October, exhibitions I'm interested in
It has been raining in Tokyo for a while now.
With all this rain, going out feels a bit of a chore.
But exhibitions won't wait. If I keep putting it off until it clears up, I might miss them entirely.
Artists spend a long time preparing for these days.
I don't want the rain to be my reason for not going to see their work.
Books have their own unique appeal.
But when it comes to experiencing the brushstrokes, the reflection on photographic paper, the traces of handiwork, the scale of the piece, and its relationship to the surrounding space, perhaps the exhibition remains the freshest way to experience art.
Museums and galleries offer worlds that books alone cannot touch.
Experiencing powerful work in a space charged with intensity.
With that in mind, I’ve put together a list of exhibitions I want to visit in October.
Starting with a photo exhibition that is nearing its end.
Nao Nakai: "Swaying Veins"
Closing Soon | Until Sunday, October 4
September 11 (Fri) – October 4 (Sun), 2026
Fugensha | Meguro
A solo exhibition for Nao Nakai held to commemorate the publication of *Swaying Veins: Beyond the Representation of Photography* (Misuzu Shobo).
I had never truly examined Nao Nakai’s work closely before. But a friend recommended her recently, and she suddenly became someone I’m keen to learn more about.
Since it ends as soon as October begins, this is an exhibition I need to hurry to see.
I’m also curious to see how the act of looking at photographs and thinking about photography connects through these two different forms: the book and the exhibition.
Fugensha | Nao Nakai: "Swaying Veins"
Nao Nakai: "Threads of the Sea"
September 12 (Sat) – October 11 (Sun), 2026
POETIC SCAPE | Nakameguro
Nao Nakai’s other solo exhibition, "Threads of the Sea."
This one also runs until the first half of October.
Since I can see Nakai’s work at two different venues, Fugensha and POETIC SCAPE, during nearly the same period, I’d like to see them back-to-back if possible.
I am curious to see how the work of the same artist appears in different spaces, including the differences themselves.
POETIC SCAPE | Nao Nakai: "Threads of the Sea"
T3 PHOTO FESTIVAL TOKYO 2026
October 3 (Sat) – October 26 (Mon), 2026
Yaesu, Nihonbashi, Kyobashi, and Ginza Areas
T3 PHOTO FESTIVAL TOKYO is back in the city this October.
This year’s theme is the world of "And" as revealed by photography.
It is a 24-day exploration through photography of the relationships between things, such as "Self and Other" or "Nature and City." Another interesting part of T3 is that the venues are scattered across both indoor and outdoor spaces, allowing you to encounter various photographs as you walk around.
It feels less like visiting a single museum or gallery and more like a day spent moving through the city while engaging with photography.
And this year, it’s not just about being a viewer.
T3 BOOK MARCHÉ 2026
October 17 (Sat) & 18 (Sun), 2026, 11:00–19:00
TOFROM YAESU | Yaesu
Admission Free
This year, I will be exhibiting with STAIRS PRESS and Bunfuku.
In addition to STAIRS PRESS publications, I plan to bring some items from Bunfuku as well.
It’s a rare chance for people to actually pick up and look at the books I usually feature online.
What exactly I’ll be bringing is a surprise for the day.
See exhibitions, look at books.
When a photograph is on a wall, and when it is inside a book. It looks to be a weekend where I can move between both, and I’m very much looking forward to it.
T3 PHOTO FESTIVAL TOKYO 2026
T3 BOOK MARCHÉ 2026
Aya Fujioka: "Forget Me Not"
October 14 (Wed) – November 29 (Sun), 2026
BUG | Tokyo
Aya Fujioka’s new solo exhibition, "Forget Me Not."
This new series was created around the existence of a certain Japanese woman, prompted by a DM received nine years ago from a woman living in Melbourne, Australia. This time, Fujioka is also presenting her first-ever video work.
Fujioka is a photographer who explores the memories and time remaining in a place while capturing the land and its people.
I want to see the process in the gallery space where, as she follows a single event, the photography shifts from merely recording to uncovering something.
It’s also great that admission is free.
BUG | Aya Fujioka: "Forget Me Not"
The Design of Shoya Yoshida: The Future Envisioned by the New Folk Craft Movement
October 15 (Thu) – December 20 (Sun), 2026
Panasonic Shiodome Museum of Art | Shiodome
I first learned about Shoya Yoshida from a bench sitting in front of a folk craft store in Kamakura.
It was incredibly simple, yet had a peculiar charm. When I asked about it, I discovered it was a replica of a bench designed by Shoya Yoshida.
That was how I learned his name and how he slowly became a figure I’m interested in.
While working as a doctor, Yoshida spearheaded the New Folk Craft Movement based in Tottori, designing new folk crafts in fields like pottery, woodwork, textiles, and metalwork.
What interests me is that he didn't just design objects—he also thought about "how they are made and how they are delivered."
Starting with that bench, I hope to gain a more three-dimensional understanding of Yoshida's work through this exhibition.
Panasonic Shiodome Museum of Art | The Design of Shoya Yoshida
Takahiro Mizushima: "Memoirs of Huandao Taiwan 2020-2025"
October 16 (Fri) – November 28 (Sat), 2026
KOSHA KOSHA AKIHABARA | Akihabara
A publication exhibition for Takahiro Mizushima’s new photobook, *Memoirs of Huandao Taiwan 2020-2025*.
These works were shot over the course of about six years, starting when he moved to Taiwan in 2020 and continuing through his travels back and forth even after returning to Japan.
The title "Huandao" refers to the journey of circling Taiwan.
The photographs accumulate the time spent traveling the land and building his own sense of belonging while connecting with the people living there.
Until now, Mizushima has created works centered on cities and the people who live in them, such as *Long Hug Town*, which captured Ota Ward, Tokyo.
