Latest Events in Osaka Prefecture(June Updated)

Overview Theme: Designing Future Society for Our Lives Subthemes: Saving Lives Empowering Lives Connecting Lives Concept: People's Living Lab 1. A space where 8 billion people from around the world will not only view exhibits but will co-create our future society. 2.Even before the Expo begins, an online platform for sharing challenges and solutions from around the world will be launched. 3.A place where the world’s knowledge such as cutting-edge technology will be brought together, used to create new ideas, and shared, all to help resolve global issues facing mankind. Purpose World Expo has both cohesive and communication capabilities. We will use these capabilities as a trigger to sustain growth and development of Osaka, Kansai as well as Japan following on from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. What is a World Expo? A World Expo is an event that brings together people and innovations from around the world in an effort to address issues facing humankind on a global scale. The Osaka Expo 1970, Japan’s, and Asia’s, first ever, became a symbol of Japan’s rapid economic growth and one of the country’s most lauded events. Twenty years after the Aichi Expo 2005, Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai will bring the international community back to Japan. A World Exposition is a place, where new technologies and products are born, triggering greater convenience in our daily lives. Elevator (New York Exhibition, 1853), telephone (Philadelphia Centennial Exposition, 1876) Family restaurants, wireless telephones, electric cars, moving sidewalks (Expo 1970 Osaka) Entry tickets embedded with IC chips, AED, dry mist (Aichi Exposition, 2005) Goals of Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai To contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)Achievement of Japan’s national strategy Society 5.0EXPO for SDGs In 2025, the world will be a mere five years away from 2030, the year the United Nations has set as the target for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), making it a crucial one for ramping up efforts to achieve these goals. Therefore, Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai will become a key platform for reaching the SDGs by 2030. The key is “Society 5.0” “Society 5.0” is Japan’s national strategy to develop a human-centered society that progresses economically and resolves social issues through a system that combines both cyber and physical spaces in a sophisticated manner. It refers to a new form of society chronologically following hunting, farming, industry, and information societies. A society that is able to resolve a variety of issues on a global scale with technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics, big data, and biotechnology is a society that will have achieved the SDGs. What we will realise at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai Bringing together the wisdom of the world, including breakthrough technologies, to create and communicate new ideasExpansion of domestic and overseas investmentCreation of innovation through activation of human interactionActivation of regional economies and small and medium enterprisesA chance to communicate the wealth of Japan’s cultureThe multiple merits of a world expo held in Osaka, Kansai, Japan Activation of Japan’s economy and the Osaka, Kansai regional economy, and strengthened management of small and medium enterprises resulting from expanded business opportunities are expected to have an economic ripple effect of about JPY 2 trillion.Further development of Osaka, Kansai’s world-class life sciences and biomedical achievements through new innovation in line with Expo’s theme.Further enrichment of Osaka, Kansai’s proud, long history and culture through interaction with foreign cultures, and elevation of its global recognition.Enabling Japan’s young, next-generation creators in a variety of fields to communicate their talents to the world.Japan possesses one of the safest environments and most advanced transport infrastructure in the world, and Osaka, Kansai can be easily accessed from major cities in the world.

ILLIT is a South Korean girl group launched by the South Korean entertainment company Belift Lab. The members of the group were selected through the survival audition program "R U Next?" and officially debuted on March 25, 2024, with their mini-album "Super Real Me". In terms of music style, ILLIT's songs mainly feature a dynamic and energetic electronic pop style. Their debut song, "Magnetic", has attracted a large number of fans with its catchy melody, energetic rhythm, and the members' clear and lovely timbres. The song has achieved excellent cumulative playback figures on Spotify, the world's largest music streaming platform, which proves the group's strength and appeal. Their second mini-album, "I'LL LIKE YOU", has also achieved good results on the Japanese Oricon and Billboard Japan charts.

