“The World of Mari Yamazaki” at Setagaya Literary Museum Until February 7, 2027; From Thermae Romae to Oil Paintings

“The World of Mari Yamazaki: Living This Very Moment – Carpe Diem” is on view at the Setagaya Literary Museum in Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, until Sunday, February 7, 2027 (it opened on October 3, 2026). It introduces the manga, illustration work, writing, oil paintings and more of Mari Yamazaki, the manga artist, writer and painter known for Thermae Romae. The museum describes it as an exhibition exploring her “Earth-sized” worldview and outlook on life. Talks featuring the artist herself and a live performance of music and readings are also planned during the run.

Who is Mari Yamazaki? From a solo trip at 14 to Thermae Romae

Mari Yamazaki was born in Tokyo in 1967. She traveled alone around Europe at 14, went to Italy to study oil painting and art history at 17, and spent about ten years there. She returned to Japan after being selected for the Kodansha Newcomer Manga Award in 1995, but later lived in Egypt, Syria, Portugal and the United States.

In 2010, Thermae Romae won both the Manga Taisho 2010 and the Short Work Award at the 14th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize. She received the fiscal 2015 Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s Art Encouragement Prize and was made a Commendatore of the Order of the Star of Italy in 2017. In 2024, Plinius, co-authored with Miki Tori, won the Grand Prize at the 28th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize.

She currently serializes Thermae Romae Continued in “Shonen Jump+” (Shueisha) and is based in Italy and Japan. She is also a specially invited professor at Japan Women’s University and a visiting professor at Tokyo Zokei University, and her books include Viola Kasan (Mother Viola) and Arukinagara Kangaeru (Thinking While Walking).

Why now? “Carpe Diem” and a manga artist’s work seen at a literary museum

The subtitle “Carpe Diem” is a Latin maxim that Yamazaki has also used as the title of one of her books, meaning “pluck the day.”

Tokyo Zokei University, where Yamazaki is a visiting professor, provides academic cooperation, and the Embassy of Italy provides support. In February and March 2026, a “World of Mari Yamazaki” exhibition was also held at Museum “Eki” KYOTO (Kyoto). The organizers differ, but Smile Company (cooperation) and Traffic Promotion (planning cooperation) are the same as for the Setagaya exhibition (press materials from JR West Japan Isetan, December 22, 2025). The Setagaya Literary Museum’s official website does not describe it as a touring exhibition.

What can visitors see? Manga, essay illustrations and portraits

The exhibition page shows manga images from Thermae Romae, Thermae Romae Continued, Plinius and Ri Artigiani: Tales of Renaissance Painter-Craftsmen, as well as from Palmyre au musée (Palmyra in the Museum). Essay illustrations shown include “Angoulême, France,” “Imari, Saga” and “Chengdu, China” from Yamazaki Mari no Sekai Shoyoroku (Mari Yamazaki’s World Wanderings) and “Alessio and Lee” from Tobira no Mukogawa (The Other Side of the Door).

Among portraits, images of portraits of rakugo storyteller Tatekawa Shinosuke and of Tatsuro Yamashita are featured. As of October 20, the number of works, chapter structure and number of original drawings are not given on the official website or in the press release the museum refers to.

Related events: Talks with Takeshi Yoro and Moto Hagio, and a live performance of music and readings

• Sunday, November 8, 14:00–15:30: Talk show commemorating the publication of Volume 3 of Thermae Romae Continued, in which Mari Yamazaki talks about the world of the work. Free, 150 people by advance application (lottery if oversubscribed). Applications until 23:59 on Tuesday, October 20

• Sunday, December 13, 14:00–15:30: Mari Yamazaki × Takeshi Yoro talk “Two Who Can’t Put a Lid On It.” The two, who share a love of cats and insects, discuss the Earth and living things as covered in their co-authored book Chikyu: Kono Fukuzatsu Naru Wakusei ni Kurasu Koto (Earth: Living on This Complex Planet). Capacity 150, 1,000 yen. On sale through e-tix from 10:00 on Sunday, October 25

• Sunday, December 20: Oltre la porta live “The Other Side of the Door: A Journey of Music and Readings.” A live reading pairing the world of essays drawn from Yamazaki’s experiences and memories around the world with music from Brazil, Italy, Spain and elsewhere. Performers: Mari Yamazaki (vocals, reading), Yuji Toriyama (guitar), Yota Miyazato (saxophone) and Keisuke Torigoe (bass). Two shows, 16:00–17:20 and 18:30–19:50, 150 people each, 2,500 yen. On sale through e-tix from 10:00 on Tuesday, October 20

• Saturday, January 16, 2027, 14:00–15:30: Mari Yamazaki × Moto Hagio talk “Literature and Manga: What Is Alike and What Is Not.” A dialogue considering the “similar yet different” relationship between novels and manga. Capacity 150, 1,000 yen. On sale through e-tix from 10:00 on Sunday, October 25

All events take place in the Literary Salon on the 1st floor, and a separate ticket is required to enter the exhibition galleries. For the three paid events, there are no same-day tickets or waiting lists.

