Kyushu

[2026–2027] Illuminations and Light Events in Kyushu and Okinawa: Fukuoka Castle Ruins, Huis Ten Bosch, Nagasaki Lantern Festival and More

We have compiled, by prefecture, 16 light events in Kyushu and Okinawa from November to February, including teamLab at the Fukuoka Castle ruins for the first time in seven years, Huis Ten Bosch’s lights renewed for the first time in 16 years and the Nagasaki Lantern Festival opening on February 5. Dates, prices and whether reservations are required were checked against official announcements.

Oita Bamboo Craft Event “Take-e” Ran at the Oita Prefectural Art Museum Until November 8, with Live Making, a Bamboo Market and a Lighting Ceremony

In Oita, said to be Japan’s top producer of madake bamboo, this event showed how a single stalk of bamboo becomes an object. Exhibitions and live making by bamboo artists, workshops and a bamboo market ran for 12 days, with light-ups starting from the lighting ceremony.

First “Coral Islands Science and Art Biennale” Ran on Kikai Island Until November 8, Presenting an Uplifted Coral Reef Island Through Video, Sound and Light

A coral reef research institute on Kikai Island, Kagoshima, and the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature co-hosted the first edition of this art festival. Works by Shoyo Miyao and others were installed at six sites on the island, including a beach and an underground dam tunnel. Viewing the exhibits was free.

Eric Carle Exhibition Opens October 23 at Fukuoka Prefectural Museum of Art with All the Original Art for “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” Touring to Osaka

The retrospective marking the 50th anniversary of the Japanese edition of “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” opens in Fukuoka after Tokyo. It displays about 180 items, including the original art for every page, original art shown in Japan for the first time and 12 dummy books, and tours to Osaka in March 2027.

“The Golden Sutra” Opens October 24 at Onojo City Museum; 33 National Treasure Bronze-Plate Sutras Shown Together

A museum in Onojo, Fukuoka Prefecture, traces Heian-period prayers through the National Treasure “Lotus Sutra on Bronze Plates,” dedicated at Mt. Kubote, a mountain sacred site in Kyushu, and sutra containers from Mt. Shioji, where many sutra mounds were built. General admission is 300 yen.

“For Placards” at the Contemporary Art Museum, Kumamoto Until November 29; Seven Artists, Starting from the Words of Mitsuko Tabe

Starting from a text written in 1961 by artist Mitsuko Tabe, who died in 2024, the exhibition considers living and dignity through works by seven artists, including Lieko Shiga and Yuki Iiyama. It is a touring version of an exhibition held at the National Museum of Art, Osaka.

Hello Kitty Exhibition at the Nagasaki Prefectural Art Museum Until January 11; Half a Century of Kitty Traced Through Her Relationship with Fans

An exhibition focusing on the relationship between Hello Kitty and each of her fans has traveled to the Nagasaki Prefectural Art Museum. It traces Kitty’s half century through the largest display of merchandise in her exhibition history, collaborations with artists and videos.

“A Walking Guide to Asian Art: South Asia Special Edition” at the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum Until January 11; Art from India and Six Other Countries

The exhibition introduces art from seven South Asian countries, including India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, through new and recent works by eight artists and about 200 works from the collection. This special edition looks at the connections that lie beneath conflicts between nations and religions.

“Yokai Immersive Art Exhibition KAGOSHIMA” Closes with Over 80,000 Visitors; Kyushu Debut Brought Yokai Paintings to Life in Video and Sculpture at the Reimeikan

An exhibition presenting yokai painted by Edo- and Meiji-era artists through video and sculpture closed on August 31 at the Reimeikan in Kagoshima City. It was the exhibition’s first showing in Kyushu, and attendance topped 80,000.

“Our Renoir” Opens November 23 at the Oita Prefectural Art Museum; Masterpieces from the Idemitsu Museum of Arts Shown at the Same Time

A touring exhibition that traces Japan’s encounter with Renoir through works held by museums and companies across the country and works by Western-style painters such as Ryuzaburo Umehara. On the 3rd floor, an exhibition of masterpieces from the Idemitsu Museum of Arts brings together Sengai, Jakuchu and Rouault.

2027 Nagasaki Lantern Festival Runs 17 Days from February 5; Emperor’s Parade on the 13th and 20th

About 15,000 Chinese lanterns decorate central Nagasaki, including Nagasaki Shinchi Chinatown. In 2027 the festival is scheduled to run from February 5 to 21, with the Mazu Procession on the 7th and 14th and the Emperor’s Parade on the 13th and 20th.

Special Exhibition “Himiko’s Mirrors” Opens October 31 at the Kyushu National Museum; Tracing the Birth of the Yamato Kingship Through Triangular-Rimmed Mirrors

What were the “one hundred bronze mirrors” Himiko received from the emperor of Wei? Centered on triangular-rimmed deity-and-beast mirrors excavated from burial mounds across Japan, the exhibition traces the birth of the Yamato kingship, with a newly discovered mirror from the Tomio Maruyama Kofun and a National Treasure mirror with an animal band.

Indian Chintz Exhibition “A Story That Traveled the World” at the Fukuoka Art Museum Until December 20; How Chintz Spread Across the World

How was chintz, a dyed cotton cloth born in India thousands of years ago, handed down in Europe, Southeast Asia and Japan? The exhibition traces its story through masterpieces from the collection of London-based Karun Thakar.

Huis Ten Bosch’s “The Starlight Million” Begins November 6: Stars You Can Touch and a 500-Meter Canal

Winter illuminations at Huis Ten Bosch in Nagasaki are being transformed into a star-themed display. More than 100 star objects that visitors can touch line the heart of the park, and the event runs until February 25, 2027.

teamLab: Digitized Fukuoka Castle Ruins Opens October 30: No Reservations Needed on Weekdays, Timed Entry on Weekends and Holidays

The third nighttime outdoor exhibition at the Fukuoka Castle Ruins, the first in seven years, begins amid the surviving stone walls. Three of the eight works listed on the official website date from 2026. Prices differ between weekdays and weekends and holidays, and timed reservations are required on weekends, holidays and at the end of the year.