Best Exhibitions to See During Golden Week 2023 in Japan
Shirin Neshat “Land of Dreams” partial) 2019 Installation view “Before/After” Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art
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Golden Week is just around the corner! If you find yourself in Japan for the holidays this year, here are some recommended exhibitions to see around the country. Don’t forget to bookmark the exhibitions on the Tokyo Art Beat app to never miss them.
*Please note that exhibition dates and content are subject to change without notice. Be sure to check the official websites before your visit.
*For the Tokyo and Kanto area edition, see here:
- Shinji Ohmaki – Before and After the Horizon (Hirosaki Museum of Contemporary Art, Aomori Prefecture)
- Beautiful Hug! (Hachinohe Art Museum, Aomori Prefecture)
- Michonoku - Beloved Buddhas (Iwate Museum of Art, Iwate Prefecture)
- The Making of Munakata Shiko: Celebrating the 120th Anniversary of the Artist’s Birth (Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and Design, Toyama Prefecture)
- Alex Da Corte Fresh Hell (21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture)
- Pokémon × Kogei Playful Encounters of Pokémon and Japanese Craft (National Crafts Museum, Ishikawa Prefecture)
- Cat’s Narrow Road (Toyota Municipal Museum of Art, Aichi Prefecture)
- Kyotographie International Photography Festival 2023 (Various locations in Kyoto Prefecture)
- Visionaries: Making Another Perspective (Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art, Kyoto Prefecture)
- 850th Anniversary Special Exhibition Shinran: The Life and Legacy of the Founder of Shin Buddhism (Kyoto National Museum, Kyoto Prefecture)
- Picasso and His Time: Masterpieces from Museum Berggruen / Nationalgalerie Berlin (The National Museum of Art, Osaka Prefecture)
- Saeki Yuzo: Emerging from the Urban Landscape (Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka Prefecture)
- Alberto Giacometti Exhibition (Espace Louis Vuitton Osaka, Osaka Prefecture)
- “Arte Popular” - The Creative and Critical Power of Latin Americans (National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka Prefecture)
- Ghibli Park and Ghibli Exhibition (Kobe City Museum, Hyogo Prefecture)
- Dinosaur Dreams: Imagination and Creation of the Lost World (Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art, Hyogo Prefecture)
- Makoto Wada Exhibition (Okayama Prefectural Museum of Art, Okayama Prefecture)
- Before/After (Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, Hiroshima Prefecture)
- Chikako Yamashiro “Flowers of Belau” (Marugame Genichiro-Inokuma Museum of Contemporary Art, Kagawa Prefecture)
- The Glass of Art Nouveau - Galle and Daum’s Hym to Nature (Kyushu National Museum, Fukuoka Prefecture)
Shinji Ohmaki – Before and After the Horizon (Hirosaki Museum of Contemporary Art, Aomori Prefecture)
The Hirosaki Museum of Contemporary Art presents the first solo exhibition of Shinji Ohmaki in the Tohoku region. Ohmaki is known for his imaginative installations and public artworks that dynamically transform spaces and invite viewers into another world. Ohmaki has also exhibited works that reflect the local climate and memories of various regions in Asia, Europe, and other parts of the world. In this exhibition, Ohmaki will present several new installations, including his representative Liminal Air Space-Time series.
Venue: Hirosaki Museum of Contemporary Art
Schedule: April 15 - October 9
Closing days during Golden Week: None
Beautiful Hug! (Hachinohe Art Museum, Aomori Prefecture)
Hachinohe Art Museum in Aomori Prefecture presents a group exhibition, Beautiful Hug! As a project embodying the museum’s concept of an “art farm for encounter and learning,” this exhibition attempts to bring together people from different backgrounds. Participating artists include Noe Aoki, Akashi Ikawa, Tadashi Kawamata, JinJin-Toshirou Kimura, Gaku Ku, and Tanotaiga.
Venue: Hachinohe Art Museum
Schedule: April 29 - August 28
Closing days during Golden Week: None
Michonoku - Beloved Buddhas (Iwate Museum of Art, Iwate Prefecture)
Statues created by non-Buddhist priests, known as ‘folk Buddhas,’ have recently gained attention. Many unique folk Buddhas remain in the northern Tohoku area and are carefully protected. The Iwate Museum of Art exhibition brings together 130 folk Buddhas from the northern Tohoku region to unveil their charm and re-examine the essence of faith and art in Japan.
Venue: Iwate Museum of Art
Schedule: April 8 - May 21
Closing days during Golden Week: None
The Making of Munakata Shiko: Celebrating the 120th Anniversary of the Artist’s Birth (Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and Design, Toyama Prefecture)
In celebration of the 120th anniversary of Shiko Munakata’s birth, and in collaboration with the museums that served as his creative bases (Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and Design, Aomori Museum of Art, and the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo), this exhibition will focus on the relationship between the artist and each region, through board painting, Japanese-style painting, oil painting, as well as bookbinding, illustration, wrapping paper design, film, television, and artist’s radio appearances.
