Best Exhibitions Starting in March 2026
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Tokyo Art Beat presents a selection of the best exhibitions opening in March 2026. Save the exhibitions on the TAB website or TAB app and don't miss the openings and closings.
- ◎ Tokyo
- 【Tokyo】Nakajo Sings, Nakajo Dances —Rythms of letters, pictures and Shisieido (Shiseido Gallery)
- 【Tokyo】Mitsumasa Anno Exhibition (Play! Museum)
- 【Tokyo】Yakie Pyrography (Itabashi Art Museum)
- 【Tokyo】Rosetsu Nagasawa (Fuchu Art Museum)
- 【Tokyo】The Vision of Contemporary Art 2026 (Ueno Royal Museum)
- 【Tokyo】Sorayama: Light, Reflection, Transparency -Tokyo- (Creative Museum Tokyo)
- 【Tokyo】Shimomura Kanzan: Life, Art and Society (The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo)
- 【Tokyo】W. Eugene Smith and New York: The Loft Era (Tokyo Photographic Art Museum)
- 【Tokyo】Yokai Immersive Experience Exhibition Tokyo - Imagination of Japan - (Warehouse Terrada G1 Building)
- 【Tokyo】Čiurlionis Exhibition (National Museum Of Western Art, Tokyo)
- 【Tokyo】NHK Sunday Museum 50th Anniversary Exhibition (The University Art Museum - Tokyo University of the Arts)
- 【Tokyo】Hokusai: Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji from the Iuchi Collection (National Museum Of Western Art, Tokyo)
- ◎ Japan
- 【Kanagawa】Ansei and Toshiko Uchima: Weaving Colors and Memories (Museum of Modern Art, Hayama)
- 【Kanagawa】Makino Kunio: 100th Anniversary Retrospective - The Revival of the Artist’s Spirit - (Chigasaki City Museum of Art)
- 【Niigata】Yasuhiko Yoshikazu: Divine Animator and Draftsman (The Niigata Prefectural Museum of Modern Art)
- 【Ishikawa】René Lalique: Elegant French Decorative Art Carrying on the Work of Émile Gallé and the Daum Frères (National Crafts Museum)
- 【Kyoto】400 Years of Western Paintings: Masterpieces from Tokyo Fuji Art Museum (Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art)
- 【Kyoto】Claude Monet —Commemorating the 30th Year of the Museum's Opening and the Centennial of the Artist's Death (Asahi Group Oyamazaki Villa Museum)
- 【Kyoto】Modern Urban Life and Takehisa Yumeji— Works from the Kawanishi Hide Collection (The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto)
- 【Osaka】185 Years of Renoir (Sanno Art Museum)
- 【Osaka】Natsuyuki Nakanishi: Devices for Gentle Gazing and Endless Lingering (The National Museum of Art, Osaka)
- 【Osaka】Takashima Yajuro: 50 Years after His Painting (Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka)
- 【Kobe】Anti-Action: Artist-Women’s Challenges and Responses in Postwar Japan (Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art)
- 【Hiroshima】The Secret of Finnish Sauna (Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art)
- 【Fukuoka】Manga Artists Born in Kitakyushu— The Seven Colors of Manga Art (Kitakyushu Manga Museum)
- 【Nagasaki】Tatsuya Tanaka "Miniature Life Mitate Mind" (Nagasaki Prefectural Art Museum)
◎ Tokyo
【Tokyo】Nakajo Sings, Nakajo Dances —Rythms of letters, pictures and Shisieido (Shiseido Gallery)
This exhibition takes a close-up look at Masayoshi Nakajo’s lifelong creative partnership with Shiseido, spanning his work for Hanatsubaki Journal, Shiseido Parlour posters, and a wide range of packaging and printed matter. Tracing Nakajo’s signature interplay of letterforms and images, the show reveals how his designs reshaped the visual language of Japanese graphic design. Several works are on view for the first time.
Venue: Shiseido Gallery
Schedule: March 3 – June 28
【Tokyo】Mitsumasa Anno Exhibition (Play! Museum)
Marking the 100th anniversary of illustrator and painter Mitsumasa Anno's birth, this retrospective brings together around 130 original drawings from landmark picture books. The exhibition expands beyond a conventional survey. Anno’s recurring themes, landscape, history, and the pleasure of discovery are brought into focus, while immersive displays invite visitors to step into his meticulously constructed worlds. Check out the new video project where contemporary creators reflect on what they learned from Anno’s imagination and craft.
