Art
The Cinematic Dreaming of Ryuichi Sakamoto
The late musical colossus’s first comprehensive exhibition in the nation makes you feel like his spirit is in the room, sitting at the piano.
Tokyo
News
Tokyo Public Toilet Puts On a Mesmerizing Light Show
Tomohito Ushiro's design features billions of shifting lighting patterns and encourages people to use the restroom without "feeling stress."
News
Tokyo's World-Renowned Capsule Tower Will Be Demolished
After years of disrepair, architect Kisho Kurokawa's iconic building will be disassembled one capsule at a time.
News
Giant Balloon Face Floats Over Tokyo
The eerie aerial piece was created by the artist collective 目 ("Mé") and features an anonymous face chosen from over 1,000 submissions.
Art
Tom of Finland Comes to Japan
Out, proud, and unabashedly homoerotic, the gay artist’s iconic imagery has become an international symbol of freedom.
News
A Tokyo Exhibition Invited Visitors to Steal the Art
The unconventional show at Same Gallery, which encouraged attendees to run off with the art, was emptied in a matter of minutes.
Art
Hauntingly Beautiful Photos for an Anxious Moment
On Instagram, Kana Hashimoto’s images of nocturnal Tokyo unwittingly capture the odd feeling of time itself as the coronavirus pandemic drags on.
News
Chris Ofili and Naoki Urasawa Among Artists to Create Posters for 2020 Olympics
Twenty posters to commemorate the upcoming Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics have premiered at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo.
Art
The “Small-Time Crook” Whose Visions Defied Apartheid
An amateur photographer’s images of louche Cape Town nightlife in the 1960s capture a daring, booze-fueled, melting-pot spirit in the face of apartheid.
In Brief
Long-Lost Chapter of the World’s First Novel Found in a Tokyo Home
Before now, only four of 54 chapters from the Tale of Genji had been confirmed as original transcriptions.
Art
A German Artist’s Notes From Underground
Mischa Leinkauf’s images of subterranean urban worlds are formally arresting and packed with metaphorical meaning.
In Brief
Tokyo 2020 Olympic Medals Will Be Made from Recycled Gadgets
The Medal Project will mine gold, silver, and bronze from nearly 50,000 tons of donated e-waste.