ENHYPEN is a global boy group formed through Mnet's large-scale project "I-LAND," which aired from June 2020 for approximately three months. The group consists of seven members: Jungwon, Heeseung, Jay, Jake, Sunghoon, Sunoo, and Ni-ki. They debuted in November 2020 with "BORDER: DAY ONE" and made their Japanese debut in July 2021 with the single "BORDER: Hakanai." In January 2023, as a "4th generation" K-POP act, they held a solo dome concert at Kyocera Dome Osaka as part of their "MANIFESTO" world tour, setting the fastest record for a dome concert within approximately two years of debut. Later, during their September 2023 "FATE" world tour, they became the fastest K-POP boy group to hold a solo concert at Tokyo Dome. Their fifth mini-album "ORANGE BLOOD," released in November 2023, achieved double million sales, and their latest album "ROMANCE: UNTOLD" also reached double million sales in initial shipments, continually breaking their own records. ENHYPEN will hold their first stadium concert in Japan this summer, titled "ENHYPEN WORLD TOUR 'WALK THE LINE' IN JAPAN -SUMMER EDITION-." The concerts will take place on July 5-6 at Ajinomoto Stadium in Tokyo and August 2-3 at Yanmar Stadium Nagai (Nagai Stadium) in Osaka. This marks the first time a "4th generation" K-POP group has held stadium concerts in two cities—an unprecedented feat. Additionally, ENHYPEN achieved this milestone in approximately 4 years and 7 months since debut, the fastest among non-Japanese artists.

Summer Sonic is back! Summer Sonic is known for featuring some of the biggest acts from around the world. The festival is held simultaneously in Chiba and Osaka, with acts switching days – so you won’t miss out, whichever you choose.

Born in Osaka and self-taught in architecture, Tadao Ando began his architectural design career in 1969. Since then, he has produced a succession of innovative architectural works that break through preconceived notions. Since the 1990s, he has expanded his scope of activity to the world, while also working hard on social contribution projects such as environmental restoration and earthquake recovery. His vigorous work across many fields, going beyond the framework of an architect, has earned him high praise both at home and abroad. This exhibition, which will be held in Osaka, where Ando remains based, will bring together the history of his grand challenges as well as his vision for the present and future, providing a comprehensive view of the work of Tadao Ando. Please come and experience that energy for yourself. The venue is "VS." at Gran Green Osaka, the forefront of the Osaka urban renewal project, where Ando has also worked hard for many years.

Nearly half a century has passed since the appearance of home game consoles - "video games," which began with pixel art, have now created many new worlds with beautiful images that rival those of movies. Games have become widespread in our lives and a part of popular culture, and it can be said that they have evolved into a comprehensive art that crosses the fields of technology and expression and demonstrates the creativity and individuality of creators. Capcom, headquartered in Osaka, has developed many titles and fascinated people around the world since its founding in 1983 and has grown into a global game software manufacturer. This exhibition will generously introduce the grand process of game creation, including proposals and original drawings made by the developers' hands, graphic work such as posters and packages, experiential content, and the latest technology, as well as the imagination and realization skills of the creators involved, creating an opportunity to reexamine Japan's proud game culture.

Matsuri - Osaka's premier festival, with floats, fireworks and bonfires on boats Tenjin Matsuri is a sensational summer festival in Osaka, full of ritual, dance and music, featuring a mikoshi procession. The celebrations culminate in a dazzling fireworks display that lasts for an hour and a half. This raucous festival, which has a history of more than a thousand years, honours Sugawara no Michizane, Japan's god of learning.

Attention Spells Return fans! The first large-scale manuscript exhibition is here! Since its serialization in "Weekly Shonen Jump", this dark fantasy work liberated in the modern era has been attracting attention and has caused great repercussions in TV anime series and theatrical animated movies. This time, we welcome a grand exhibition of original paintings, and let’s experience the world of martial arts described by the author Akumi Shigeta. Through the ingenious story structure, it swings back and forth between despair and hope, firmly grasping the hearts of readers.

The details of BTS member JIN's first-ever fan concert tour, "#RUNSEOKJIN_EP.TOUR in JAPAN," have been officially announced. This tour is themed around "Kim Seokjin's journey to meet ARMY (BTS fandom name)," embodying JIN's heartfelt desire to "reach fans all over the world." JIN eagerly shared, "I can't wait to see ARMY—let’s all enjoy the stage together with full energy!" The concert will feature all tracks from his second solo album Echo, released on May 16th, as well as beloved songs from his debut solo album Happy, released last November. Backed by live band performances, JIN will showcase his unique and vibrant stage presence—stay tuned!

