January 2027 Art Event Calendar: FF40 Anniversary Exhibition, Tale of Genji Exhibition, Sapporo International Art Festival and More

In January 2027, major exhibitions open one after another from the start of the year. On the 8th, the “Final Fantasy 40th Anniversary Exhibition” begins in the Hyokeikan of the Tokyo National Museum, and on the 9th “Creative Women in Japan: Paving the Way for 100 Years” opens at the Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka. On the 16th the “Sapporo International Art Festival 2027” opens, and from the 19th the Tokyo showing of the special exhibition “The Tale of Genji: The Radiance of the Court” is held at the Tokyo National Museum. This article gathers, in date order, the exhibitions, art festivals and light events starting in January, along with notable exhibitions ending in January.

With the year-end and New Year closures in between, many exhibitions also reach the end of their runs in January. The Takehisa Yumeji exhibition at the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo and the small exhibition “Images of the Theater” at the National Museum of Western Art close on Monday, January 11 (national holiday), and the Maruyama Okyo exhibition at the Edo-Tokyo Museum on the 24th. December events are gathered in our December art event calendar, and major exhibitions from February onward in our 2027 exhibition schedule. February events are gathered in the [February 2027] Art Event Calendar.

Exhibitions, art festivals and art fairs starting in January

Opening Friday, January 8: Final Fantasy 40th Anniversary Exhibition “A World of Endless Fantasy” (Tokyo National Museum, Hyokeikan)

It looks back on the path of the series since the first title in 1987, with famous scenes and music from successive titles. The latest titles, “FINAL FANTASY XIV: EVERCOLD” and “FINAL FANTASY VII REVELATION,” are also introduced. There are new displays combined with objects from the Tokyo National Museum collection, such as “Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido (Nihonbashi) × Kugane (FFXIV).” It is introduced in our article on the FF40 exhibition.

Dates: Friday, January 8 – Sunday, April 4, 2027
Hours: 9:30–17:00 (until 20:00 on Fridays, Saturdays and some other days)
Closed: Mondays (open on January 11 and some other days), Tuesday, January 12, Tuesday, March 23
Admission: Early-bird date-specified tickets: adults 3,200 yen, students 2,400 yen, children 1,100 yen (date-specified tickets on all days)

Opening Saturday, January 9: Seiji Togo: 130th Anniversary of His Birth, commemorating the museum’s 50th anniversary (SOMPO Museum of Art)

A retrospective of Seiji Togo (1897–1978) commemorating the museum’s 50th anniversary; the museum notes that his works were called the “Togo style” and “Seiji beauties.” According to the museum, it shows about 100 paintings, one of the largest selections ever, and about 100 related materials from his commercial design work. Works include “Playing the Double Bass” (1915) and “Surrealist Stroll” (1929). Togo was a painter deeply involved in founding the museum. It is introduced in our article on the Seiji Togo exhibition.

Dates: Saturday, January 9 – Sunday, February 21, 2027
Hours: 10:00–18:00 (until 20:00 on Fridays)
Closed: Mondays (open on January 11), January 12
Admission: Adults (26 and over) 1,600 yen, 25 and under 1,100 yen, elementary, junior high and high school students free (same-day)

Opening Saturday, January 9: Creative Women in Japan: Paving the Way for 100 Years (Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka)

It traces about 100 years of women artists from the Taisho era to the Reiwa era through about 50 artists in 10 chapters. The museum’s page lists names including Shoen Uemura, Toshi Maruki, Tsuruko Yamazaki, Toeko Tatsuno and Mari Katayama. It is introduced in our article on Creative Women in Japan: Paving the Way for 100 Years.

Dates: Saturday, January 9 – Monday, March 22 (substitute holiday), 2027
Hours: 10:00–17:00
Closed: Mondays (open on January 11 and March 22), Tuesday, January 12
Admission: Adults 1,900 yen, high school and university students 1,200 yen, junior high school students and younger free (same-day; advance tickets until January 8)

Opening Saturday, January 9: Renewal 10th Anniversary Masterpieces Exhibition, National Treasure “Red and White Plum Blossoms” Screens (MOA Museum of Art, Atami, Shizuoka)

Marking 10 years since the renovation supervised by the New Material Research Laboratory, led by Hiroshi Sugimoto and Tomoyuki Sakakida, it shows Ogata Korin’s National Treasure “Red and White Plum Blossoms” screens and Nonomura Ninsei’s National Treasure “Tea-Leaf Jar with Wisteria Design in Overglaze Enamels,” among other works. The display period of the “Red and White Plum Blossoms” screens and admission were not listed on the museum’s page as of October 19.

