What we’re about
"Art Is What You Can Get Away with" -Marshall McLuhan (Propagated by Andy Warhol)
WHY?
Because there are numbers of interesting art shows and cultural events in the Greater Tokyo Area.
WHAT?
We will check out all types of cultural events. The main focus of the meet up group will be checking out art exhibitions, but we are not art snobs. We will check out anything as long as they are entertaining to us.
WHO?
Anyone who likes to explore art + culture in the Greater Tokyo Area should join.
HOW?
Just click "yes" for the RSVP response and show up to the meeting place.
HOW MUCH?
The price of an admission ticket.
HOW OFTEN?
Once a week hopefully.
WHY NOT JOIN US?
Upcoming events (2)
See all- The origin of "manga" and "anime" lies in Hokusai!CREATIVE MUSEUM TOKYO, Tokyo
For this meetup, we will check out an exhibition that showcases works of Hokusai by contextualizing the Ukiyoe master as the originator of Japanese Manga culture.
"This exhibition is realized upon the full cooperation of Mr. Mitsuru Uragami (Uragami Sokyu-do), owner of the world's largest and high-quality collection of Hokusai Manga, comprising 1,700 volumes. The exhibition showcases all 15 volumes of Hokusai Manga from the renowned Uragami Collection, along with a wide range of illustrated"yomihon"novels, the iconic Great Wave off Kanagawa from Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji, and the complete three-volume, 102-print series One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji, a late-life masterpiece created by the self-proclaimed"mad painter".
In addition, the exhibition features 16 hand-drawn works, never before shown to public anywhere in the world. More than 400 works will be on display in total, showcased through a fresh and innovative exhibition design that highlights elements considered foundational to today's manga and anime—such as speed lines, comedic stylization, and anime-style key frames." [from the exhibition website]Location
CREATIVE MUSEUM TOKYO
(https://creative-museum.tokyo/visit/?lang=en)Exhibition to see
HOKUSAI: The Artist Mad About PaintingMeeting Time
04:00 PM (16:00)Meeting Spot
At the entrance lobby of Toda Building
(https://www.todabuilding.com/en/access/)Admission Fee
¥2,300Description of the exhibition
https://hokusai2025.jp/en/Chat session after the show
As usual, let's have a chat session at the end of the event. When we meet up before the exhibition, let's decide where we go after the show. - Afternoon at the Tokyo National MuseumTokyo National Museum, Tokyo
For this meetup, we will spend an afternoon at the Tokyo National Museum to see the following two exhibitions
- Ōoku: Women of Power in Edo Castle
- Expressing Prayer, Capturing Form Buddhist Sculptures by UNKEI from the Northern Round Hall of Kohfukuji Temple
Meeting Time: 2:00PM (14:00)
Meeting Spot: Around the Park Exit of JR Ueno Station++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
First Exhibition
Ōoku: Women of Power in Edo CastleVenue
Tokyo National Museum
(https://www.tnm.jp/modules/r_free_page/index.php?id=113)Admission Fee
￥2,100Information about the Exhibition
"The ōoku refers to the living quarters of the wives and ladies-in-waiting of the Tokugawa shoguns during the Edo period (1603–1868). It was sequestered within the shogunate’s fortress Edo Castle, which was historically located where the Imperial Palace now stands. The castle’s main compound was divided into sections called the omote and nakaoku. Beyond these, copper-plated walls marked the boundary of the strictly controlled ōoku, accessible via only two passageways known as the “bell corridors” (osuzu-rōka). As part of the shogun’s private quarters, the world of the ōoku was hidden from outsiders. Its secrecy made it an object of public curiosity until its dissolution in the late 19th century. Stories, rumors, and speculation gave rise to a wealth of narratives, dramatic works, Kabuki plays, and ukiyo-e prints set in the ōoku. Today, interest remains high in this secretive institution, and countless movies, TV shows, manga, and novels feature women of the ōoku as their main characters. Virtually all of these, however, are works of fiction and fail to portray the ōoku as it truly was.This exhibition attempts to uncover a more truthful picture of the ōoku through the stories told by some 180 objects. These range from historical records and architectural drawings to the personal belongings of the wives, daughters, and ladies-in-waiting of the ōoku, including principal wives and senior-ranking ladies-in-waiting known as elders."[from the Museum Website]
Official Website (Japanese)
https://ooku2025.jp/++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Second Exhibition
Expressing Prayer, Capturing Form
Buddhist Sculptures by UNKEI from the Northern Round Hall of Kohfukuji TempleVenue
Tokyo National Museum
(https://www.tnm.jp/modules/r_free_page/index.php?id=113)Admission Fee
¥1,700Information about the exhibition
"The Northern Round Hall of Kohfukuji temple in Nara is widely known for its principal icon, the National Treasure Seated Miroku Nyorai and its flanking standing figures of Mujaku and Seshin Bosatsu, which are considered later-life masterpieces by Unkei, the central figure of Buddhist sculpture in the Kamakura period.
The Northern Round Hall, a rare example of a space that preserves the original configuration of Unkei’s figures, is typically not open to the public. However, to commemorate the completion of its restoration, special arrangements have been made for the Seated Miroku Nyorai to be exhibited outside the temple for the first time in approximately sixty years.
This truly exceptional project to recreate the interior of the Northern Round Hall as it would have been during its revival in the Kamakura period brings together seven National Treasure Buddhist statues—the Seated Miroku Nyorai figure, the Standing Mujaku and Seshin Bosatsu figures, as well as the Four Deva King figures, which were likely enshrined in the Northern Round Hall in the past." [from The Museum Website]Official Website (Japanese)
https://tsumugu.yomiuri.co.jp/unkei2025/english.html++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Chat session
We will take a coffee break between the first and second show to have a chat session.
