Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo “mission∞infinity | space + quantum + art”
This exhibition explores collaborations between science and art, focusing on fields such as space and quantum physics to reflect on the structure of the universe and invisible realms. Alongside works inspired by scientific research on the cosmos, the exhibition presents new artistic expressions engaging with the mysterious behaviors of time and space found in quantum phenomena, including Japan’s first art project using a domestically developed quantum computer. Through immersive installations, XR works, and metaverse-based presentations, the exhibition unfolds across multiple layers. Talks and events featuring scientists and artists during the exhibition period further deepen the dialogue between disciplines.

Period: January 31 – May 6, 2026
Venue: Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Exhibition Galleries B2F and others
Opening Hours: 10:00–18:00 (Last entry 30 minutes before closing)
Closed: Mondays (open on February 23 and May 4), February 24
Admission: Adults 1,800 / University & vocational students, ages 65+ 1,260 / Junior & senior high school students 720 / Free for elementary school students and younger
URL: https://www.mot-art-museum.jp/en/exhibitions/mission-infinity/

21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa “Collection Exhibition 3: Déjà vu”
“Déjà vu” describes the strange sensation of having experienced something before, even when encountering it for the first time. Drawing from the museum’s collection, this exhibition presents paintings, sculptures, photographs, videos, and installations that engage with this phenomenon. Moving between reality and fiction, memory and record, and physical and virtual experience, the exhibition examines complex modes of perception shaped by personal memories and social change. In an era where AI-generated images permeate daily life, the exhibition invites viewers to reconsider the foundations of seeing and knowing through moments of familiarity and dissonance.

Period: January 31 – May 10, 2026
Venue: 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, Galleries 1–6
Opening Hours: 10:00–18:00 (until 20:00 on Fridays and Saturdays)
Closed: Mondays (open on February 23 and May 4), February 24, May 7
Admission: Adults 450 / University students 310 / Ages 65+ 360 / Free for elementary, junior, and senior high school students
URL: https://www.kanazawa21.jp/en/

Mori Art Museum “Mariko Mori”
This major solo exhibition by Mariko Mori centers on the concept of “Oneness,” exploring the unity of all existence and the mysteries of humanity and the cosmos. Drawing on ancient philosophy and spiritual traditions, Mori’s immersive installations invite visitors into contemplative environments that transcend cultural and national boundaries. Through dynamic spatial experiences, the exhibition encourages reflection on consciousness, interconnectedness, and the relationship between technology and spirituality. Presenting Mori’s expansive worldview, the exhibition offers a space for introspection and shared experience within contemporary art.

Period: October 31, 2026 – March 28, 2027
Venue: Mori Art Museum
Period: October 31, 2026 – March 28, 2027
Venue: Mori Art Museum
Opening Hours: To be announced
Closed: To be announced
Admission: To be announced
Image Credit: Mariko Mori, Wave UFO, 1999–2002, photo by Richard Leeroyd
URL: https://www.mori.art.museum/en/exhibitions/marikomori/index.html

Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka “Sarah Morris: Transactional Authority”
This exhibition marks the first large-scale solo presentation in Japan by New York–based artist Sarah Morris. Known internationally for her geometric abstract paintings using diagrammatic grids, Morris has expanded her practice since the 1990s to include film, murals, drawings, and sculpture. Featuring approximately 100 works from over three decades, the exhibition highlights her sustained interest in cities, architecture, networks, and systems. Film works including Sakura and newly commissioned large-scale murals reveal Morris’s distinctive visual language and critical perspective on global power structures.