Dates: Saturday, January 9 – Wednesday, February 24, 2027
Hours: 9:30–16:30 (last entry 16:00)
Closed: Thursdays (open on public holidays), exhibition changeover days

Opening Saturday, January 16: Sapporo International Art Festival 2027 (Sapporo)

The theme is “PLANET SNOW.” Works are shown at 11 venues, including the Sapporo Civic Gallery, Moerenuma Park, the Historical Museum of Hokkaido and the Odori Site of the Sapporo Snow Festival. At the Snow Festival’s Odori Site, 2-chome becomes a venue for the art festival. It is introduced in our article on the Sapporo International Art Festival 2027.

Dates: Saturday, January 16 – Sunday, February 21, 2027
Venues: 11 venues in Sapporo, including the Sapporo Civic Gallery

Opening Saturday, January 16: Spinning Love, Carving Prayers: Lithuanian Handcrafts (Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum)

According to the museum, it is the first exhibition in Japan to fully introduce Lithuania’s diverse handcrafts. Boards for spinning thread called “verpstė,” textiles, woodwork, pottery, rattan baskets, crosses and holy images are shown in the main building, with its Art Deco interiors, and the annex. It is introduced in our article on the Lithuanian handcrafts exhibition.

Dates: Saturday, January 16 – Sunday, March 28, 2027
Hours: 10:00–18:00 (until 20:00 on March 19, 20, 26 and 27)
Closed: Mondays (open on March 22, closed on March 23)
Admission: Adults 1,400 yen, university students 1,120 yen, high school students and 65 and over 700 yen, junior high school students and younger free (timed reservations)

Opening Tuesday, January 19: Special Exhibition “The Tale of Genji: The Radiance of the Court,” Tokyo showing (Tokyo National Museum, Heiseikan)

Traveling from the Kyoto National Museum, where it runs until November 29, it brings together paintings, crafts, manuscripts and commentaries as well as materials on the performing arts and popular culture. The National Treasure “Tale of Genji Scroll, Kashiwagi III” (Tokugawa Art Museum, Aichi) is introduced as a work in the Tokyo showing. Its display period had not been given as of October 19. See also our article on the Kyoto exhibition.

Dates: Tuesday, January 19 – Sunday, March 14, 2027
Hours: 9:30–17:00
Closed: Mondays (open on February 22)
Admission: Adults 2,400 yen (advance 2,200 yen), university students 1,300 yen, high school students 900 yen, junior high school students and younger free. No advance reservation required

From Thursday, January 21: TOKYO ART BOOK FAIR 2026 (Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo)

A book fair bringing together publishers, artists and designers from Japan and abroad who produce art books and zines, with exhibitions and talks. Although the name says “2026,” it is held over two weekends in January 2027, and admission and other details will be released once decided. It is introduced in our article on the TOKYO ART BOOK FAIR.

Dates: Thursday, January 21 – Sunday, January 24, and Friday, January 29 – Sunday, January 31, 2027
Venue: Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo

Opening Friday, January 29: Sekai no Kotowari: Art of Our Time (Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art)

Centered on works from the 1990s to the present, it introduces the work of 20 Japanese artists. It is organized by the Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art and the Melco Group, with planning cooperation from the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto. Admission had not been announced as of October 19. It is introduced in our article on the Sekai no Kotowari exhibition.

Dates: Friday, January 29 – Sunday, April 4, 2027
Hours: 10:00–17:00 (until 20:00 on Fridays)
Closed: Mondays, Tuesday, March 23 (open on March 22)

Other events starting in January

• Friday, January 1 (national holiday) – Sunday, January 31: The Kyushu National Museum’s New Year special display “National Treasure: The Hatsune Trousseau, from the Collection of the Tokugawa Art Museum” (Room J).

• From Wednesday, January 13: “Juufuutei Raden meets Tokyo National Museum” (until March 22). A special audio guide for the TNM collection exhibitions, a puzzle game and a panel display of newly drawn illustrations are planned.

• From Saturday, January 23: The Takehisa Yumeji exhibition from the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo travels to the Shizuoka City Museum of Art (until March 28).

