What Is the “Ukiyo-e Immersive Art Exhibition”? The History of an Immersive Ukiyo-e Exhibition, from 700,000 Visitors in 11 Cities to a Permanent Venue in Ginza

The “Ukiyo-e Immersive Art Exhibition” turns more than 300 ukiyo-e prints by Katsushika Hokusai, Utagawa Hiroshige and others into immersive digital art using 3DCG animation and projection mapping. The series is produced by HITOHATA, INC. and planned and produced by HITOHATA, INC. and TV Aichi. Starting in Nagoya in summer 2023, it has toured 11 cities in Japan and abroad, drawing more than 700,000 visitors in total (announced September 23, 2026). It is now on view at the Gifu City Museum of History (from Friday, November 6, 2026, to January 11, 2027), and its first permanent venue is scheduled to open in Ginza, Tokyo, in spring 2027.

Based on the organizers’ press releases and official website, this article sorts out the venues and dates in the 11 cities, attendance at the Paris exhibition and the content of the exhibitions. It then considers how showing ukiyo-e in video spaces differs from exhibitions of the actual prints.

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

From Nagoya to 11 cities: a list of venues and dates

According to HITOHATA, INC.’s announcement on September 23, 2026, the series began in Nagoya in summer 2023. In 2024 it was held in Milan, Italy, and Kagoshima, and the Tokyo exhibition opened that December. From 2025 it spread to Fukuoka, Taipei and Kaohsiung in Taiwan, Osaka, Paris, Aomori and Hiroshima. The venues and dates listed in the press release are as follows.

• Nagoya: July 8 – August 28, 2023 / Kanayama Minami Building, Museum Wing (former Nagoya/Boston Museum of Fine Arts)

• Milan (Italy): April 4 – June 16, 2024 / TENOHA MILANO

• Kagoshima: July 19 – September 1, 2024 / Kagoshima Prefectural Museum of Culture Reimeikan, Special Exhibition Room 1

• Tokyo: December 21, 2024 – March 31, 2025 / Terrada Warehouse G1 Building

• Fukuoka: June 28 – August 17, 2025 / JR Kyushu Hall (JR Hakata City 9F)

• Taipei (Taiwan): July 5 – October 6, 2025 / Songshan Cultural and Creative Park (former Songshan Tobacco Factory), Warehouse No. 1

• Kaohsiung (Taiwan): December 24, 2025 – March 10, 2026 / The Pier-2 Art Center, P2 Warehouse

• Osaka: January 17 – March 14, 2026 / Grand Front Osaka North Building B1, Knowledge Capital Event Lab

• Paris (France): March 19 – August 23, 2026 / Parc de la Villette, Espace Chapiteau (special tent) (article on the closing)

• Aomori: July 11 – August 30, 2026 / To-o Nippo Shinmachi Building, New’s Hall (article on the closing)

• Hiroshima: July 18 – September 6, 2026 / NTT Cred Hall (Motomachi Cred Pacela 11F) (article on the closing)

As of the announcement on May 12, 2026, the track record was more than 500,000 visitors in nine cities (five in Japan and four overseas). After exhibitions in Aomori and Hiroshima, the September 23 announcement put the total at 11 cities and more than 700,000 visitors. Among the press releases we checked, only the Paris exhibition had its attendance given by venue.

Overseas expansion: 150,000 visitors in Paris

Of the 11 cities, four are overseas: Milan, Taipei, Kaohsiung and Paris. The Paris exhibition, held from Thursday, March 19 to Sunday, August 23, 2026, took place in “Espace Chapiteau,” a special tent in the Parc de la Villette. According to the September 23 announcement, it recorded 150,000 visitors.

The Paris exhibition was organized by Caramba Culture Live, with planning and production by HITOHATA, INC., TV Aichi and EUROPA EXPO. It was held as part of the exhibition program “PASSION JAPON,” and photography and video were allowed throughout the venue. HITOHATA, INC. has offices in Milan as well as in Tokyo and Osaka.

The series has also won awards. It received an Excellence Award in the Project category of the CJPF Award 2025, organized by the Cool Japan Public-Private Partnership Platform. It also received a Gold Award (Gold Winner) at the “MUSE Creative Awards 2026,” an international creative award organized by the IAA (article on the MUSE award), in the category “Experiential & Immersive - Exhibition Experience.” The “Yokai Immersive Art Exhibition,” also produced by HITOHATA, INC. and based on yokai pictures of the Edo and Meiji periods, won a 2026 Good Design Award (announced October 15, 2026; related article).