Venue: Play!Museum
Schedule: March 4 – May 10
【Tokyo】Yakie Pyrography (Itabashi Art Museum)
A rare chance to see the art of yakie (pyrography) – images and calligraphy “drawn” by pressing heated iron tools onto paper, silk, and other surfaces. Even in the Edo period, it was considered an unusual technique. The exhibition brings together historical examples and newer works, inviting you to explore the world of this unique craft.
Venue: Itabashi Art Museum
Schedule: March 7 – April 12
【Tokyo】Rosetsu Nagasawa (Fuchu Art Museum)
Deep dive into the world of Rosetsu Nagasawa, a celebrated Kyoto painter from the 18th century. Known for fantastical, uncanny landscapes and whimsical animals (especially puppies), Rosetsu comes into focus from multiple angles, including Zen and Buddhist philosophy. Don't forget that this is the first major Rosetsu Nagasawa's exhibition in Tokyo in years.
Venue: Fuchu Art Museum
Schedule: March 14 – May 10
【Tokyo】The Vision of Contemporary Art 2026 (Ueno Royal Museum)
VOCA 2026 returns to the Ueno Royal Museum as Japan’s leading annual platform for emerging artists working in 2D art. The exhibition captures the current Japanese contemporary scene, including drawing, mixed media, and concept-based works. VOCA 2026 features Sayaka Toda, Soh Souen, Kento Terada, Chiaki Kato, Aya Kurashiki, and other nominees.
Venue: Ueno Royal Museum
Schedule: March 14 – March 29
【Tokyo】Sorayama: Light, Reflection, Transparency -Tokyo- (Creative Museum Tokyo)
The largest retrospective of Japanese artist Hajime Sorayama, who rose to prominence for painting fantasy visions of robots. Eroticism and sci-fi imagination converge in his signature world of light and reflection. Sexy Robot and other works highlight Sorayama’s influence across design, fashion, and pop culture, showing why his vision still feels futuristic.
Venue: Creative Museum Tokyo
Schedule: March 15 – May 31
【Tokyo】Shimomura Kanzan: Life, Art and Society (The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo)
A major retrospective of Shimomura Kanzan (1873–1930), one of modern Japan’s leading nihonga painters. The exhibition traces Kanzan’s artistic journey – from his early mastery of Kano-school and yamato-e techniques to the broader outlook he gained through two years of study in Britain. It also highlights his connections with the political and cultural figures of his time, showing how Kazan pursued painting in dialogue with society.
Venue: The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
Schedule: March 17 – May 10
【Tokyo】W. Eugene Smith and New York: The Loft Era (Tokyo Photographic Art Museum)
This exhibition focuses on a lesser-seen chapter in the career of the legendary American documentary photographer W. Eugene Smith (1918–1978). After leaving Life magazine, Smith moved into a Manhattan apartment known as “the Loft,” which became a hub for artists and musicians. The Loft Era traces how his work shifted from photojournalism toward a more experimental, art-driven language. The show centers on this period and includes major projects such as Minamata, reframing him not only as a reporter but as an artist searching for new possibilities in photography.
Venue: Tokyo Photographic Art Museum
Schedule: March 17 – June 7
【Tokyo】Yokai Immersive Experience Exhibition Tokyo - Imagination of Japan - (Warehouse Terrada G1 Building)
Do you know Japanese yokai scary tales? Yokai Immersive Experience transforms classic yokai stories into a digital art experience, using newest projection technologies and 3D modeling. The exhibition invites to step inside the world of Japan’s supernatural folklore, where Hyakki Yagyō parades, spirits, and strange creatures move and interact with you.
Venue: Warehouse Terrada G1 Building
Schedule: March 27 – June 28
【Tokyo】Čiurlionis Exhibition (National Museum Of Western Art, Tokyo)
M. K. Čiurlionis: The Inner Constellation brings to Tokyo a long-awaited major retrospective of Lithuanian artist Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis—a genius who produced over 300 works in just a few intense years before his early death at 35. Japan gets a fresh look at his dreamlike, symbolist universe, including works rarely seen outside Lithuania and the enigmatic masterpiece Rex (King).
