Best Exhibitions to Visit in Japan 2021

Various special events are held across Japan through the year such as seasonal festivals, food events, concerts, pop-up cafes, limited-edition merchandise etc and they are massive tourist attractions today. One of the most popular events is special exhibitions which are held at museums and galleries for a limited time.

A large number of limited-time exhibitions are held across Japan in a variety of genres including modern art, digital art, anime/manga, movies and characters. Those exhibitions allow visitors to enjoy valuable pieces and special contents only for a certain period of time, and some offer original merchandise that is exclusively available at the sites. If you live or are visiting major cities in Japan such as Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya, you should definitely check in advance if any special exhibitions are being held.

In this article, I would like to share the latest information about the most anticipated special exhibitions in Japan in 2021 including Harry Potter, Ghibli, Demon Slayer and more!

NOTE: Information may be updated or changed, so please check official websites before visiting.

-Animage and Ghibli Exhibition

Location: Tokyo, Miyagi, Osaka and Akita

Date: 15 April t0 5 May 2021 (Tokyo)/19 June to 12 September 2021 (Miyagi)/9 December 2021 to 10 January 2022 (Osaka)/5 February to 27 March 2022 (Akita)

Official Website: https://animage-ghibli.jp/

-My Hero Academia Exhibition DRAWING SMASH

Location: Tokyo and Osaka

Date: 23 April to 27 June (Tokyo)/16 July to 5 September 2021 (Osaka)

Official Website: https://heroaca-ex.com/english/

-Isamu Noguchi: Ways of Discovery

Location: Tokyo

Date: 24 April to 29 August 2021

Official Website: https://isamunoguchi.exhibit.jp/english.html

-60th Anniversary Sanrio Exhibition The Beginning of Kawaii 2021

Location: Nagoya, Oita and Tokyo

Date: 24 April to 12 June 2021 (Nagoya)/10 July to 5 September 2021 (Oita)/17 September 2021 to 10 January 2022 (Tokyo)

-Ghibli Museum: Earwig and the Witch Exhibition

Location: Tokyo

Date: 2 June 2021 to May 2022

Official Website: https://www.ghibli-museum.jp/en/

-KINGDOM Exhibition The Road of SHIN

Location: Tokyo and Fukuoka

Date: 12 June to 25 July 2021 (Tokyo)/ 3 August to 26 September 2021 (Fukuoka)

Official Website: https://kingdom-exhibit.com/

-Disney Princess Exhibition WHAT IS LOVE?

Location: Tokyo, Nagoya, Fukuoka and Osaka

Date: 23 June to 29 July 2021 (Tokyo)/4 to 23 August 2021 (Nagoya)/2 January to 27 March 2022 (Fukuoka)/2022 summer (Osaka)

-The Art of DC — The Dawn of Super Heroes

Location: Tokyo, Fukuoka, Osaka and Nagoya

Date: 25 June to 5 September 2021 (Tokyo)/18 September to 5 December 2021 (Fukuoka)/18 December 2021 to 23 February 2022 (Osaka)/8 March to 8 May 2022 (Nagoya)

-Fujiko·F·Fujio Museum 10th Anniversary Exhibition

Location: Kawasaki

Date: 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022

Official Website: http://fujiko-museum.com/exhibition/

-Animation Jujutsu Kaisen Exhibition

Location: Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka

Date: 2 July to 5 September 2021 (Tokyo)/17 September to 17 October 2021 (Nagoya)/23 October to 14 November 2021 (Osaka)/26 November to 19 December 2021 (Sendai)/25 December 2021 to 23 January 2022 (Hiroshima)/28 January to 20 February 2022 (Matsumoto)

-Evangelion Exhibition VISUAL WORKS

Location: Kagoshima and Shizuoka

Date: 9 July to 5 September 2021 (Kagoshima)/23 December 2021 to 23 January 2022 (Shizuoka)