What kind of exhibition is it? More than 300 ukiyo-e brought into video spaces

What the venues have in common is a structure of several three-dimensional video spaces based on more than 300 works by Katsushika Hokusai, Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Utagawa Hiroshige, Kitagawa Utamaro, Toshusai Sharaku, Utagawa Kunisada and others. The pictures are set in motion with 3DCG animation and projection mapping, and different footage is projected in each space.

Taking the next exhibition in Gifu as an example, the venue has spaces with different concepts, such as “View,” “Indigo,” “Color” and “Elegance,” each looping footage of about 3 to 10 minutes. According to the organizers, the “Edo Pop Culture” space, which gathers vivid, pop works, runs about 9 minutes, and the space of flowers, birds, wind and moon, which conveys the changing seasons through bird-and-flower pictures, about 7 minutes. The heroes space, showing Kuniyoshi’s warrior prints and sumo prints, runs about 4 minutes. The world of indigo, which turns the indigo known as “Japan Blue” and the depiction of water by Hokusai and Hiroshige into video, is said to run about 8 minutes.

It is not an exhibition that ends with video alone. In Paris and Hiroshima, famous ukiyo-e printed in the Edo period and reproductions were displayed in addition to the digital exhibits, along with commentary on the history of ukiyo-e, Edo culture and the artists. The Gifu exhibition will also offer actual prints and reproductions, with commentary panels that include easy-to-understand explanations for children.

What it means to show ukiyo-e immersively, and how it differs from showing the real thing

The organizers state that their aim is to select vivid, pop works from among the ukiyo-e that ordinary people in Edo enjoyed and revive them as contemporary pop culture. Using 3DCG and projection mapping, they seek to present them as digital art that people of any generation or country can enjoy. Methods of animating ukiyo-e are sorted out in our article on what it means to “animate” ukiyo-e.

Both what is seen and how it is seen differ from exhibitions of actual ukiyo-e. This autumn, the Tokyo National Museum’s special exhibition “Utagawa Hiroshige: Edo’s Best Angles” is divided into three periods, with all works changed in each period. The Ota Memorial Museum of Art’s “Katsushika Oi’s ‘Night Scene in the Yoshiwara’ and the Lineage of Night Scenes” also changes all of its works between the first and second periods, except “Night Scene in the Yoshiwara,” which is shown throughout. To see the real thing, visitors need to choose the display period of the work they want to see.

In the “Ukiyo-e Immersive Art Exhibition,” by contrast, footage based on the works is projected repeatedly in each space. For the Gifu exhibition, the estimated time required is about 30 minutes for the video spaces alone, about 1 hour 30 minutes including the commentary, and about 2 hours to enjoy everything while taking photos.

Being able to take photos is another major feature. At the Gifu exhibition, photos and videos may be taken almost everywhere in the venue, and posting on social media is allowed. However, visitors are asked to refrain from flash photography and tripods, and some content shown on monitors cannot be photographed.

Multilingual support is also advancing. At the permanent venue in Ginza, commentary on the history of ukiyo-e, Edo culture and the artists is planned in Japanese, English, Chinese and other languages, and photography and video are expected to be allowed in the venue.

HITOHATA, INC. says it will spread the appeal of ukiyo-e to the world from Ginza, where people from all over the world gather, including international visitors and luxury travelers. From Thursday, September 24 to Sunday, September 27, 2026, it exhibited for the first time at “Tourism EXPO Japan 2026” (Tokyo Big Sight), presenting information for school trips and MICE to the industry.

Next, Gifu; in spring 2027, a permanent venue in Ginza

The next venue, the “Ukiyo-e Immersive Art Exhibition GIFU,” runs from Friday, November 6, 2026 to Monday, January 11, 2027 (national holiday) in the 1st-floor Special Exhibition Room of the Gifu City Museum of History. It is a special exhibition commemorating the museum’s renewal and the 145th anniversary of the Gifu Shimbun. It offers venue-exclusive content in which ukiyo-e of Nobunaga and cormorant fishing come to life, and the ticket also covers the General Exhibition Room on the 2nd floor. Details are in our article introducing the Gifu exhibition.

During the exhibition, on Saturday, November 28, from 14:00 to 15:30, a lecture titled “Ukiyo-e Dyed in Japan Blue: Focusing on Hokusai, Hiroshige and Kuniyoshi” will also be held. The lecturer is Mayumi Sugawara, professor at Osaka Metropolitan University, with a capacity of 170 (first come, first served). Attendance is free, but a ticket for that day must be shown.