Period: January 31 – April 5, 2026
Venue: Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka, 5th Floor Exhibition Galleries
Opening Hours: 10:00–17:00 (Last entry at 16:30)
Closed: Mondays, February 24 (open on February 23)
Admission: Adults 1,800 / High school & university students 1,200 / Free for junior high school students and younger
URL: https://nakka-art.jp/en/exhibition-post/sarahmorris-2026-en/

Plaza Gallery “Koro Ihara: Breath-Through”
This exhibition presents sculptural works by Koro Ihara, who explores forms shaped by traces and byproducts of living organisms combined with traditional techniques. Using materials such as animal droppings, bird nests, worm castings, and cyanobacteria, Ihara transforms natural processes directly into sculptural form. The exhibition proposes a space that appears to breathe, visualizing natural flows and creating an environment that continuously changes like a living organism. Visitors are invited to experience the intimate relationship between life, material, and form.

Period: February 7 – March 29, 2026
Venue: Plaza Gallery
Opening Hours: 11:00–18:00
Closed: Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays
Admission: Free
URL: http://www.plaza-gallery.com/

Fukuda Art Museum “100th Anniversary of Showa 1: An Era Colored by Seihō, Kaii, Matazō, et al”
Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Showa era, this exhibition presents 100 masterpieces of Japanese painting created during a period marked by war, recovery, and rapid social change. Featuring works by artists such as Takeuchi Seihō, Higashiyama Kaii, and Kayama Matazō, the exhibition traces shifting artistic expressions across different phases of the era. Paintings by artists who cherished Arashiyama are also included, shedding light on the aesthetic sensibilities cultivated during this transformative time in Japanese history.

Period: January 31 – April 12, 2026
Venue: Fukuda Art Museum, Kyoto
Opening Hours: 10:00–17:00 (Last admission at 16:30)
Closed: February 17, March 3, March 17
Admission: Adults & university students 1,500 / High school students 900 / Elementary & junior high school students 500 / Visitors with disabilities and one companion 900
URL: https://tinyurl.com/5b5w52ea

Saga Arashiyama Museum of Arts & Culture “Through Art and Calligraphy, Enter the World of Hyakunin Isshu”
Held at the foot of Mount Ogura, closely associated with Fujiwara no Teika, this exhibition introduces the world of Hyakunin Isshu through both painting and calligraphy. Featuring the first public display of the Hyakunin Isshu illustrated album, alongside works by artists such as Hasegawa Sōkan, Kiyohara Yukinobu, Hon’ami Kōetsu, and Maruyama Ōkyo, the exhibition explores the cultural richness of classical Japanese poetry through visual art.

Period: January 31 – April 12, 2026
Venue: Saga Arashiyama Museum of Arts & Culture
Opening Hours: 10:00–17:00 (Last admission at 16:30)
Closed: February 15, February 17, March 3, March 17 (early closing at 14:00 on February 14)
URL: https://www.samac.jp/en/exhibition/detail.php?id=68

Dojima River Forum “Klimt Alive”
This immersive exhibition brings the world of Gustav Klimt to life through a multisensory experience combining large-scale projections, music, and scent. Iconic works rich in gold and ornamentation are displayed across towering screens, accompanied by classical music that evokes fin-de-siècle Vienna. Visitors can take photographs and videos within the exhibition space, fully engaging with the atmospheric environment unique to immersive theater.

Period: December 5, 2025 – March 1, 2026
Venue: Dojima River Forum, Osaka
Opening Hours: 10:00–17:00 (Last entry 45 minutes before closing)
Closed: December 10; December 30 – January 1
URL: https://klimtalive.jp/osaka/

POLA MUSEUM ANNEX “POLA MUSEUM ANNEX EXHIBITION 2026”
This group exhibition presents recent works by emerging artists who have completed overseas residency programs supported by the Pola Art Foundation. Divided into two parts with different themes, the exhibition highlights diverse artistic approaches shaped by varied cultural experiences. Through explorations of materials, techniques, bodily perception, and spatial awareness, the exhibition offers a multifaceted view of contemporary artistic practice and its evolving possibilities.

