To celebrate the 60th birthday of Hajime Anzai, an illustrator and narrator active in a wide range of fields, the "Anzai Expo 60" exhibition will be held at the Parco Museum in Shibuya, Tokyo, from the 17th. The exhibition will feature original drawings, graphic photographs, secret photos only available at the venue, and collections hidden away in his workspace, showcasing a variety of Anzai's works. To celebrate his 60th birthday, 60 "Anzai" works will be on display, including "Sora Mimi Anzai," "Late Anzai," "T-Shirt Anzai," and "Instrument Anzai." A signing event will also be held on the 2nd of next month to commemorate the publication of the picture book "Wasimo" (published by Shogakukan), a collaboration with screenwriter Kankuro Kudo. Official Anzai merchandise will include pin badges (two types, 840 yen each) and T-shirts (two types, 2,800 yen) featuring Anzai's illustrations. Also on display at the exhibition are a collection of Anzai's work, "Work Anzai" (2,940 yen), a collection of drawings, "Draw Anzai" (1,890 yen), and treasure boxes containing gold, silver, pearls, and other designs (priced from 5,250 to 31,500 yen), all by "TOKYO CULTUART by BEAMS." Anzai was born in Tokyo in 1953. He has worked on TV show openings, JAL campaigns, and character designs for Calpis and Meiji Seika's "Choco Baby," and has designed CD jackets for artists such as Scha Dara Parr and DREAMS COME TRUE. He also writes local songs with the local support unit "Katte ni Kanko Kyokai" (Katte ni Kanko Kyokai), which he formed with Jun Miura, and is active in the music industry, including as a member of the band "Foolens." Since 1992, he has appeared on TV Asahi's "Tamori Club" in a segment called "Kumemimi Hour," in which viewers are invited to submit lyrics in foreign languages that sound like Japanese. He has many unique anecdotes, such as climbing snowy mountains with the aim of becoming a mountaineer, and being a frequent latecomer and deadline-breaker.


[Event Information]
"Anzai Expo 60"
Venue: Parco Museum (Shibuya Parco Part 1 and 3rd floors)
Dates: May 17th to June 2nd, 2013
Time: 10:00 to 21:00 (final day closing at 18:00, last admission 30 minutes before closing)
Admission: Adults 500 yen, Students 400 yen, Free for elementary school students and younger