The first permanent venue in the series announced by HITOHATA, INC. is the “Ukiyoe Immersive Art Museum GINZA,” scheduled to open in Ginza, Tokyo, in spring 2027. The location and other details are to be announced later, and the planned hours are 10:00 to 20:00 (last entry 19:00). It will consist of three-dimensional video spaces built on eight concepts, drawing on works such as “Under the Wave off Kanagawa” and “Fine Wind, Clear Morning” (known as “Red Fuji”) from Hokusai’s “Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji.” Scent effects will be added to the images and sound.

The permanent venue will also display actual ukiyo-e printed in the Edo period and reproductions made from blocks carved in the Meiji period or later. It will have a museum shop carrying collaboration goods with long-established businesses and a gallery that exhibits and sells actual ukiyo-e, as well as group discounts for school trips and group tours. Supervision of ukiyo-e and Edo culture is by Masumi Horiguchi. Details of the plan are compiled in our news article on the permanent venue in Ginza.

Editor’s perspective

The history of this series is also the story of a touring exhibition developing into a permanent venue. Its venues have ranged widely, from exhibition rooms at the Kagoshima Prefectural Museum of Culture Reimeikan and the Gifu City Museum of History to halls in station buildings and complexes, warehouses and a special tent in Paris. By putting ukiyo-e into the format of video spaces, the series has built a system that can tour regardless of the character of the venue. Events produced by HITOHATA, INC. also include “KUNIYOSHI IMMERSIVE ART” in Utagawa Kuniyoshi exhibitions at the Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art (2025) and the Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art (2026) (article on immersive exhibits at art museums). The company’s projection events at castles, temples, shrines and government buildings are sorted out, together with other companies’ examples, in our article on production companies.

At the same time, projected ukiyo-e are a different experience from seeing the prints themselves on paper. The series’ practice of displaying actual prints and reproductions with commentary alongside the video, and of going so far as to set up a gallery handling actual prints in Ginza, can be read as an attempt to bridge that gap. The Tokyo National Museum’s Hiroshige exhibition also includes an ultra-high-definition video corner, so the boundary between the real thing and video is shifting on the museum side as well. Comparing a work that caught your eye in video with the real thing at an exhibition such as the Tokyo National Museum’s Hiroshige exhibition is one way to enjoy them.

Frequently asked questions

What kind of exhibition is the Ukiyoe Immersive Art Exhibition?

It turns more than 300 ukiyo-e prints by Katsushika Hokusai, Utagawa Hiroshige and others into immersive digital art using 3DCG animation and projection mapping. It is produced by HITOHATA, INC., and planned and produced by HITOHATA, INC. and TV Aichi.

Where has it been held?

Starting in Nagoya in summer 2023, it has been held in 11 cities in Japan and abroad: Nagoya, Milan, Kagoshima, Tokyo, Fukuoka, Taipei, Kaohsiung, Osaka, Paris, Aomori and Hiroshima. More than 700,000 people have visited in total (announced September 23, 2026).

Where can I see it next?

“Ukiyoe Immersive Art Exhibition GIFU” is being held at the Gifu City Museum of History from Friday, November 6, 2026 to Monday, January 11, 2027 (national holiday). A first permanent venue, “Ukiyoe Immersive Art Museum GINZA,” is scheduled to open in Ginza, Tokyo, in spring 2027.

Overview

Name: Ukiyo-e Immersive Art Exhibition GIFU
Dates: Friday, November 6, 2026 – Monday, January 11, 2027 (national holiday)
Hours: 9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30)
Closed: Mondays (open on Monday, November 23), Tuesday, November 24, Monday, December 28 – Monday, January 4
Venue: Gifu City Museum of History, 1F Special Exhibition Room (in Gifu Park)
Address: 2-18-1 Omiya-cho, Gifu, Gifu Prefecture
Admission: Adults (high school students and older) 1,300 yen in advance, 1,500 yen on the day; elementary and junior high school students 500 yen in advance, 700 yen on the day; free for preschool children. The same ticket also covers the 2F General Exhibition Room
Organizer: Ukiyo-e Immersive Art Exhibition GIFU Executive Committee (Gifu City, Gifu Shimbun, Gifu Broadcasting System, HITOHATA, INC., TV Aichi)
Planning and production: HITOHATA, INC., TV Aichi
Official website: https://www.ukiyoeimmersiveart.com/gifu
*Information as of October 19, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

Venue requirements and organizing structures for attracting a touring exhibition are sorted out in our article on how to attract and host a touring immersive exhibition.

HITOHATA, INC.’s company profile, history and awards are summarized in our profile of HITOHATA, INC..

For an overview of the best-known prints, see 12 Famous Ukiyo-e Prints: From Hokusai’s “Great Wave” to Sharaku and Kuniyoshi.

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

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

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team

A note from the publisher

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

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