With the distraction of cherry blossom season now largely out of the way, the mega city of Tokyo can turn its attention back to its artworks. In numbers of eyeballs on artworks it is the unchallenged World capital of art. So, what are the best things to see in our World-beating galleries and exhibition spaces as we move into high Spring?
Here are our unbeatable art picks for the month ahead: 80s kitsch, seasonal Nihonga, French Impressionism (x2), Edo art, Zen-punk tapestries, and modern traditionalism.
Here are our unbeatable art picks for the month ahead: 80s kitsch, seasonal Nihonga, French Impressionism (x2), Edo art, Zen-punk tapestries, and modern traditionalism.
Hajime Sorayama, Untitled (1982), acrylic on illustration board
H36.4 x W51.5 cm
SORAYAMA: LIGHT, TRANSPARENCY, REFLECTION -TOKYO-
Hajime Sorayama's gauche "hyper-modernist" ad artwork perfectly summed up the commercialistic excesses and economic alienation of Japan's 1980s "Bubble Economy." As such, there was something frankly kitschy, cringe, over-obvious, and even off-putting about it at the time that fed into the "Weird Japan" meme. However, from the much more jaded and ironic perspective of 2026, there is now something strangely prescient and profound about Sorayama's sexualised, shiny, chrome mannequins, which have influenced everything from Robocop to Thierry Mugler. It seems that the passage of time, through the agency of retro-futurism, has bestowed a backdoor authenticity on these garish but now compelling creations. Whatever your take, the exhibition at the CREATIVE MUSEUM is well worth the thrill of seeing yourself reflected in the androgynous curves of our future AI masters and mistresses.
Now – 31st May
PRICE: ¥2,500.
Shōen Uemura, Spring Evening (1936)
JOYFUL OVERFLOW: SELECTIONS OF JAPANESE PAINTINGS - SPRING & SUMMER
I'm not sure how many of you are here for the pot noodles and the manga and how many are here for the "deep culture," but if you're part of the latter group, then visits to THE MATSUOKA MUSEUM OF ART are definitely on the itinerary, along with its current season-themed show, as Japan is all about living by the seasons, even when the weather doesn't quite cooperate. This venue a quiet private museum in the upscale Shirokanedai neighbourhood dedicated to the refined taste of its founder real estate developer Seijiro Matsuoka (1894–1989). The show brings a selection of works built around a haiku inspired by an ancient Chinese painting. Really, it doesn't get more Japanese than that! "The spring mountains are like a smile, and the summer mountains are green and dripping." Among the works on display are Ikeda Shoen's "Sakura Boat," Yokoyama Taikan's "Plum Blossoms," Uemura Shoen's "Spring Night," and Kaburagi Kiyokata's "Spring Sea", among many others.
Now - 31st May
Now - 31st May
PRICE: ¥1,400.
Marée basse (1884) Musée d’art et d’histoire de Saint-Lô
© Musée d’art et d’histoire de Saint-Lô, Pierre-Yves Le Meur
EUGENE BOUDIN
With a big Monet exhibition now on at the Artizon, it is appropriate that the SOMPO MUSEUM is hosting a show by one of his mentors, namely Eugene Boudin (1824-1898). Often described as a "Precursor of Impressionism," Boudin was renowned for his proactive techniques to capture the look and feel of the ever-changing skies above his native Normandy, something that helped set the template for Monet. This is the first major exhibition of Boudin's work in Japan in approximately 30 years, with around 100 works, primarily oil paintings, drawings, pastels, and prints, from the artist known as the "King of the Skies."
Claude MONET, Irises in Monet’s Garden, 1900, Oil on canvas, Musée d’Orsay Photo © GrandPalaisRmn (musée d’Orsay)/ Adrien Didierjean / distributed by AMF
MONET: QUESTIONING NATURE
Claude Monet is possibly the world's favourite artist, creating lush impressionist works that evoked nature as much as they depicted it. With 2026 marking the centenary of his death, the ARTIZON is rolling out its big guns, bringing together its own collection of 41 Monets with 90 more flown in from Paris's Musée d’Orsay. Perfect art for the start of Spring! The only thing I'm worried about is that it's going to be packed, so pick a time when it's not so busy. My informants at the museum suggest between 12:00 and 13:00, or after 16:00.
Now – 24th May.
PRICE: ¥2500.
Four Sleeping Figures (detail) Homma Museum of Art, second half of the exhibition
ROSETSU NAGASAWA
If you live over on the West side of Tokyo—and even if you don't—the exhibition at the FUCHU ART MUSEUM may well be worth a visit. Nagasawa was one of the more versatile Edo period artists. He could paint cute, funny, and also more profound subjects. In this first big show of his work in 64 years, the emphasis is more on the "kawaii" side of his art, with works depicting puppies and rather cuddly tigers. Also enjoy the cherry blossoms and young leaves of Metropolitan Fuchu Forest Park where the museum is located.
March 14th – 10th May
PRICE: ¥800
STILL, Cotton, hemp, silk, wool, bandage, iron © 2026 Junko Oki
JUNKO OKI: STILL
The KOSAKU KANECHIKA GALLERY, in the still new and shiny Toda Building, is always a good place to catch a bit of free art. Their next show focuses on the work of fabric artist Junko Oki, whose large abstract "tapestries" invoke a world in which Punk and Zen are deeply involved in an incestuous love affair (you know these two things are related, right?). The exhibition will present several works, including the monster above, which spans 1.5 meters and refers to physical stillness and temporal endurance.
March 7th – 18th April
PRICE: FREE
Shimomura Kanzan, Yoroboshi [Young Blind Beggar], 1915, Tokyo National Museum, TMN Image Archives
SHIMOMURA KANZAN: LIFE, ART, & SOCIETY
Shimomura (1873-1930) is often regarded as the last great painter of the Kano school, but as a school that straddled several centuries and included scores of artists, it was more an attitude than a specific style. Its keynote was a show of effortless skill and timeless sophistication, combined with a kind of snobbish coolness. In what looks like an impressive retrospective, the NATIONAL MUSEUM of MODERN ART, TOKYO is bringing together 150 of his works, illustrating the trajectory of this very modern traditionalist who also spent 2 years studying in Britain.
March 17th – 10th May
PRICE: ¥2,000.
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