In 2025, Osaka will be transformed into a giant art museum! "Learning: Osaka Kansai International Art Festival 2025" will be held from April to October. The exhibition will cover various areas of Osaka and take the World Expo as an opportunity to bring an unprecedented art feast. Among the first wave of 28 international artists announced, heavyweight creators such as surreal sculpture master Ron Mueck and conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan will surely present a visual feast that subverts imagination!

During the Sengoku period, various cultural artifacts from Europe and Asia were brought to Japan through trade with the Western countries. This exhibition will focus on the various aspects of exchange with the world that had a major impact on Japanese society, such as the introduction of Christianity and firearms.

The origin of the Kishiwada Float Festival is said to be in 1703 (Genroku 16), when the then Kishiwada lord Okamoto Nagayasu established the Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine in the Sannomaru area of ​​Kishiwada Castle and held the Inari Festival to pray for a good harvest. It is said that the "float parade" we know today began during the Inari Festival in 1745 (Enkei 3), when residents living in the five towns around Kishiwada Castle (Honmachi, Sakaimachi, Uoya-machi, Minami-machi, and Kitamachi) made small floats "hiking floats" and placed decorations in the shape of people and scenery on them, and then pulled the floats around in a parade. After that, "float parades" began to be held not only in castle towns but also in villages during festivals. In recent years, each town has competed to build huge and majestic "floats" to show off their speed and the splendor of their "wheels", making it a major event in the autumn in the Senshu area.

Yumeshima, the site of the Osaka-Kansai Expo, is a place that gives a sense of Osaka's unique character, which developed towards the sea. The numerous documents stored in the Osaka Castle Tower retain the image of the "water city" of the past, which can no longer be seen today. Please take the time to reflect on the history of Osaka, which was nurtured by its abundant waters.

How have the works of Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) been passed down to the present day? This exhibition focuses on the collection that has been passed down through his family. Van Gogh's younger brother Theo, who supported Van Gogh's painting career and kept most of his works, passed away six months after his brother's death, and Theo's wife Yo took over the management of the vast collection. Yo dedicated her life to increasing her brother-in-law's fame, lending and selling his works for exhibitions, and organizing and publishing his vast letters. His son Vincent Willem created the Vincent van Gogh Foundation and worked hard to establish a museum to prevent the collection from being dispersed. The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam houses approximately 200 oil paintings and 500 drawings by the painter Vincent van Gogh, as well as letters, related works, and ukiyo-e prints. Most of the pieces were permanently loaned by the Vincent van Gogh Foundation when the museum opened in 1973. This exhibition will mainly feature works from the Van Gogh Museum, but will also display more than 30 of Van Gogh's works, as well as four of his letters, which will be on display in Japan for the first time, to introduce the collection that has been protected and passed down through the family.

The Sumiyoshi Festival is one of the three major summer festivals in Osaka, and it is also a grand festival in the back of the summer in Osaka. The three-day event starts on July 30 and ends on August 1. There are three well-known events: "God Washing the Gods", "Xia Yuexi" and "God Yu Yu". "God washes the gods" refers to the ritual of washing the gods with sea water on July 30. The shrine starts from Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine and heads towards Sumiyoshi Park, which used to be in the direction of Yoshihama, washing the shrine with sea water as it goes. This seawater is brought back in the morning by the special ship "Shiokabune" of the Osaka Sumiyoshi Fisheries Association from Osaka Bay, which is considered a sacred seawater. After the cleaning was over, Miyu returned to Sumiyoshi Taisha. "Xia Yue's sacred events" is considered to be an intangible cultural heritage, and it is also the highlight of the annual festival on July 31. It is a ceremony in which a gorgeously dressed Xia Yue girl and a golden boy and a jade girl drill the thatch together. Ordinary people can also participate, praying for no disease and no disaster. "Shinyu Togo" refers to a ceremony in which the deity of Sumiyoshi the Great God parades through the shrine to Sakai no Judo Intongu. Local residents will participate in the activities of raising the gods, and the scene is very lively.