Venue: Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and Design
Schedule: March 18 - May 21
Closing days during Golden Week: None
Alex Da Corte Fresh Hell (21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture)
21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, presents the first solo exhibition of American artist Alex Da Corte in Japan. Da Corte explores “how images are made and perceived” and, by extension, how memories are made. This exhibition focuses on his video works, full of a mysterious charm that coexists between playful pop and virtual images, populated by familiar characters and icons and the gloom and desolation of reality.
Venue: 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa
Schedule: April 29 - September 18
Closing days during Golden Week: May 1 (Monday)
Pokémon × Kogei Playful Encounters of Pokémon and Japanese Craft (National Crafts Museum, Ishikawa Prefecture)
National Crafts Museum in Kanazawa presents a special exhibition bringing together two unusual elements - Pokémon and traditional crafts. At first, combining the two may seem unexpected, but they have more than a few things in common. For example, the raw materials used in crafts and the energy used in manufacturing include earth, grass, metal, water, fire, and electricity, which could be described as Pokémon types. Don’t miss the opportunity to see this unique and somewhat nostalgic collaboration with leading Japanese craft artists and internationally popular series.
Venue: National Crafts Museum
Schedule: March 21 - June 11
Closing days during Golden Week: None
Cat’s Narrow Road (Toyota Municipal Museum of Art, Aichi Prefecture)
The Toyota Municipal Museum of Art exhibition escapes the anthropocentric perspective and explores the realm between the wild and the artificial, nature and science, from the cat’s perspective. Participating artists are Taro Izumi, Sayako Kishimoto, Hideyuki Nakayama + Taichi Sunayama, Tam Ochiai, Emi Otaguro, Ken Sasaki, and Teppei Sotome.
Venue: Toyota Municipal Museum of Art
Schedule: February 25 - May 21
Closing days during Golden Week: None
Kyotographie International Photography Festival 2023 (Various locations in Kyoto Prefecture)
Kyotographie is one of Japan’s major international art events, showcasing photography and works by internationally renowned artists. Under the theme “Border,” this year’s exhibition will explore what separates borders or how they relate to human progress. Participating artists include Mabel Poblet, Yuriko Takagi, Boris Mikhailov, César Dezfuli, Joana Choumali, Yu Yamauchi, Yuhki Touyama, Miyako Ishiuchi, and others. This is an excellent opportunity to explore the world of photography in the unique venues of Kyoto, a city rich in history. Check the #Kyotographie2023 tag on the event page for information on exhibitions at each venue.
Venue: Hachiku-an (Former Kawasaki Residence), etc.
Schedule: April 15 - May 14
Closing days during Golden Week: Depends on the venue
Visionaries: Making Another Perspective (Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art, Kyoto Prefecture)
The importance of what people can do is being constantly re-examined in an age of drastic social change, marked by increased environmental awareness and technological advances. Curated and supervised by Noriko Kawakami, this exhibition features twenty up-and-coming artists working in art and design who are conscious of the history of humanity and the earth. Featured artists are Genta Ishizuka, Takao Inoue, Takahiro Iwasaki, Fumihiko Sano, Kengo Takahashi, Shinya Tanoue, Nao Tamura, Hidenori Tsumori, Shuji Nakagawa, Yukito Nishinaka, [Mé], Ryuhei Yokoyama, and others.
Venue: Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art
Schedule: March 9 - June 4
Closing days during Golden Week: May 1 (Monday)
850th Anniversary Special Exhibition Shinran: The Life and Legacy of the Founder of Shin Buddhism (Kyoto National Museum, Kyoto Prefecture)
This year marks the 850th anniversary of the birth of the priest Shinran, founder of the Shin School of Japanese Pure Land Buddhism. This exhibition tells the story of his remarkable life and teachings through objects preserved over the centuries in temples belonging to different branches of Shin Buddhism. On display are a wide range of works, including Shinran’s writings, self-inscribed icons praising Buddha Amida’s name, portraits, and illustrated handscrolls.
Venue: Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art
Schedule: March 9 - June 4
Closing days during Golden Week: May 1 (Monday)
Picasso and His Time: Masterpieces from Museum Berggruen / Nationalgalerie Berlin (The National Museum of Art, Osaka Prefecture)
The Kunstmuseum Berggruen in Berlin, Germany, opened in 1996 to house and exhibit the collection of German-born art dealer Heinz Berggruen. This is the first exhibition in Japan to present 97 works from the museum’s collection. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see the masterpieces of 20th-century European art and 11 works from the National Museum of Art collection. On view are the early works of Picasso and pieces by his most admired contemporaries, including Klee, Matisse, and Giacometti.