Period: February 13 – April 19, 2026
Venue: POLA MUSEUM ANNEX, Ginza, Tokyo
Opening Hours: 11:00–19:00 (Last entry at 18:30)
Closed: Open daily during the exhibition period (except during installation changes)
Admission: Free
URL: https://tinyurl.com/2kc9zrwb

Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media [YCAM]
PROJECT MRT—Natureless Solution
This exhibition presents a new project by bio-artists Oron Catts, Ionat Zurr, and Steve Berrick. Applying agricultural technologies that replace natural elements with artificial substitutes, the project explores sustainable circulation systems for food production. Through experimental performances and installations, the exhibition examines the relationship between life, technology, and artificial environments, offering new perspectives on future ecological systems.

Period: October 11, 2025 – February 22, 2026
Venue: Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media [YCAM]
Opening Hours: 10:00 — 19:00
Closed: Tuesdays (or the following day if Tuesday is a public holiday), December 29 – January 3
Admission: Free
URL: https://www.ycam.jp/en/events/2025/project-mrt/

Higashihiroshima City Museum of Art
“POP ART the FAB 4! & 4 SPECIAL GUESTS”
Focusing on Pop Art that emerged in the United States during the 1960s, this exhibition presents works by Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, and Jasper Johns, known collectively as “The Fabulous Four.” Incorporating imagery from mass media and consumer culture, their works challenged traditional notions of art and society. The exhibition highlights the enduring impact of Pop Art through key works by these influential artists.

Period: February 5 – March 29, 2026
Venue: Higashihiroshima City Museum of Art, 2nd and 3rd Floor Galleries
Opening Hours: 9:00–17:00 (Last admission 30 minutes before closing)
Closed: Open daily during the exhibition period
Admission: Adults 1,300 / University students 900 / Free for visitors aged 75 and over and high school students and younger

URL: https://hhmoa.jp/next-exhibition/13686/

NANZUKA UNDERGROUND
Christian Rex van Minnen “Metanoia”
This solo exhibition by American artist Christian Rex van Minnen presents new paintings that further develop his distinctive grotesque yet alluring style. Known for blending classical Baroque oil painting techniques with Surrealism and contemporary underground culture, van Minnen introduces works that also explore a more traditional still-life approach he describes as “Straightforward.” Fifteen paintings are exhibited, revealing the artist’s evolving engagement with painterly tradition and humor.

Period: January 17 – February 21, 2026
Venue: NANZUKA UNDERGROUND, Tokyo
Opening Hours: 11:00–19:00
Closed: Sundays and Mondays
Admission: Free
URL: https://tinyurl.com/bdare29x

Otherwise Gallery
“CRYSTAL SILENCE” Takaaki Kato
This solo exhibition by painter Takaaki Kato explores fragmented visual perception, the passage of time, and layered memory. Drawing on cinematic ways of seeing, Kato arranges multiple images—such as landscapes, figures, and traces of light—within a single canvas. These elements shift in relation depending on the viewer’s gaze, forming an open-ended narrative that resists fixation.

Period: January 9 – February 28, 2026
Venue: Otherwise Gallery, Tokyo
Opening Hours: 12:00–19:00
Closed: Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays
Admission: Free
URL: https://otherwise-gallery.com/en/tokyo/

ATELIER MUJI GINZA
“Listening to Scents”
This exhibition examines the relationship between daily life and scent, proposing a way of experiencing fragrance not only by smelling but also by “listening.” Organized by Ryohin Keikaku, the company behind MUJI, the exhibition draws on the brand’s long-standing engagement with scent-related products such as essential oils, incense, and room fragrances. Reflecting on contemporary living environments, the exhibition also looks at the history of scent in Japan, inviting visitors to reconsider how fragrance shapes memory, culture, and everyday experience.

Period: December 19, 2025 – March 15, 2026
Venue: MUJI Ginza 6F, ATELIER MUJI GINZA Gallery 1 & 2
Opening Hours: 11:00–21:00
Admission: Free
URL: https://atelier.muji.com/jp-en/exhibition/251219/