the Tank Engine: The World of Working Engines" to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the publication of the original "Thomas the Tank Engine". The exhibition will introduce the world of the work through the evolution of the original picture book and TV animation series, and in addition to the precious works on display, there will also be an introduction to the British heritage railway and play tools that incorporate digital content. Please enjoy the world of "Thomas the Tank Engine". In addition, as a special project this time, Rihito Itagaki, who is widely active as an actor and artist, has been appointed as a supporter of this exhibition. Rihito Itagaki has many memories related to Thomas, such as his love for Thomas the Tank Engine as a child and his familiarity with animation and toys, which is why he has been appointed as a supporter of this exhibition. At the venue, illustrations of "Lady" and "Thomas", which are his favorites and which Itagaki drew specially for this exhibition, will be exhibited. In addition, you can listen to audio guides by Itagaki at some exhibits.

Kyoto Brewing Co., Ltd., a craft beer producer in Kyoto City, celebrates its 10th anniversary of beer production this year. On May 10, they will hold a free outdoor event at the Osu-san Square, a public green space in front of Higashi Honganji Temple. At that time, 21 breweries from home and abroad, including our company, will set up booths for everyone to enjoy beer outdoors. This event is a sincere thank you to all friends who have supported us for 10 years since our founding in 2015, and we also hope that everyone can enjoy the fun of beer through a full glass of beer.

Ito Jakuchu (1716-1800) is known as one of the leading painters of the Edo period. His precise depictions, vivid colors, and free and vigorous ink paintings capture his subjects from a unique perspective, creating a vibrant world of painting that has captivated many people.