Tickets, prices and access

Admission (same-day and online tickets) is 1,500 yen for adults, 900 yen for those aged 65 and over and university and high school students, 450 yen for elementary and junior high school students and 750 yen for holders of a disability certificate (free for university students and younger). Discounted prices for groups of 20 or more and “Setagaya Arts Card” holders are 1,200 yen, 720 yen, 360 yen and 600 yen respectively. Admission is free on Saturday, November 28 and Sunday, November 29. Reservations by phone are not accepted.

Opening hours are 10:00–18:00 (exhibition entry and the museum shop until 17:30), and until 20:00 on Friday, November 6 only; entry after 17:30 that day is by same-day ticket only. The museum is closed on Mondays (if a holiday, open and closed the following weekday) and over the New Year holidays from December 28 to January 4, 2027.

The address is 1-10-10 Minami-Karasuyama, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo. It is a 5-minute walk from the South Exit of Roka-koen Station on the Keio Line and 13 minutes from the South Exit of Chitose-Karasuyama Station. From Chitose-Funabashi Station on the Odakyu Line, take a Keio bus bound for Chitose-Karasuyama Station, get off at “Roka Koshun-en” and walk five minutes. The parking lot is currently unavailable due to facility maintenance.

The museum is also holding the second-half collection exhibition “Chiyo Uno: 30 Years After Her Death – The Self Who Lives On with Me” (until March 28, 2027). It introduces new materials formerly owned by Chiyo Uno that were donated in fiscal 2023, with the second half focusing on her later life, from 1947 until her death in 1996. Seiji Togo’s cover design for Uno’s book Keshi wa Naze Akai (Why Are Poppies Red?, 1930) will be shown at the Seiji Togo exhibition at the SOMPO Museum of Art from January 2027.

Editor’s perspective

The talks during the run cover both manga and writing: one discussing “literature and manga” with Moto Hagio, and one about a co-authored book with Takeshi Yoro. Hagio’s original drawings can also be seen at “Shojo Manga Infinity,” which opens at The National Art Center, Tokyo on October 28 (until February 8, 2027).

There is still little information on the scale of the exhibition, but it runs until February 2027, and the talks and live performance are concentrated in December and January. Those planning to visit for an event should check when tickets go on sale.

Overview

Name: The World of Mari Yamazaki: Living This Very Moment – Carpe Diem
Dates: Saturday, October 3, 2026 – Sunday, February 7, 2027
Hours: 10:00–18:00 (exhibition entry and museum shop until 17:30; until 20:00 on Friday, November 6)
Closed: Mondays (if a holiday, open and closed the following weekday), New Year holidays (December 28 – January 4, 2027)
Venue: 2F Gallery, Setagaya Literary Museum
Address: 1-10-10 Minami-Karasuyama, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo
Admission: Adults 1,500 yen, 65 and over and university and high school students 900 yen, elementary and junior high school students 450 yen, holders of a disability certificate 750 yen (free for university students and younger). Discounts for groups of 20 or more and Setagaya Arts Card holders
Organizer: Setagaya Literary Museum, Setagaya Arts Foundation
Academic cooperation: Tokyo Zokei University
Cooperation: Smile Company Co., Ltd.
Planning cooperation: Traffic Promotion Inc.
Sponsors: Utena Co., Ltd., Toho Holdings Co., Ltd.
Support: Embassy of Italy, Setagaya City, Setagaya City Board of Education
Official website: https://www.setabun.or.jp/exhibition/20261003-20270207_yamazakimari.html
*Information as of October 20, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

*Top image: Exterior of the Setagaya Literary Museum (photo: Edomura no Tokuzo, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on press materials from the Setagaya Literary Museum (updated October 9, 2026) and information on its official website, and press materials from JR West Japan Isetan (December 22, 2025).

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team