Even though the location has shifted from Tokyo to Taiwan, I feel his approach—entering the city and gradually establishing a distance between himself and the people—remains consistent.
The photobook is published by Akaaka Art Publishing. It is quite a substantial volume with 544 pages and 594 plates. I want to experience both the exhibition and the book.
During the exhibition period, talk events featuring Takahiro Mizushima with Shinya Arimoto, Motohiko Hasui and Shuichi Ikeya, and Yusuke Tanaka are also scheduled.
KOSHA KOSHA AKIHABARA | Takahiro Mizushima: "Memoirs of Huandao Taiwan"
Lieko Shiga: "Nanumokanamo"
October 31 (Sat), 2026 – March 14 (Sun), 2027
Aomori Museum of Art | Aomori
A large-scale solo exhibition by Lieko Shiga.
This is the artist’s largest exhibition to date, presenting a mix of old and new photographs, videos, texts, and installations born from her insights into "Tohoku," which she has been tracing with her own body since before the disaster.
I feel that Shiga's work doesn't just record the scenery before her eyes, but attempts to capture something like the time layered within that land or the memories of the people.
This is an exhibition I really want to see.
It’s not easy to get to Aomori, but the exhibition runs until March of next year. I hope I can make the time to go.
Aomori Museum of Art | Lieko Shiga: "Nanumokanamo"
Minami Tada: Light, Swaying with Dignity
August 29 (Sat) – December 6 (Sun), 2026
Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo | Kiyosumi-shirakawa
An exhibition tracing the work of Minami Tada, a representative figure of postwar Japanese abstract sculpture.
She is an artist who has treated light itself as part of her work, utilizing materials like stainless steel, glass, and acrylic.
It’s hard to understand through photographs alone, so I want to experience in person the sensation of light hitting the materials and changing the appearance of the surrounding space.
I’m also interested in seeing not just the sculptures, but her work involving lighting and architectural spaces as well.
Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo | Minami Tada: Light, Swaying with Dignity
On the Street, Are You in the Way?
September 19 (Sat) – November 23 (Mon, Holiday), 2026
Shoto Museum of Art | Shibuya
Finding buildings, signs, things left on the street, and traces of someone’s handiwork while walking through the city.
Stopping to look at things you would normally just walk past.
I think that perspective is quite close to photography.
When I walk through a city, my eyes naturally drift toward things with unknown purposes or traces of someone’s life, so I am very interested in this exhibition.
Shoto Museum of Art | On the Street, Are You in the Way?
Suikoden (Water Margin)
September 19 (Sat) – November 8 (Sun), 2026
Tokyo Station Gallery | Marunouchi
An exhibition looking at how the Chinese tale *Suikoden* has been depicted across different times and places.
You can view the world of *Suikoden* through a variety of works and materials, from Chinese art to printed books, *ukiyo-e*, manga, and contemporary art.
How the same story became illustrations and spread as published material in each era.
I’m particularly interested in Utagawa Kuniyoshi’s *Suikoden* works, as they offer insight into the relationship between prints and publishing.
Tokyo Station Gallery | Suikoden
Ken Domon Photography Exhibition: "The Beauty of Drapery — From Pilgrimage to Ancient Temples"
September 4 (Fri) – November 7 (Sat), 2026
Tokyo Polytechnic University, Shadai Gallery | Nakano-Sakaue
An exhibition viewing Ken Domon’s *Pilgrimage to Ancient Temples* Buddhist statue photographs from the perspective of "drapery."
Drapery refers to the folds and wrinkles of the clothing depicted on Buddhist statues.
The exhibition focuses on the Buddhist statue photographs included in *Pilgrimage to Ancient Temples* from the Ken Domon collection housed at the Shadai Gallery.
By focusing not on the statue as a whole, but on the lines and the movement of the cloth carved into its surface, Ken Domon’s photographs seem likely to appear in a different light.
Even if one knows *Pilgrimage to Ancient Temples*, opportunities to re-examine it from such details are rare, so I would like to go.
Shadai Gallery | Ken Domon Photography Exhibition: "The Beauty of Drapery"
Copperplate Printmaker Tetsuro Komai: Like Constellations Spreading Across the Palm
September 12 (Sat) – November 15 (Sun), 2026
The Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura & Hayama | Kanagawa
An exhibition commemorating the 50th anniversary of Tetsuro Komai’s passing.
In addition to works from his early years to his later life, it also introduces oil paintings, original book illustrations, copper plates, production tools, and photographs.
I am pleased that I will be able to see not just the finished works, but the plates and tools as well.
As someone who makes prints myself, I naturally want to see as far as "what was used and how it was printed."
It’s reason enough to go all the way to Hayama.
The Museum of Modern Art, Hayama | Copperplate Printmaker Tetsuro Komai
Sumida Gosai Art Festival
September 4 (Fri) – December 20 (Sun), 2026
Various locations in Sumida Ward | Tokyo
An art festival held across various locations in Sumida Ward.
What I especially recommend this time is Sachiko Kazama: "Shadow-Stepping the Stone Inscription."
Kazama is an artist who has created works that touch on modern Japanese history, society, and urban memory using the old technique of woodblock printing.
As I also make woodblock prints, I’m looking forward to seeing not only the work itself, but also the traces of the carving and printing at a real-life distance.
Rather than touring the whole festival, I’m planning to go specifically for "Shadow-Stepping the Stone Inscription" first.
Sumida Gosai Art Festival | Sachiko Kazama
It’s quite difficult to see everything.
But I go to the trouble of traveling to these places to confirm things that can’t be understood through screens or books alone.
I think that time spent is part of what it means to experience an exhibition.
While I still have the chance, I want to go and see them.