Official Website: https://www.asahi.com/event/evangelion/

-Art Aquarium Exhibition Osaka

Location: Osaka

Date: 7 July to 5 September 2021

Official Website: https://artaquarium.jp/branch/osaka/

-Pokemon Fossil Museum

Location: Hokkaido, Shimane, Tokyo and Aichi

Date: 7 July to 20 September 2021 (Hokkaido)/2021 autumn (Shimane)/2022 spring (Tokyo)/2022 summer (Aichi)

-Doraemon Exhibition Kyoto

Location: Kyoto

Date: 10 July to 5 September 2021

-Miffy Exhibition

Location: Tokyo, Fukui, Nagoya

Date: 10 July to 12 September 2021 (Tokyo)/19 September to 7 November 2021 (Fukui)/11 December 2021 to 16 January 2022 (Nagoya)

Official Website: https://miffy65.exhibit.jp/

-Moving Vincent Van Gogh Exhibition

Location: Kagoshima

Date: 11 July to 5 September 2021

Official Website: https://neospace.co.jp/wondersquad/

-A massive screen projection reveals the world of five great painters -Hokusai, Hiroshige, Sotatsu, Korin, and Jakuchu-

Location: Tokyo

Date: 16 July to 9 September 2021

Official Website: https://faaj.art/2021tokyo/english/

-KAWS TOKYO FIRST

Location: Tokyo

Date: 16 July to 11 October 2021

Official Website: http://www.kaws-tokyo-first.jp/

-teamLab: A Forest Where Gods Live

Location: Saga

Date: 16 July to 7 November 2021

Official Website: https://www.teamlab.art/e/mifuneyamarakuen/

-Pui Pui Molcar Town

Location: Tokyo, Saitama, Nagoya, Fukuoka and Hiroshima

Date: 16 July to 1 August 2021 (Tokyo)/6 to 23 August 2021 (Saitama)/3 to 26 September 2021 (Nagoya)/1 to 17 October 2021 (Fukuoka)/3 to 19 December 2021 (Hiroshima)

Official Website: https://art.parco.jp/otherspace/detail/?id=683

-teamLab Forest: Summer Exhibition

Location: Fukuoka

Date: 17 July 2021~

Official Website: https://www.teamlab.art/e/forest/

-Ghibli Expo -Ghibli Park, One Year to Open-

Location: Nagoya

Date: 17 July to 23 September 2021

-Keith Haring Exhibition

Location: Hokkaido

Date: 17 July to 26 September 2021

https://www.hbc.co.jp/event/keithharing/

-Snoopy Museum: The Sporting Life Exhibition

Location: Tokyo

Date: 17 July 2021 to 10 January 2022

-Moomin Comics Exhibition

Location: Hiroshima, Nagoya, Yokohama, Nagasaki, Ehime and Tokyo

Date: 17 July to 5 September 2021 (Hiroshima)/11 September to 14 November 2021 (Nagoya)/19 November 2021 to 10 January 2022 (Yokohama)/21 January to 27 March 2022 (Nagasaki)/2 April to 29 May 2022 (Ehime)/18 June to 28 August 2022 (Tokyo)

Official Website: https://moomin-comics.jp/

-PIXAR! PIXAR! PIXAR!

Location: Nagoya

Date: 21 July to 12 August 2021

Official Website: https://dmdepart.jp/museum/nagoya/ppp-official/

-Fujiko Fujio A Exhibition

Location: Hiroshima

Date: 21 July to 26 September 2021

Official Website: https://fujiko-a-ten.jp/top.html

-POKEMON COLORS

Location: Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka and Fukuoka

Date: 22 July to 11 August 2021 (Tokyo)/15 August to 6 September 2021 (Nagoya)/30 September to 20 October 2021 (Osaka)/22 December 2021 to 10 January 2022 (Fukuoka)