• From Saturday, January 30: “Marimekko: The Power of Patterns” travels to the Hiroshima Museum of Art (until March 28). On the same day, “Hina Dolls and Genji Pictures in Ukiyo-e: Treasures Loved by Mrs. Iwasaki” at Seikado@Marunouchi and “The Buddhist Sculpture Collection of the Nezu Museum” at the Nezu Museum also begin.

Best seen in January: second-half displays and New Year changeovers

• Saturday, January 2 – Sunday, January 24: The second half of the Maruyama Okyo exhibition (Edo-Tokyo Museum). The Important Cultural Property “Pine Trees and Peacocks” is shown throughout the run.

• Tuesday, January 5 – Sunday, January 31: The second half of “Etcher Tetsuro Komai: Like Constellations Spreading in the Palm of a Hand” (Setagaya Art Museum). Some works are rotated.

• From New Year’s Day until Sunday, February 14: The theme of Ashikaga Flower Park’s “Garden of Flowers of Light” switches to “New Year Illumination.”

Light events in January: Shirakawa-go, Kobe Luminarie and more

Monday, January 11 (national holiday) and other days: 41st Shirakawa-go Light-Up

A winter light-up held on only four days in January. According to the Shirakawa-go Tourist Association, the first round of reservations for regular car parking has sold out, and the second round goes on sale on the association’s website from 13:00 on Tuesday, December 1, 2026. Accommodation handled by the tourist association is allocated by lottery. Details are in our article on the Shirakawa-go Light-Up.

Dates: Monday, January 11 (national holiday), Sunday, January 17, Sunday, January 24 and Sunday, January 31, 2027
Venue: Shirakawa-go
Hours: Check the official event overview

Opening Friday, January 29: 32nd Kobe Luminarie

A festival of light that began in 1995 in memory of the victims of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. Part of the Meriken Park venue becomes a paid area, and the theme of the works and the lighting hours had not been announced as of October 19. It is introduced in our article on Kobe Luminarie.

Dates: Friday, January 29 – Sunday, February 7, 2027 (10 days)
Venues: Meriken Park, Higashi Yuenchi and the former Foreign Settlement
Admission: Special viewing tickets for the paid area: advance 500 yen on weekdays and 750 yen on weekends; same-day 1,000 yen on weekdays and 1,500 yen on weekends

Light events ending in January, and those continuing into February and beyond

• Until Monday, January 11 (national holiday): teamLab Fukuoka Castle Ruins Light Festival (18:30–22:00 from January 1), Baccarat ETERNAL LIGHTS (Yebisu Garden Place)

• Until Sunday, January 24: Hiroshima Dreamination 2026 (17:30–22:30)

• Until Sunday, January 31: Osaka Festival of the Lights 2026, the winter illumination at Tokyo Square Garden

• Into February and beyond: the Marunouchi Illumination and Ashikaga Flower Park until February 14, Huis Ten Bosch until February 25, Shonan no Hoseki until February 28, and Nabana no Sato until May 31. Light events across Japan are gathered in our feature on winter illuminations and light festivals.

Exhibitions ending in January (in order of closing date)

Sunday, January 10 and Monday, January 11 (national holiday)

• Sunday, January 10: Cincinnati Art Museum Exhibition (Ueno Royal Museum)

• January 11, Tokyo: “Takehisa Yumeji—An Artist Who Defined His Era” (The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo), “Images of the Theater” (National Museum of Western Art), “Learning from Hojoki” (21_21 DESIGN SIGHT), “YOSHIROTTEN: Communication with the Beyond / BEYOND EARTH” (TOKYO NODE), and the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum’s 100th anniversary exhibitions “For You to Read the World” and “Opening the Beginning: 100 Years of the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum” (free)

• January 11, elsewhere: the Kyoto showing of “Hakuin’s Zen, Planned and Produced by Studio Ghibli” (Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art), “Design Chronicle” (National Crafts Museum), “The Five Great Ukiyo-e Masters” (Sapporo Art Park Museum of Art), “Artists Who Gathered at the ‘Café’” (Hiroshima Museum of Art), “150 Years after His Death: Ekin Narrating, Ekin Narrated” (The Museum of Art, Kochi), the special exhibition “Himiko’s Mirrors” (Kyushu National Museum)

