If you’re an art lover, you’re in luck this weekend, as we’ve got a full lineup of events that will appeal to the aesthetically minded, from a preview of a new hotel whose rooms are works of art in themselves to Japan’s largest art fair. Come check out what the weekend has in store! As always, click on the headers for more information about each event.
Tokyo Anime Award Festival 2018
This international animated film festival returns for its annual celebrations and salutations. With Tokyo continuing to flourish at the forefront of the animation industry, the Tokyo Anime Award Festival aims to discover and develop new talent while promoting the industry and anime culture across the world. Over four days, a packed schedule of film screenings, talks, workshops and symposiums will be held.
Cirque du Soleil: Kurios
Cirque du Soleil continues to wow audiences around the world with their highly imaginative shows, otherworldly characters, and death-defying acts. First performed in 2014 in Montreal, Canada under the full title “Kurios: Cabinet of Curiosities,” the production was created and directed by Michel Laprise, and marks the 14th Cirque du Soleil show to appear in Japan. The theme centers around an ambitious inventor who defies the laws of time, space and dimension to reinvent everything around him. In typical Cirque du Soleil fashion, the world is literally turned upside down.
Kumagai Morikazu: The Joy of Life
While Kumagai is not widely known outside of Japan, his art deserves greater attention, and this is the first retrospective of his work to come to Tokyo in quite a few years. You’ve got just a couple more weeks to catch this exhibition, which ends on March 21.
New Planet Photo City – William Klein and Photographers Living in the 22nd Century
An exhibition examining the evolution of cities and their relationship with photography. Focusing on the work on William Klein alongside Asian photographers who explore cities and their inhabitants, the images surpass conventional pictures, offering fresh perspectives and innovation.
Art Fair Tokyo 2018
Japan’s largest art fair returns to Tokyo International Forum for its 2018 edition. As well as being the largest art fair in Japan, this is also the oldest art fair in Asia, and is highly regarded for its selection and variety of works. Over 150 exhibitors including commercial galleries and independent artists will be showing a wide range of art including antiques, crafts, Nihonga painting and contemporary works.
Koganecho Bazaar 2018
Koganecho Bazaar is an art festival hosted by the Koganecho Management Center, an NPO that uses art to revitalize Yokohama’s Koganecho urban area. With the city’s everyday spaces as a stage, the festival has been held every year since 2008, and to date organizers have invited a total of 90 groups of artists, curators, and architects from Japan and abroad.
BnA STUDIO Akihabara Public Viewing Event
BnA STUDIO Akihabara is a new hotel featuring rooms designed by Tokyo artists, and it’s opening up in one of Tokyo’s meccas for otaku culture. In celebration of the opening of the new hotel, they’ll be having a public viewing event on March 10 and 11. There will be DJs performing throughout the day, drinks courtesy of Jameson, and exhibitions hosted by BnA and Lomography Japan.
Art in Park Hotel Tokyo 2018
For one weekend, Park Hotel Tokyo will transform its hotel rooms into exhibition spaces, showcasing artwork from 42 galleries. This contemporary art fair allows visitors to experience art in an intimate setting, and imagine how the works might look in one’s own home. Artworks include paintings, sculptures, prints, photographs, and installations.
Sakura Chill Bar
Get ready to start the hanami season early with a fresh burst of spring at this stylish pop-up sakura sake bar! Sakura Chill Bar will be open for a fleeting 10 days while it serves up a selection of 22 different brands of sake. In addition to the abundant booze, sponsored by a sake brewery from Saga Prefecture in Kyushu, there will also be a variety of speciality snacks from Saga. This is not your standard sake bar – with a full-size cherry blossom tree rising up between the first and second floor, and a “pool” of sakura petals awaiting you, it’s sure to be one of the hottest Instagram spots in Tokyo, so catch it while you can.
Pixar Playtime at Tokyo DisneySea
From January to March, Tokyo DisneySea is holding a special Pixar Playtime event where visitors can immerse themselves in the Disney Pixar world. Attractions include a new performance, “Pixar Playtime Pals,” where the much-loved characters play games with the audience; the chance to cook together with the star of Ratatouille at “Chef Remy & You”; and “Pixar Pals Steamers” where the Pixar stars will board the DisneySea Transit Steamer Line. Buzz, Woody, Nemo, Mike, Sully and many more are all waiting for your arrival.
