Japan’s Top Summer Festivals for 2026: Tohoku’s Big Four Lead the Way
Lanterns, taiko drums, whirling dancers, and bonfires on mountain slopes. Summer festival season is almost here, and this year’s ranking tells you exactly where to be.
Lucie Rie Retrospective Opens in Tokyo
The first retrospective of the twentieth-century master to be held in Japan in roughly a decade, it brings together precious works from collections across the country.
Nara Prison Museum Opens Its Doors
A landmark new cultural attraction opens in Nara this spring, as Hoshino Resorts launched its first-ever museum on April 27, 2026. Founded in 1914 and widely regarded as Japan's most innovative luxury hospitality group, Hoshino Resorts has built its reputation on reimagining overlooked or underutilized spaces—from historic hot spring towns to remote natural landscapes—and transforming them into distinctive, design-led destinations. The Nara Prison Museum brings new life to the former Nara Prison—a designated Important Cultural Property — transforming one of Japan's most architecturally striking Meiji-era (1868—1912) buildings into a thought-provoking destination for visitors from around the world.
A Major New Tokyo Museum Opens: MoN Takanawa—The Museum of Narratives
Opened in March 2026, MoN Takanawa: The Museum of Narratives is a striking new multi-level museum consisting of six floors above ground and three below. It is part of Takanawa Gateway City, one of Tokyo's largest new urban developments, directly connected to Takanawa Gateway Station.
“YBA & BEYOND: British Art in the 90s from the Tate Collection” at the National Art Center, Tokyo
The exhibition “YBA & BEYOND: British Art in the 90s from the Tate Collection” is running until May 11 at the National Art Center, Tokyo in Roppongi. At the museum, one of Japan’s largest art spaces, visitors can follow the radical developments in British art during the 1990s.
Seeker of Japanese Spooks: Lafcadio Hearn’s Life in Matsue
The Greco-Irish writer became Japan’s master of macabre storytelling—and the city of Matsue is the perfect place for a close encounter.
Iwami Art Museum Celebrates Legendary Fashion Designer Hanae Mori
A remarkable exhibition spotlighting the pioneering fashion designer Hanae Mori is under way at Iwami Art Museum in the stunning Shimane Arts Center complex (aka “Grand Toit”) in Shimane Prefecture.
Christopher Harding: Bringing Japan’s History and Culture to a Wide Audience
An interview with Christopher Harding, historian and author, who explores Japan’s culture and history through books that blend narrative flair with scholarship.
