The "Mingei - Another Kind of Art" exhibition is running from November 2nd to February 24th at 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT Galleries 1 and 2 in Tokyo Midtown, Roppongi, Tokyo. A press preview was held on November 1st ahead of the opening. Naoto Fukasawa, director of the Japan Folk Crafts Museum and director of 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT, presents 146 pieces of folk art, both old and new, selected from the museum's collection, including some on public display for the first time. On the right side of the underground lobby, which you first encounter upon entering the venue, visitors are introduced to the museum's thoughts on the exhibition, quotes from Picasso, such as "It took me a lifetime to learn to draw like children," and Muneyoshi Yanagi's "Japan Folk Crafts Museum Guide." On the left side, a table and stand from the Japan Folk Crafts Museum director's office are on display for the first time as a symbol of the exhibition. At the entrance to Gallery 1, Yanagi's short haiku, "Utateya moro te wo," is on display. The phrase, "Utateya moro te wo," refers to the sincere expression of joy through clapping hands and the cherishing of intuition. Gallery 1 showcases Fukasawa's personal collection, which he began assembling before becoming director of the Japan Folk Crafts Museum. On the other side, a film is shown, focusing on the people behind the objects. The film captures the lives and work of folk craftsmen and those who convey their craft. The main gallery, Gallery 2, showcases approximately 150 pieces selected by Fukasawa from the museum's collection, including rare folk crafts not on display at the Japan Folk Crafts Museum. The works are presented alongside captions that directly express the emotions that came to Fukasawa's mind as he displayed them in 18 booths and on the walls. These include photographs by Mariko Oya, taken at the Japan Folk Crafts Museum, that reveal new aspects of folk craft, and archival footage by Canadian filmmaker Marty Gross.

Other exhibits include excerpts from the cover of the magazine "Mingei," designed by the Japan Folk Crafts Museum and Sori Yanagi, as well as contemporary folk crafts by 18 creators who carry on the folk craft tradition from all over Japan.

At the press preview, Fukasawa emphasized, "I want people to feel what I feel: that folk craft is amazing. This is not an exhibition that shows who made what in what year, but rather I want to exchange views with the creative people who visit 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT, saying, 'Mingei is amazing, isn't it?'"