Venue: National Museum Of Western Art, Tokyo
Schedule: March 28 – June 14
【Tokyo】NHK Sunday Museum 50th Anniversary Exhibition (The University Art Museum - Tokyo University of the Arts)
NHK Sunday Museum 50th Anniversary Exhibition celebrates five decades of NHK’s iconic program Nichiyo Bijutsukan, featuring highlights from some of the most memorable exhibitions it has covered. The show brings together masterpieces introduced to viewers since 1976, including over 100 key works, alongside carefully selected excerpts from past broadcasts.
Venue: The University Art Museum - Tokyo University of the Arts
Schedule: March 28 – June 21
【Tokyo】Hokusai: Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji from the Iuchi Collection (National Museum Of Western Art, Tokyo)
Hokusai: Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji is a special exhibition presenting the first display of the Iuchi Collection deposit (2024), which includes the complete 46-print set of Hokusai’s iconic Mt. Fuji series. The show also features two additional versions of the Hokusai's most famous works – The Great Wave and Red Fuji.
Venue: National Museum Of Western Art, Tokyo
Schedule: March 28 – June 14
◎ Japan
【Kanagawa】Ansei and Toshiko Uchima: Weaving Colors and Memories (Museum of Modern Art, Hayama)
Weaving Colors and Memories brings together the creative worlds of Ansei Uchima and Toshiko Uchima, focusing on their prints, collages, and assemblages shaped between Tokyo and New York. Ansei’s vibrant woodblock practice meets Toshiko’s poetic collages and box-like constructions, tracing two distinct paths that also helped connect postwar Japanese and American art.
Venue: Museum of Modern Art, Hayama
Schedule: March 7 – May 31
【Kanagawa】Makino Kunio: 100th Anniversary Retrospective - The Revival of the Artist’s Spirit - (Chigasaki City Museum of Art)
This exhibition captures the journey of Kunio Makino (1925–1986) – a Showa-era artist known for his surrealistic, modernist drawings. Most of his works are held in private collections, therefore the upcoming show becomes a rare chance to see Makino's art brought together in one place. The show looks back on Kunio Makino’s uncompromising, almost stubborn devotion to painting, and questions the meaning of his realism and fantastical visions today.
Venue: Chigasaki City Museum of Art
Schedule: March 31 – June 7
【Niigata】Yasuhiko Yoshikazu: Divine Animator and Draftsman (The Niigata Prefectural Museum of Modern Art)
The Niigata Prefectural Museum of Modern Art opens a large-scale retrospective of anime and manga legend Yoshikazu Yasuhiko (b. 1947), known mainly as character designer and animation director for Mobile Suit Gundam. Bringing together over 800 works and production materials including rare documents, color illustrations, and original manga manuscripts, the exhibition traces nearly 50 years of Yasuhiko’s restless creativity.
Venue: Chigasaki City Museum of Art
Schedule: March 7 – May 24
【Ishikawa】René Lalique: Elegant French Decorative Art Carrying on the Work of Émile Gallé and the Daum Frères (National Crafts Museum)
The National Crafts Museum in Kanazawa invites you into the shimmering world of Art Nouveau and Art Deco through the work of René Lalique (1860–1945), a world-renowned master of glass and jewelry. The exhibition places Lalique’s vases, perfume bottles, and decorative objects alongside works by Émile Gallé and the Daum brothers to evoke an era defined by sensual form, craftsmanship, and elegance.
Venue: National Crafts Museum
Schedule: March 20 – June 14
【Kyoto】400 Years of Western Paintings: Masterpieces from Tokyo Fuji Art Museum (Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art)
400 Years of Western Paintings offers a journey through Western art history, from the Renaissance and Baroque to Impressionism and beyond. Drawn from the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum’s collection, the exhibition presents a carefully curated selection that traces how subjects and styles shifted over four centuries, from myth and religion to new themes and experiments.
Venue: Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art
Schedule: March 20 – May 24
【Kyoto】Claude Monet —Commemorating the 30th Year of the Museum's Opening and the Centennial of the Artist's Death (Asahi Group Oyamazaki Villa Museum)
Asahi Group Oyamazaki Villa Museum of Art offers an unusually immersive way to encounter Monet’s late paintings in the museum’s circular gallery designed by Tadao Ando. Marking both the museum’s 30th anniversary and 100 years since Monet’s death, the exhibition reunites all eight Monet paintings in the museum’s collection, shown together for the first time in ten years.
