Art Aquarium producer Hidetomo Kimura's exhibition "Edo Sakura Renaissance & Night Cherry Blossom Festival" has opened at Nihonbashi Mitsui Hall. Kimura's "Art Aquarium Goldfish Series" and "Sky Aquarium" are held every summer and have attracted over 2.5 million visitors, but this time, for the first time, it will be held in spring. Without using a single real cherry blossom, this exhibition offers a new cherry blossom viewing experience, allowing visitors to fully enjoy the beauty of the blossoms with all five senses.
The story of this exhibition is as follows: "A certain influential person receives an invitation from an Edo kabuki actor, who announces, 'I will be holding the earliest cherry blossom viewing in Edo at my mansion.' Thinking that cherry blossom viewing in Edo in early March is a little early, he visits the mansion with some skepticism..."
The first thing that catches your eye at the venue are the kimonos depicting cherry blossoms blooming in various locations, including Kyomaruyama Park, Gion Shirakawa, and Kiyomizu-dera Temple. Kimura created a "cherry blossom avenue" by arranging kimonos with cherry blossom patterns. Of particular note are the three pieces exhibited in the back made during the Edo period. At the time, the culture of appreciating plum blossoms was mainstream, making cherry blossom patterns extremely valuable.
Further back is the exhibition's highlight, "Edo Sakura Fubuki." Petals made from Edo Kiriko glass sparkle in the color of cherry blossoms, and a large cherry blossom tree is projected onto Japanese paper in the background using projection mapping. As the image of the cherry blossom tree spins, petals flutter down, and the petals also appear on the shoji screens on both sides like shadow puppets.
In front of "Edo Sakura Fubuki," three "Night Cherry Blossom Banquet Rooms" are set up for cherry blossom viewing. In a small Japanese-style room decorated with night cherry blossom designs on the walls, guests can savor spiny lobster and tuna presented on Iga-yaki and Kiyomizu-yaki pottery and Kyoto lacquerware. A private room rental fee of 10,000 yen (for 90 minutes) and a set meal for 5,000 yen (per person) are required. Advance ticket purchase is required.
Another highlight of the exhibition is Kimura's latest work, "Edo Sakurarium." A transparent cherry blossom petal-shaped object sits in the center, filled with water and featuring goldfish swimming around, shimmering like glitter and pearls. Kimura expresses the "fluttering cherry blossoms" through the goldfish, sparkling in the light. Also hanging from the ceiling is a giant chandelier made of approximately 1,000 Edo Kiriko glass pieces. The lighting changes color every few minutes, from white to pink to vibrant multicolors. According to Kimura, the beauty of the cut glass is best highlighted under white lighting. Other attractions include a bar serving fine sake from Kyoto and Mie in Edo Kiriko glasses, the "Sakura Washi Gate" installation made from handmade cherry blossom-patterned washi paper, the "Ise-gata Sakura Room" where you can enjoy cherry blossom viewing shadow puppets, and the "Itsuka Sakura Room" which offers Japanese sweets sets from long-established Japanese confectionery shops and teahouses. Near the entrance to the venue, there will also be a live painting session by Japanese painter Nishino Masamichi. You can also watch the real-time production process of "Kidaishouran," a long picture scroll depicting Nihonbashi of the future.
【Event Information】
Edo Sakura Renaissance & Night Cherry Blossom Feast
Venue: Nihonbashi Mitsui Hall
Address: 5th floor, COREDO Muromachi, 2-2-1 Muromachi, Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Dates: 7th March to 30th March
Time: 11:00 to 23:00
Admission Fee: 1,000 yen on the day
*To dine in the "Yozakura Banquet Room" or "Itsuka Sakura Room", you must purchase tickets in advance from Seven Tickets.
