“Yoshitake Shinsuke Exhibition, Maybe” at Hachinohe Art Museum from November 21; About 2,500 Sketches on Show

“Yoshitake Shinsuke Exhibition, Maybe,” an exhibition of picture book author Shinsuke Yoshitake, opens at the Hachinohe Art Museum (Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture) on Saturday, November 21, 2026. It runs until Monday, January 11, 2027 (national holiday), in the museum’s White Cube. The exhibition has been touring Japan since April 2022 and is held as a project commemorating the 5th anniversary of the Hachinohe Art Museum and the 35th anniversary of Aomori Asahi Broadcasting. More than 400 items, including small sketches, original picture book art, three-dimensional objects devised for the exhibition and his treasured collection, offer a peek inside the artist’s “head.”

Who is Shinsuke Yoshitake? A debut with It Might Be an Apple

Yoshitake was born in 1973 in Kanagawa Prefecture. After completing the Comprehensive Plastic Arts course at the University of Tsukuba Graduate School of Art and Design, he worked as an illustrator and sculptor, and in 2013 published his first picture book, It Might Be an Apple (Bronze Publishing). The book won the Art Prize at the 61st Sankei Children’s Publishing Culture Awards.

He has been chosen seven times as No. 1 in the MOE Picture Book Shop Awards. The Boring Book, the English edition of Tsumannai Tsumannai, received a New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books award in 2019. His major works include Mo Nugenai (Still Stuck), Riyu ga Arimasu (There’s a Reason), Natsumi wa Nan ni demo Nareru (Natsumi Can Be Anything), Oshikko Choppiri Moretaro, Atsukattara Nugeba Ii (If It’s Hot, Just Take It Off) and Anna ni Anna ni.

What can visitors see? About 2,500 from more than 10,000 sketches

According to the museum, this is Yoshitake’s first large-scale exhibition. The first highlight is his sketches as a source of ideas: about 2,500 of the more than 10,000 sketches he has accumulated over many years are reproduced and shown all at once. The museum describes it as showing the artist’s “head” on the largest scale ever. His favorite notebooks are also displayed, and the museum’s page includes a photo of a notebook with sketches for Anna ni Anna ni.

The second is the world of his picture books. Many original drawings and idea sketches from the planning stage of about 30 popular picture books are introduced. There are also interactive displays that let visitors step into the worlds of his works.

The third aims to unravel the mysteries of the artist, exploring the sources of his ideas through three-dimensional works from his student days and personal collections kept in his studio. The museum’s page also features photos of “ACcess100” and “Bukubuku Kannon” from his Kaburimono (wearable headpiece) series.

Why Hachinohe now? A touring exhibition with over a million visitors comes to Aomori

The exhibition opened at the Setagaya Literary Museum in Tokyo in April 2022 and has toured the country. According to an announcement by The Asahi Shimbun Company (August 27, 2025), cumulative attendance passed one million at its 16th venue, the Akita Prefectural Museum (organizer’s figures). According to the list on the exhibition’s official website, after venues in Yamaguchi, Kagoshima and Ibaraki this year, it was on view at Tohoku Fukushi University Gallery Minimori in Sendai until Sunday, November 8. After Hachinohe, it is scheduled to be held at the Oita Prefectural Art Museum from Saturday, February 6 to Sunday, April 4, 2027.

The Hachinohe venue is organized by the Aomori Executive Committee, made up of the Hachinohe Art Museum, Aomori Asahi Broadcasting and VISIT Hachinohe, together with The Asahi Shimbun Company and Hakusensha. At the venue, “It Might Be an Apple Aomori Apple” (800 yen, tax included), a product exclusive to the Aomori venue, is sold in limited quantities. It uses edible ink and shares its name with his debut work, It Might Be an Apple.

Tickets and prices: Including the unlimited-entry “Kao Pass”

Admission is 1,300 yen for adults, 800 yen for university and high school students and 500 yen for elementary and junior high school students, and free for preschool children. Groups of 20 or more pay 1,200 yen for adults, 600 yen for university and high school students and 400 yen for elementary and junior high school students. Holders of a disability certificate and one companion pay half price on showing proof at the counter.