Venue: Asahi Group Oyamazaki Villa Museum
Schedule: March 20 - April 11, 2027
【Kyoto】Modern Urban Life and Takehisa Yumeji— Works from the Kawanishi Hide Collection (The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto)
This exhibition features the best of Takehisa Yumeji (1884–1934) – a key figure in modern Japanese illustration, often seen as a predecessor to today’s kawaii culture. Set in Yumeji’s world, the show also introduces urban life and modern cityscapes imagined by Showa-era artists and printmakers, moving between avant-garde experiment and playful visual culture. Check out the Resonance: Kanjiro Kawai × Shoji Hamada - From the Tamesaburo Yamamoto Collection exhibition starting at the same time.
Venue: The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto
Schedule: March 28 – June 21
【Osaka】185 Years of Renoir (Sanno Art Museum)
This exhibition showcases around 50 works from the Sanno Art Museum's collection. The show offers a focused look at Renoir’s luminous colors and stories, moving from intimate portraits to scenes of modern life.
Venue: Sanno Art Museum
Schedule: March 1 – July 31
【Osaka】Natsuyuki Nakanishi: Devices for Gentle Gazing and Endless Lingering (The National Museum of Art, Osaka)
Nakanishi Natsuyuki: Devices for Gentle Gazing and Endless Lingering is a major retrospective revisiting one of Japan’s most influential postwar painters. Tracing his practice from the late 1950s, the exhibition highlights Nakanishi’s probing idea of what a picture can be.
Venue: The National Museum of Art, Osaka
Schedule: March 14 – June 14
【Osaka】Takashima Yajuro: 50 Years after His Painting (Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka)
Yajuro Takashima (1890–1975) returns in a large-scale retrospective spanning more than 160 works, including paitings shown publicly for the first time. The exhibition traces the roots of his art through early years, including the Buddhist beliefs and spiritual awakenings.
Venue: The National Museum of Art, Osaka
Schedule: March 25 – June 21
【Kobe】Anti-Action: Artist-Women’s Challenges and Responses in Postwar Japan (Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art)
Anti-Action reconsiders postwar “action painting” from the perspective of women artists, showing more than 100 drawings, installations and sculptures by 14 artists. Works by Yayoi Kusama, Atsuko Tanaka, Fujiko Shiraga, and Tsuruko Yamazaki are brought together not just as women’s art, but as key practices that helped reshape Japanese art in the postwar era.
Venue: Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art
Schedule: March 25 – May 6
【Hiroshima】The Secret of Finnish Sauna (Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art)
The Secret of Finnish Sauna traces the 2,000-year history of the sauna and the folklore of the sauna spirit. Deeply rooted in Finnish daily life as a place to relax, reset, and connect, the exhibition unpacks sauna culture from multiple angles – from architecture and design to everyday sauna objects. A full-scale reconstruction of the sauna cabin from Alvar Aalto’s Muuratsalo Experimental House is a must-see.
Venue: Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art
Schedule: March 14 – June 28
【Fukuoka】Manga Artists Born in Kitakyushu— The Seven Colors of Manga Art (Kitakyushu Manga Museum)
This is the first large-scale collection exhibition, spotlighting seven artists connected to Kitakyushu – Yasuyuki Kunitomo, Satomi Kamie, Hisashi Sekiya, Jun Hatanaka, Kyoko Fumizuki, Ako Mutsu, and Tsunezo Murotani. Bringing together over 350 original artworks and archival materials, the show puts very different styles side by side to offer a rare, cross-generational look at how manga is made.
Venue: Kitakyushu Manga Museum
Schedule: March 14 – May 24
【Nagasaki】Tatsuya Tanaka "Miniature Life Mitate Mind" (Nagasaki Prefectural Art Museum)
Tatsuya Tanaka: Miniature Life Mitate Mind brings the popular “Miniature Life” world to Nagasaki with a fresh focus on Tanaka’s signature mitate – seeing everyday objects as something else. Divided into seven themes, the exhibition reveals the secrets behind Tanaka's ideas through around 160 works, combining photography and miniature dioramas.
Venue: Kitakyushu Manga Museum
Schedule: March 12 – April 13
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