Venue: The National Museum of Art, Osaka
Schedule: February 4 - May 21
Closing days during Golden Week: None
Saeki Yuzo: Emerging from the Urban Landscape (Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka Prefecture)
To celebrate its first anniversary, the Nakanoshima Museum of Art in Osaka holds a large-scale solo exhibition by Yuzo Saeki. A former Osaka, Tokyo, and Paris resident, Saeki is known for his delicate cityscapes. The exhibition will feature representative works from the museum’s extensive Saeki collection. Also starting on the same day is the Art in Love with Design♡Design Jealous of Art exhibition, which explores the boundaries and intersections between design and art.
Venue: Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka
Schedule: April 15 - June 25
Closing days during Golden Week: None
Alberto Giacometti Exhibition (Espace Louis Vuitton Osaka, Osaka Prefecture)
Espace Louis Vuitton Osaka presents an exhibition featuring the works of the Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti. On display are seven sculptures from his later years, including representative works from the Woman of Venice series.
Venue: Espace Louis Vuitton Osaka
Schedule: February 23 - June 25
Closing days during Golden Week: None
“Arte Popular” - The Creative and Critical Power of Latin Americans (National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka Prefecture)
Arte Popular is the term used in Latin America to describe the refined craftsmanship of the masses. From Mexico in the north to Argentina in the south, the exhibition features approximately 400 works of popular art, ranging from relics of ancient civilizations to works by contemporary art collectives, mainly from the National Museum of Ethnology collection.
Venue: National Museum of Ethnology
Schedule: March 9 - May 30
Closing days during Golden Week: None
Ghibli Park and Ghibli Exhibition (Kobe City Museum, Hyogo Prefecture)
Last November, Ghibli Park opened at the “Expo 2005 Aichi Prefecture Memorial Park” in Nagakute City, Aichi Prefecture. This exhibition explores the work of Goro Miyazaki, the director in charge of the Ghibli Park production site. It showcases his past work and films, his ideas, designs, and the creation of Ghibli Park, along with numerous production documents on display for the first time. We recommend you check the official website as the exhibition requires advance reservation.
Venue: Kobe City Museum
Schedule: April 15 - June 25
Closing days during Golden Week: None
Dinosaur Dreams: Imagination and Creation of the Lost World (Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art, Hyogo Prefecture)
Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art presents a special exhibition exploring the changes in the portrayal of dinosaurs and other ancient creatures: from bizarre reconstructions of the 19th century (when dinosaurs were said to be discovered) to vivid dynamic dinosaur paintings of the 20th century by Charles R. Knight and Zdeněk Burian to today’s paleo-art based on cutting-edge research.
Venue: Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art
Schedule: March 4 - May 14
Closing days during Golden Week: May 1 (Monday)
Makoto Wada Exhibition (Okayama Prefectural Museum of Art, Okayama Prefecture)
Okayama Prefectural Museum of Art presents a retrospective exhibition of illustrator and graphic designer Makoro Wada. Wada has worked in various genres as a bookbinder, film director, essayist, composer, animator, and art director. This exhibition explores the designs that symbolize the Showa and Heisei eras and the appeal of designs that transcend time and capture people’s attention.
Venue: Okayama Prefectural Museum of Art
Schedule: March 24 - May 7
Closing days during Golden Week: None
Before/After (Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, Hiroshima Prefecture)
Commemorating its reopening on March 18, 2023, the Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art holds a special exhibition, Before/After. Using the changes caused by the renovation work of the museum as a stepping stone, the exhibition focuses on various “before” and “after.” The participating artists are Miyako Ishiuchi, who is working on a photo project capturing the clothing of atomic bomb survivors, Sen Takahashi, Kei Takemura, Koki Tanaka, Bontaro Dokuyama, Naoya Hirata, Nami Yokoyama, Reijiro Wada, and many others.
Venue: Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art
Schedule: March 18 - June 18
Closing days during Golden Week: May 1 (Monday)
Chikako Yamashiro “Flowers of Belau” (Marugame Genichiro-Inokuma Museum of Contemporary Art, Kagawa Prefecture)
Chikako Yamashiro has used photography and video to interpret the Okinawa region’s diverse political, social, cultural, and natural environmental issues. In recent years, she has also produced narrative works that link the past and present from a long-term perspective. This exhibition introduces Yamashiro’s work, focusing on recent and new works that offer a fresh perspective on the present.
Venue: Marugame Genichiro-Inokuma Museum of Contemporary Art
Schedule: March 21 - June 4
Closing days during Golden Week: May 1 (Monday)
The Glass of Art Nouveau - Galle and Daum’s Hym to Nature (Kyushu National Museum, Fukuoka Prefecture)
Art Nouveau developed in various fields, including painting, crafts, furniture, and architecture, but it was Emile Gallé and the Dome brothers who pioneered the movement in the field of glass art. This exhibition provides an overview of the history of glass art since antiquity and presents the beautiful world of Art Nouveau glass, the golden age of glass art.
Venue: Kyushu National Museum
Schedule: April 18 - June 11
Closing days during Golden Week: None
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