–Nezu Museum: Cherishing Flowers, Yearning for the Moon

Location: Tokyo

Date: 22 July to 22 August 2021

Official Webiste: https://www.nezu-muse.or.jp/en/exhibition/next.html

 -The Complete Hokusai

Location: Tokyo

Date: 22 July to 17 September 2021

Official Website: https://hokusai2021.jp/en/

-Chiba Art Festival 2021

Location: Chiba

Date: 31 July to 5 September 2021

Official Website: https://chiba-art2021.com/

-teamLab: Digitized World Heritage Site of Toji-TOKIO INKARAMI

Location: Kyoto

Date: 6 August to 19 September 2021

Official Website: https://www.teamlab.art/e/toji/

-Cardcaptor Sakura Exhibition

Location: Tokyo, Fukuoka and Osaka

Date: 6 to 29 August 2021 (Tokyo)/17 to 26 September 2021 (Fukuoka)/8 to 18 October 2021 (Osaka)

Official Website: https://www.0101.co.jp/405/info/index.html?contents_id=0243

-MARVEL STUDIOS：A UNIVERSE OF HEROES

Location: Nagoya and Saitama

Date: 7 August to 26 September 2021 (Nagoya)/23 October 2021 to 2 January 2022 (Saitama)

Official Website: https://marvel.disney.co.jp/uoh.html

-WHO IS BANKSY?

Location: Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Fukushima, Toyama and Fukuoka

Date: 21 August to 5 December 2021 (Tokyo)/19 December 2021 to 27 March 2022 (Nagoya)/23 April to 12 June 2022 (Osaka)/29 June to 24 August 2022 (Fukushima)/TBA (Toyama and Fukuoka)

-Harry Potter: A History of Magic

Location: Kobe and Tokyo

Date: 11 September to 7 November 2021 (Kobe)/18 December 2021 to 27 March 2022 (Tokyo)

-Inuyasha x Yashahime Anime Exhibition

Location: Tokyo and Osaka

Date: 17 to 27 September 2021 (Tokyo)/18 to 30 November 2021 (Osaka)

Official Website: https://www.inuyasha-anime-exhibition.com/

-Collecting Van Gogh: Helene Kröller-Müller’s Passion for Vincent’s Art

Location: Tokyo, Fukuoka and Nagoya

Date: 18 September to 12 December 2021 (Tokyo)/23 December 2021 to 13 February 2022 (Fukuoka)/23 February to 10 April 2022 (Nagoya)

Official Website: https://gogh-2021.jp/

-Roppongi Art Night 2021

Location: Tokyo

Date: 23, 24, 25, 26 September 2021

Official Website: https://www.roppongiartnight.com/2021/en/

-Gucci Garden Archetypes

Location: Tokyo

Date: 23 September to 31 October 2021

-Hideaki Anno Exhibition

Location: Tokyo

Date: 1 October to 19 December 2021

Official Website: https://www.annohideakiten.jp/

-MARVEL STUDIOS：A UNIVERSE OF HEROES

Location: Saitama and Hokkaido

Date: 23 October 2021 to 2 January 2022 (Saitama)/9 January to 27 March 2022 (Hokkaido)

Official Website: https://marvel.disney.co.jp/uoh.html

-Kimetsu no Yaiba Gotoge Koyoharu Exhibition

Location: Tokyo and Osaka

Date: 26 October to 12 December 2021 (Tokyo)/14 July to 4 September 2022 (Osaka)

-Mickey Mouse Now and Future

Location: Tokyo

Date: 19 November to 19 Dece

Official Website: https://art.parco.jp/museumtokyo/detail/?id=759

-NAKED FLOWERS Kochi Castle

Location: Kochi

Date: 19 November 2021 to 10 January 2022

Official Website: https://flowers.naked.works/kochi-castle/

-PIECE OF PEACE: World Heritage Exhibit Built by LEGO Brick

Location: Osaka

Date: 20 November to 12 December 2021

Official Website: https://www.pofp.jp/

-BLEACH EX.

Location: Tokyo

Date: 18 December 2021 to 16 January 2022

Official Website: https://bleach-exhibition.com/

-Fullmetal Alchemist Exhibition RETURNS

Location: Tokyo and Osaka

Date: 18 December 2021 to 16 January 2022 (Tokyo)/2022 spring (Osaka)

Looking for special exhibitions in Tokyo? Then check out this one!

Thanks for reading! For more information about the latest trends and upcoming events in Japan, please check out these articles, too!

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