The “Kao Pass,” a free pass allowing unlimited entry to this exhibition during its run, costs 2,600 yen for adults, 1,600 yen for high school and university students and 1,000 yen for elementary and junior high school students. It is registered and issued at the counter on the day. Discounts and the free pass cannot be combined.

Only same-day tickets are sold at the museum counter, and online tickets via “ART PASS” go on sale on November 1. To ease congestion, the museum recommends buying tickets in advance. As a related project, Aomori Asahi Broadcasting is conducting a survey of favorite Yoshitake works. The deadline is Tuesday, November 10, and 50 pairs (100 people) chosen by lottery will win invitations to the exhibition. Results will be announced on Monday, November 30 on the station’s program “Hare nochi Ashita.”

Access and opening hours

Opening hours are 10:00–19:00 (last entry 18:30), and 10:00–17:00 on December 28 and January 2 and 3. The museum is closed on Tuesdays and from Tuesday, December 29 to Friday, January 1.

To reach the Hachinohe Art Museum, take the Hachinohe Line from JR Hachinohe Station to Hon-Hachinohe Station (about 10 minutes) and walk about 10 minutes. A bus bound for the city center from stop 1 at the East Exit of Hachinohe Station takes about 20 minutes, and the museum is a 2-minute walk from the “Chushingai Terminal” (Mikkamachi or Yokamachi). There is no public parking, so use nearby paid parking lots.

Editor’s perspective

At the center of the exhibition are not so much the finished picture books as the sketches and ideas that come before them. Displaying reproductions of about 2,500 sketches, separate from the original art, shows the sheer volume of ideas piled up behind a single picture book.

In Aomori this winter, a special exhibition on Nancy Seki is on view at the Aomori Museum of Art in Aomori City until December 23. From December 5, Steve Bishop’s solo exhibition opens at the Towada Art Center, about 40 minutes from the West Exit of Hachinohe Station on the JR Bus Oirase-go. Among exhibitions of picture book artists, the Eric Carle exhibition is on view at the Fukuoka Prefectural Museum of Art until December 20. Exhibitions to enjoy with children over the winter holidays are summarized in [Winter Holidays 2026] Guide to Exhibitions and Art Experiences to Enjoy with Children.

Overview

Name: Hachinohe Art Museum 5th Anniversary and Aomori Asahi Broadcasting 35th Anniversary Project: Yoshitake Shinsuke Exhibition, Maybe
Dates: Saturday, November 21, 2026 – Monday, January 11, 2027 (national holiday)
Hours: 10:00–19:00 (last entry 18:30). 10:00–17:00 on December 28 and January 2 and 3
Closed: Tuesdays, Tuesday, December 29 – Friday, January 1
Venue: White Cube, Hachinohe Art Museum
Address: 10-4 Bancho, Hachinohe, Aomori
Admission: Adults 1,300 yen, university and high school students 800 yen, elementary and junior high school students 500 yen, preschool children free (groups of 20 or more: adults 1,200 yen, university and high school students 600 yen, elementary and junior high school students 400 yen). Free pass “Kao Pass”: adults 2,600 yen, high school and university students 1,600 yen, elementary and junior high school students 1,000 yen
Organizers: “Yoshitake Shinsuke Exhibition, Maybe” Aomori Executive Committee (Hachinohe Art Museum, Aomori Asahi Broadcasting, VISIT Hachinohe), The Asahi Shimbun Company, Hakusensha
Cooperation: Alice-kan, KADOKAWA, Shueisha, PHP Institute, Bronze Publishing, Poplar Publishing
Graphic design: Idea Oshima
Exhibition design: Rui Igarashi
Official website: https://hachinohe-art-museum.jp/exhibition/7150
*Information as of October 20, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

*Top image: “Yoshitake Shinsuke Exhibition, Maybe” at the Setagaya Literary Museum (photo: Yoshinori Kurosawa) ©Shinsuke Yoshitake (from a press release by The Asahi Shimbun Company)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on information from the Hachinohe Art Museum and the “Yoshitake Shinsuke Exhibition, Maybe” official website (as of October 20, 2026) and press materials from The Asahi Shimbun Company (August 27, 2025).

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team