Sunday, January 17

• Tokyo and Kanto: “Reassembling: Contemporary Japanese Photography vol. 23” and “Duet: Asian Contemporary” (both at the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum), “THE MASKS: People Captivated by Masks” (Seikado@Marunouchi), the Natsuyuki Nakanishi exhibition (The Museum of Modern Art, Ibaraki)

• Elsewhere: “Who Does Jewelry Dream Of?” (The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto), “Akiko Nakayama: Forms of Foam” (The Museum of Art, Kochi), “Our Renoir” (Oita Prefectural Art Museum)

Sunday, January 24

• “Maruyama Okyo: Beyond the Real – A Spatial Revolution” (Edo-Tokyo Museum; travels to the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts from February 6), “Fontanesi: Light of Italy, Landscapes of the Heart” (Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum), the special exhibition “Treasures of the Imperial Household: Where Beauty Springs Forth” (The Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan), “Shigeru Hasegawa: Pain Tengu” (Toyota Municipal Museum of Art)

Saturday, January 30 and Sunday, January 31

• Saturday, January 30: “National Treasure Pine Trees in Snow and the Four Seasons” (Mitsui Memorial Museum)

• Sunday, January 31: “Étrangers” and “Jam Session: The Ishibashi Foundation Collection × Hikaru Fujii, WHOSE LIGHT?” (both at the Artizon Museum), the Tetsuro Komai exhibition (Setagaya Art Museum), the Yayoi Kusama Museum’s exhibition “Light Bursts Forth, and All Kinds of Things Come Sparkling into View.”, “The British Museum’s Japanese Art Collection: A Hundred Flowers in Bloom” (Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka), “Shurijo Castle: The Royal Castle of Ryukyu” (Okinawa Prefectural Museum & Art Museum)

Frequently asked questions

Which venues are open from New Year’s Day?

The Kyushu National Museum opens its New Year special display “The Hatsune Trousseau” from Friday, January 1 (national holiday). The teamLab Fukuoka Castle Ruins Light Festival is open from 18:30 to 22:00 from January 1 to 11, and Ashikaga Flower Park switches to “New Year Illumination” from New Year’s Day (closed on December 31).

Which exhibitions require reservations or timed tickets?

The FF40 exhibition uses date-specified tickets on all days, and general sales for Period 1 (January 8 – February 5) run until Thursday, January 7. The Lithuanian handcrafts exhibition requires timed reservations, and the Yayoi Kusama Museum is fully reservation-based, with timed entry and limited capacity. The Tokyo showing of the Tale of Genji exhibition states that no advance reservation is required.

Which exhibitions are free for students and children?

The Seiji Togo exhibition is free for elementary, junior high and high school students. “Creative Women in Japan,” the Lithuanian handcrafts exhibition and the Tokyo showing of the Tale of Genji exhibition are free for junior high school students and younger.

Museum closing days over the year-end and New Year holidays and New Year opening dates are organized in our roundup of Tokyo museums open over the year-end and New Year holidays.

*Information as of October 19, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

*Top image: Exterior of the Heiseikan, Tokyo National Museum, March 2017 (photo: Suicasmo, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on official announcements from each organizer and venue (as of October 19, 2026).

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team

A note from the publisher

*Disclosure: Of the events introduced in this article, “Gifu Light Story 2027” and the “Ukiyo-e Immersive Art Exhibition GIFU” are events produced and planned by HITOHATA, INC., an affiliate of HITOHATA ASSOCIATION, the general incorporated association that operates TOKYO ART SPHERE (About us).

Opening Saturday, January 30: Gifu Light Story 2027

Gifu Park and Shoho-ji Temple are lit with Gifu wagasa umbrellas and Gifu lanterns, and images inspired by cormorant fishing and clear streams are projected onto the rock face at the site of Lord Nobunaga’s residence and elsewhere. A sea-of-clouds effect is staged for the first time in the series. It is introduced in our article on Gifu Light Story.

Dates: Saturday, January 30 – Sunday, February 28, 2027
Hours: 17:30–21:00 (last entry 20:30)
Venues: Gifu Park and Shoho-ji Temple (Gifu City)
Admission: Adults (18 and over) same-day 1,200–1,400 yen (varies by day of the week)

Until Monday, January 11 (national holiday): Ukiyo-e Immersive Art Exhibition GIFU (Gifu City Museum of History).