Tokyo Otaku Mode (or TOM for short) is opening up their first real life shop on floor 6 of Shibuya PARCO. The shop's theme is JAPAN CULTURE and its grand opening will occur around the end of November 2019. Staying true to their core value of spreading Japanese pop culture to the rest of the world, the real life shop Tokyo Otaku Mode TOKYO will continue to sell its lines of original goods themed around anime, manga, games and much more. This boutique is a long-awaited opportunity for many fans, who will finally be able to purchase their favourite character-themed goods in person.   Shibuya PARCO is known for its cutting-edge fashion, art and music culture. As the building is undergoing some major renovations, Tokyo Otaku Mode seized the opportunity to implement their trending otaku culture. Now, pop culture will be spread even more in Japan as well as overseas.   Check out Tokyo Otaku Mode to experience the trendiest Japanese pop culture!

Yayoi Kusama is an artist and writer who was chosen as one of TIME's "100 Most Influential People." She opened her "My Eternal Soul" project back in 2009. The exhibition holds over 500 different creations by Yayoi. The National Art Gallery in Tokyo will be displaying an extraordinary 130 of these fantastic works until May 22nd. Let's take a little peek into the exhibition with artist Azumi.

Before you even enter the exhibition you are graced with Yayoi Kusama's art, such as the "Ascension of Polka Dots on the Trees" among some gorgeous pieces where you can appreciate the beauty of light.

As you enter the building into the main hall you are met with an overwhelming sensation of colours from the vibrant pieces on the wall. Those pieces are the special feature of the exhibition - "My Eternal Soul." For 8 years Yayoi has shone forward at an unbelievable pace to create more than 500 art pieces. And if you're in Tokyo, you have the amazing opportunity to witness a quarter of them.

The exhibition offers a retrospective view of Yayoi's works, from her earliest pieces to more recent ones.

You can see every piece at this exhibition from all kinds of different angles so it's a lot of fun. It's different from art pieces where you can only appreciate them from a set angle. You can instead lose yourself in discovering your own visions and interpretations of the pieces. And because of that, you'll be glad you visited the museum when you see the 3D artwork, because it's absolutely filled with it.

Yayoi Kusama's work is extensively broad. From paintings to printmaking, 3D art, collages,  writing, installations and more, so there's definitely something for you to find that you'll enjoy. That's part of her charm. Her film "Kusama's Self-Obliteration" is also on sale at the exhibition.

When writing this, I looked on my bookshelf and found a page on Yayoi Kusama in vol.374 of "STUDIO VOICE" (2007). In there was was a piece entitled "A Message of Love from Yayoi Kusama" which had a scent of death in it. I became charmed by Yayoi Kusama and her work I think because I feel strongly that she was concealing her anxieties. You can especially feel this with her piece "Revelation from Heaven." The feeling you get from this minimal piece is so immense that you can almost picture the story behind it. I really love this piece that I got sucked into it for 1 and a half hours the first time I saw it. And I'm still not done with it, I still enjoy it. There's no other painting that does that to me.

Before finishing, a final comment from Azumi. The exhibition is running until May 22nd, so make sure not miss out on the opportunity to see Yayoi Kusama's huge scale of work.

I was able to see an overwhelming image of life and death. I think her family business of selling seeds when she was younger has had an influence on her work. She certainly had a tough childhood fighting her auditory and visual hallucinations. Her various pieces she saw during those times that she produced are an expression of the fleeting reality of life and death. There are works with connotations of sexual desire when one is young and the confusion it can bring, as well as works dealing with later youth. This is a transition that throbs deep in my chest. As I walked through the exhibition, it felt as if I was walking in the same shoes as Yayoi Kusama. I was able to find good look in seeing her, but her existence is symbolic, and I can't help but be moved by her cute appearance and her resolution to live out life to the fullest. I want to visit the exhibition again. I hope for it to to leave a mark in history.

 

■Information
The National Art Center Tokyo 10th Anniversary
Yayoi Kusama - My Eternal Soul
Running: February 22nd, 2017 to May 22nd, 2017
Location: The National Art Center Tokyo, Exhibition Room 1E
Yayoi Kusama - My Eternal Soul
http://kusama2017.jp

 

Azumi
HP: http://azumi.asobisystem.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/azumiwyolica
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xx_azumi_xx/

The Forever Museum of Contemporary Art (FMOCA) is a limited-time museum that has been running since June 2017. Located in Gion, Kyoto it has been announced that the museum will finally shut its doors on February 28, 2019. FMOCA is situated inside Yasaka Kurabu, a traditional palace that was built in 1913 and is a registered tangible cultural property. It is home to tatami-matted floors and the walls are decorated with traditional time-honoured colours of Japan such as light blue and rouge. Shoes must be taken off before you sit when you get the opportunity to relax and take in the art around you, offering the chance to see traditional and contemporary come together from the architecture and Yayoi Kusama's works respectively. The museum currently displays 123 works from Yayoi Kusama in its exhibition rooms including "The World of Pumpkins" as one of the exemplary motifs of her artwork.   FMOCA Comment: "We hope that we can meet all [of our guests] again in another place. We hope the museum to return again in the future for everyone to enjoy. We ask for your continued support. Yayoi Kusama, Gion, contemporary art, traditional architecture, tatami, traditional Japanese gardens... Please enjoy your time here to experience things you cannot anywhere else."