“Ukiyo-e Immersive Art Exhibition AOMORI” Closes with Over 45,000 Visitors; First Tohoku Venue Linked Nebuta and Ukiyo-e

The “Ukiyo-e Immersive Art Exhibition AOMORI” closed on Sunday, August 30, 2026 at New’s Hall in the To-o Nippo Shinmachi Building in Aomori City. The exhibition presents ukiyo-e by Katsushika Hokusai, Utagawa Hiroshige and others through 3DCG animation and projection mapping. It was the series’ first showing in Tohoku, and attendance exceeded 45,000 during the run, which began on July 11. HITOHATA, INC., which planned and produced the exhibition, announced the figure on September 11. The next venue is Gifu, opening on November 6.

*Disclosure: The “Ukiyo-e Immersive Art Exhibition AOMORI” is an event planned and produced by HITOHATA, INC., an affiliate of HITOHATA ASSOCIATION, the general incorporated association that operates TOKYO ART SPHERE, together with TV Aichi (About us).

Attendance growth and events during the run

The official website announced attendance milestones in turn: 20,000, 30,000, 35,000 and 40,000. On August 21, the 30,000 milestone was announced, and at a commemorative ceremony the 30,000th visitor received the official catalogue, a tenugui towel and other related goods. After the close, on September 11, it was announced that the exhibition had ended with more than 45,000 visitors (all figures from the organizers).

The exhibition was open every day of the run, from 10:00 to 18:00 (last entry 17:30). On the opening day, July 11, opening hours were extended to 20:00 (last entry 19:30) for an “Opening Day Night Museum.”

The first venue in Tohoku, with a display space exclusive to Aomori

The “Ukiyo-e Immersive Art Exhibition” began in Nagoya in summer 2023 and has toured in Japan and abroad. The Aomori exhibition was its first venue in Tohoku, organized by The To-o Nippo Press, Aomori Broadcasting Corporation and the To-o Nippo Cultural Foundation. Supporters included Aomori Prefecture and the prefectural board of education, as well as The Hokkaido Shimbun Press, The Iwate Nippo, The Akita Sakigake Shimpo, Television Iwate and ABS Akita Broadcasting System.

The venue had an Aomori-only display space, shown for the first time. According to the press materials, it introduced the appeal of “Aomori and ukiyo-e” through landscape prints depicting Aomori and the connections between nebuta and ukiyo-e. In an Aomori-only campaign, visitors who came in the haneto dancer costume of the nebuta festival, as well as those in kimono, received 100 yen off the same-day price.

The venue also had a shop produced by Kusamura, a select shop for Tsugaru crafts. It offered exhibition-exclusive merchandise and Aomori souvenirs and could be visited without entering the exhibition.

What was on display? More than 300 ukiyo-e in nine video spaces

The subjects were more than 300 works by Katsushika Hokusai, Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Utagawa Hiroshige, Kitagawa Utamaro, Toshusai Sharaku, Utagawa Kunisada and others. The world of ukiyo-e was turned into video in nine spaces with different concepts, such as “Views,” “Indigo,” “Beauty,” “Color,” “Play” and “Brocade.” The official website introduces, among others, the world of Sharaku’s “large-head portraits” (about 3 minutes) and an indigo world on the theme of “Japan Blue,” in which visitors experience the depiction of water (about 8 minutes).

The “Play” room had hands-on content such as ukiyo-e omikuji fishing and ukiyo-e ring toss. Ukiyo-e printed in the Edo period and reproductions were also displayed, with explanations of Edo culture such as daily life and pastimes of the time. Photography and video were permitted in almost the entire venue.

Next up is Gifu, and a permanent facility in Ginza in spring 2027

According to the September 11 announcement, the series’ cumulative attendance has exceeded 700,000 across 11 cities in Japan and abroad. The next venue is the “Ukiyo-e Immersive Art Exhibition GIFU,” held at the Gifu City Museum of History from Friday, November 6, 2026 to Monday, January 11, 2027 (national holiday). In spring 2027, the series’ first permanent facility, “Ukiyoe Immersive Art Museum GINZA,” is scheduled to open in Ginza, Tokyo.

Editor’s perspective

The Aomori exhibition is an example of adding local subjects to a touring exhibition. To the common video spaces it added a space introducing landscape prints of Aomori and the connections with nebuta, and it extended a discount to visitors in nebuta costume. The Hiroshima exhibition the same summer likewise set up a venue-exclusive space gathering ukiyo-e that depict Hiroshima.

The organizational framework was also distinctive. A newspaper and a broadcaster in Aomori organized the exhibition, and newspapers and broadcasters in neighboring prefectures joined as supporters. The first Tohoku venue can be seen as one supported by cooperation among regional news organizations.

Overview

Name: Ukiyo-e Immersive Art Exhibition AOMORI
Dates: Saturday, July 11 – Sunday, August 30, 2026
Hours: 10:00–18:00 (last entry 17:30). No closing days during the run
Venue: New’s Hall, To-o Nippo Shinmachi Building
Address: 2-2-11 Shinmachi, Aomori City, Aomori Prefecture
Admission: Same-day: university students and adults 1,800 yen, junior high and high school students 1,000 yen, age 3 to elementary school 600 yen, age 2 and under free (advance: 1,600 yen, 800 yen and 500 yen respectively; prices during the run)
Attendance: Over 45,000 (organizer’s figures)
Organizers: The To-o Nippo Press, Aomori Broadcasting Corporation, To-o Nippo Cultural Foundation
Special sponsor: Aomori Kenmin Kyosai Consumers’ Cooperative
Planning and production: HITOHATA, INC., TV Aichi
Ukiyo-e adviser: Masumi Horiguchi
Official website: https://www.ukiyoeimmersiveart.com/aomori
*Information as of October 19, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

*Top image: Ukiyo-e Immersive Art Exhibition AOMORI (from a press release by HITOHATA, INC.)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on press materials from HITOHATA, INC. (September 11, 2026, and others) and information on the official website.

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team

A note from the publisher

*Disclosure: The “Ukiyo-e Immersive Art Exhibition AOMORI” is an event planned and produced by HITOHATA, INC., an affiliate of HITOHATA ASSOCIATION, the general incorporated association that operates TOKYO ART SPHERE, together with TV Aichi (About us).

The latest information on events produced by HITOHATA, INC. is available on HITOHATA, INC.’s event information page. Inquiries about hosting or co-organizing the “Ukiyo-e Immersive Art Exhibition” and the “Yokai Immersive Art Exhibition” are accepted through the company’s inquiry form.