Nihon Hidankyo, the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, has been awarded the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize. It can be said that this is the fruit of the activities carried out by the only country in the world that has suffered from atomic bombings, which has continued to call for the abolition of nuclear weapons and has poured its heart and soul into such efforts. The recognition that peace is the common prayer of all human kind is universal, regardless of whether we live in the East or the West. In light of the recent international situation, the Koji Kinutani Tenku Art Museum will hold a Special Exhibition, “Koji Kinutani Peace,” a proposal for peace through the power of art and the arts. At the root of Kinutani's world, which uses rich images and colors to explore all things in nature as a motif, is the strong belief that “Art is mightier than nuclear weapons.” His ideals and strong passion are to show the power of art as “wisdom” to help people all over the world who are suffering from the ravages of war, and to celebrate the revival of dreams and hopes in the hearts of people. Please fully experience the true essence of Kinutani’s art.

This exhibition will feature 54 works by 18 ukiyo-e artists carefully selected from the museum's collection of masterpieces, including Kitagawa Utamaro, a leading figure in painting beautiful women who established the style of "large neck painting" that focuses on the face rather than the whole body, and Katsushika Hokusai, a genius artist who influenced not only Japan but the world. Please also take a look at 12 works being shown at the museum for the first time, including Kitagawa Utamaro's "Blue Chamber of Victory - Tamayauchi Komurasaki and Hanamurasaki" and Tsukioka Yoshitoshi's "One Hundred Views of the Moon - Nankaitsuki," known as the last ukiyo-e artist and active from the end of the Edo period to the Meiji era.

At the beginning of the 20th century, many artists from all over the world gathered in Paris, the city of art. Young artists lived in studio complexes such as the Bateau Lavoir (laundry boat) in Montmartre and La Ruche (the beehive) in Montparnasse, where they deepened their connections and worked hard on their creations. This group of artists was later called the Ecole de Paris. Many of them were painters and sculptors who came to Paris from outside France and gathered mainly around Montparnasse. Representative painters include Chagall and Soutine from Russia, Modigliani from Italy, Pascin from Bulgaria, Kisling from Poland, Tsuguharu Foujita from Japan, and French painters Utrillo and Laurencin. They did not create their works based on a clear artistic theory or doctrine, like a specific school or art movement. However, inspired by new artistic styles and theories such as Fauvism and Cubism, and sometimes drawing inspiration from primitive art in Africa and elsewhere, each artist sought his own unique expression rooted in the traditions and ethnicity of his home country. Although it reached its peak in the 1920s and came to an effective end with the Second World War, the painters of the École de Paris allowed diverse and rich art to flourish in Paris. This exhibition will feature works by Laurencin, Utrillo, Modigliani, Pascin, Foujita Tsuguharu, Kisling, and others from the Sanno Museum of Art's collection.

Jean-Michel Folon (1934-2005) is a unique artist born in Belgium. Poetic and humorous, his works are expressed with soft colors and a light touch, and they take the viewer on a journey of the imagination while also containing rich messages that bring awareness to the various things happening in the world. This exhibition commemorates the 20th anniversary of Folon's death and the 25th anniversary of the Folon Foundation, which he founded during his lifetime, and introduces the warm and profound appeal of his work through approximately 230 diverse works, including paintings, sculptures, and posters.

This exhibition will be held to coincide with the Osaka-Kansai Expo, as the first of the Expo commemorative exhibitions, with the theme of "Getting to Know Osaka." The aim is to widely disseminate Osaka's urban residential culture, and it will be held to coincide with the Osaka-Kansai Expo, as the first of the Expo commemorative exhibitions, with the theme of "Getting to Know Osaka." Osaka has a long history as a major city, spanning approximately 400 years from the Edo period to the present. During the Edo period, Osaka flourished as a commercial city of water transport and the "Kitchen of the Nation." During the Meiji period, the city was modernized and industrialized as it entered the modern era, earning it the nickname "Manchester of the East." During the "Great Osaka" period, Osaka became the largest city in Japan in terms of both population and area, and during the prewar Showa period, suburban residential areas and villa areas were developed, establishing a new form of urban residence. Over its long history, Osaka has developed its own unique urban residential culture, which is the foundation of Osaka today. The theme of the Osaka-Kansai Expo is "Bringing together efforts for a future society where life shines and showing hope for the future to the world," and the city's gaze is directed toward the future. This exhibition looks back on the 400-year evolution of the urban residential culture that is the foundation of Osaka's current prosperity. We hope that this will provide an opportunity for you to experience the charms of urban living and lifestyle culture in Osaka, while also thinking about urban living from the present to the future.

Fukahori Ryusuke (born in Aichi Prefecture in 1973) is an artist who is fascinated by goldfish and continues to create works of art. This exhibition will feature around 300 works, from his early period to his latest, with a focus on his Goldfish Sake series, which the artist named himself after the incident of being saved by a goldfish. His virtuoso 2.5D (dimensional) paintings (which look like swimming goldfish when viewed from above, but what about from the side?) bring to life the cruelty, strangeness, beauty, loveliness and transience of life.

During the Osaka Kansai Expo, Osaka Prefecture and each city and town will promote the charm of Osaka to both domestic and overseas audiences through the "Osaka Week - Spring, Summer, and Autumn" held in three periods throughout the year! In autumn, a music-centered event "Osaka Festival! - EXPO2025 Autumn Battle" is planned.

This is the first retrospective in 25 years of Naraju Koide (1887 – 1931), one of the leading modern Japanese Western-style painters. After graduating from Tokyo Fine Arts School, Naraju made his debut in the art world with his work “The Family of N” at the Nikaten Exhibition. He continued to pursue oil painting as a Japanese artist until his sudden death at the age of 43, leaving behind numerous masterpieces in still lifes and nudes. He was known as a master of nudes, and was nicknamed “Naraju the Nude.” In particular, in the works he created in the five years after moving to Ashiya in 1926, he elevated the naked bodies of Japanese women to a unique level of beauty through bold deformation and lustrous colors. This exhibition will trace Naraju’s career from his early years to his later years, along with his representative works from each period, and will once again explore the appeal of his oil paintings. It will also introduce his diverse talents in drawings, glass paintings, bookbinding, illustrations, essays, and more.

The Mingei movement in Osaka was first started by the founding of the Japan Crafts Museum by Miyake Chuichi (1900-1980), a member of the Mingei movement. Having read Yanagi Muneyoshi's The Way of Crafts, Miyake joined the Mingei movement and in 1950 established the Japan Crafts Museum in Osaka (now closed) to widely introduce the beauty of excellent crafts from all over Japan to the Kansai region. At the same time, he also turned his attention to the situation of various production areas, mainly in Kyushu, and made an effort to produce and support crafts. However, Miyake had doubts about the way the movement was conducted at the time, so in 1959 he left the Japan Folk Crafts Association, where Yanagi was the chairman, and founded the Japan Folk Crafts Association. From then on, he developed his own Mingei movement based on the Japan Crafts Museum and the Japan Folk Crafts Association.

Arabic calligraphy is an art that pursues beautiful writing of Arabic characters. It was systematized in Baghdad in the 10th century and has been used mainly for the decoration of Islamic architecture and manuscripts of the Quran. People who are fascinated by Arabic calligraphy are seriously working on creating works that confront this millennium of tradition, not only in the Middle East and Islamic world but also in Europe, the United States and Japan. This program explores the social role of handwriting in today's world where communication is increasingly digitalized, and traces the transformation and revival of Arabic calligraphy in the 20th and 21st centuries.

The ancient Chinese people worshipped mountains and rivers, which were believed to be the home of immortals. People began to paint landscapes in the hope of getting closer to them. Eventually, this mixed with the ink painting technique established during the Tang Dynasty, and ink-wash landscape painting was born. Ink painting was introduced to Japan during the Kamakura period by Zen monks who traveled to China. In the Muromachi period, ink-wash landscape painting was produced, and it developed in its own way, becoming a style of painting that was loved by secluded people, becoming independent from poetry, taking landscape painting into a Japanese style, and introducing movement. This exhibition will focus on landscape paintings from the museum's Muromachi ink painting collection. The exhibition will look at various landscape paintings from five perspectives: "season," "technique," "scenic beauty," "poetry," and "region." We hope you will enjoy the Muromachi ink paintings that are the essence of the Masaki Museum of Art. This year also marks the 130th anniversary of the birth of our museum founder, Masaki Takayuki (1895-1985). To commemorate this, we will be holding an event entitled "Takayuki's Aesthetic Sense," where visitors can look back on the exhibitions that Takayuki organized while viewing his works.