ACN presents Yoyogi Forest of Lights ~Forest of Light~

An experiential illumination where you walk 1.8km through the “Tokyo Yoyogi Park” forest in the heart of the big city using all five senses is born!

In the heart of Tokyo’s urban sprawl, a new sensory experience emerges as “ACN presents Yoyogi Forest of Lights ~Forest of Light~” transforms the natural landscape of Tokyo Yoyogi Park. Unlike conventional illuminations—which are often confined to indoor venues or strictly paved urban corridors—this event leverages the rich, organic nature of the park to create an overwhelming immersive space woven from light and sound. Visitors are invited to traverse a 1.8km path, providing an experience as if they have strayed into a forest at night.

A Multisensory Journey: Beyond Visual Spectacle

The primary appeal of this event lies in its interactive production, which encourages visitors to engage with light art using their entire body rather than remaining passive observers. While dynamic light gradations coloring the trees satisfy the sense of sight, the installation is designed to stimulate all five senses to deepen the sense of immersion:

• Hearing: Music and ambient sounds echo through the natural silence of the forest.
• Smell: The crisp, cold winter air carries the distinct scent of the surrounding trees.
• Touch: Interactive mechanisms ensure that the light changes according to the visitor’s pace.
• Taste: A dedicated food and drink area provides moments of happiness and peace amidst the journey.

Cultural Roots and Urban Tradition

The conceptual foundation of this event is rooted in European winter culture. In various European countries, the tradition of enjoying long winter nights often involves illumination events within natural spaces—such as parks—where locals and tourists gather to find community in the darkness. By adopting this motif, the organizers aim to establish a similar tradition within the heart of Tokyo.

Strategic Significance and the Support of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government

“ACN presents Yoyogi Forest of Lights” represents more than just a visual display; it is a strategic effort to promote the nighttime use of Yoyogi Park. As the first illumination of its kind to be held in this specific location, the project is conducted under the support of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.

The event serves as a highlight program within the Yoyogi/Shibuya area of “ARTE TOKYO (Tokyo International Cultural Arts Festival),” which runs from October to December. Through this collaboration, the event intends to create new cultural and artistic charm within the Tokyo night.

*Please check the official website for detailed information.

Basic Info

• Location / Nearest Station
  Yoyogi Park
  Meiji-Jingumae <Harajuku> Station / Harajuku Station / Yoyogi-Koen Station / Yoyogi-Hachiman Station
• Address
  〒151-0052
  Yoyogikamizono-cho, Jinnan 2-chome, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
  MAP
• Event Period
  2026/11/13 (Fri) ～ 2027/01/11 (Mon/Holiday)
• Time
  Start 17:30 / End 22:00
  Last admission 21:00
• Official Website
  https://www.yoyogiforestoflights.tokyo/

*The listed content may have changed. Please check the official website of the venue or organizer for the latest information.
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Yoyogi Park is a public park in Tokyo, adjacent to Harajuku Station and the Meiji Shrine. It covers roughly 50 hectares. Before becoming a park, it was the site of the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Village. Today its layout combines open lawns, wooded sections, and paved paths. The park accommodates joggers, dog walkers, and picnickers; on weekends, the main plaza often hosts informal performances and community events. It is also a well-known cherry-blossom spot, and the trees draw large crowds in late March and early April. The mix of cleared areas and mature vegetation has made the park suitable for temporary installations. Yoyogi Forest of Lights, for example, set digital artwork within the wooded sections rather than treating the park as a neutral exhibition space. The park is less a single attraction than a piece of urban infrastructure with multiple uses.

Reiwa 8 Archaeology Fair: Aichi’s Archaeology 2026

The Reiwa 8 Archaeology Fair—also billed as “Aichi’s Archaeology 2026″—offers an in-depth look at the latest archaeological research from the Tokai region, with a focus on Aichi Prefecture. From November 10 to 29, 2026, visitors to Nagoya’s Kanayama Minami Building can explore a poster exhibition presenting the results of recent excavation surveys and research findings from sites across the region, compiled by archaeological organizations and universities.

The fair is designed to make this research accessible. The poster format allows visitors to move through the material at their own pace, while the surrounding program provides opportunities to go deeper. On November 28 and 29, a Saturday and Sunday, the researchers in charge of the surveys will deliver presentations in the hall, along with lectures and symposia. These sessions give the public a chance to hear directly from the people who led the fieldwork and to learn about the methods and conclusions shaping Tokai archaeology.

The fair also aims to bring new people into the field. The organizers state their goal plainly: to create more archaeology fans. With that in mind, the Archaeology Festa will be held on Sunday, November 15, offering a workshop that both children and adults can enjoy. Participation costs 300 yen to cover materials, while admission to the fair itself is free.

The venue, the Nagoya City Center Machizukuri Hiroba/Hall, is on the 11th floor of the Kanayama Minami Building, just outside the south exit of Kanayama General Station. The fair is closed on November 16 and 24, and open from 10:00 to 18:00 on weekdays, with an earlier close of 17:00 on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.

Practical information

• Dates: November 10 (Tue) – 29 (Sun), 2026
• Closed: November 16 (Mon), November 24 (Tue)
• Hours: 10:00 – 18:00 (10:00 – 17:00 on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays)
• Location: Kanayama Minami Building 11th Floor, Nagoya City Center Machizukuri Hiroba/Hall
• Admission: Free (Machizukuri Hiroba/Hall); November 15 Archaeology Festa: 300 yen material cost
• Access: Immediately from the south exit of Kanayama General Station
• Contact: Aichi Prefecture Education and Sports Promotion Foundation, Aichi Prefecture Buried Cultural Properties Center
  • TEL: 0567-67-4163
  • Homepage: https://maibun.com

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The Tokai region is a geographic and cultural area in central Japan, along the Pacific coast of Honshu. Its name comes from the Tōkaidō, the historic road that connected Kyoto and Edo, now Tokyo. In current usage, the region usually covers Aichi, Gifu, Mie, and Shizuoka prefectures, with Nagoya as its principal city.

Archaeological work in the Tokai region has produced a long record of contact between eastern and western Japan. Jomon pottery found in the area includes local styles that differ from those of the Kanto and Kansai regions. During the Yayoi period, wet-rice agriculture spread through central Japan, and excavations in Aichi and Shizuoka have yielded wooden tools, storage structures, and settlement layouts associated with early paddy farming. Kofun-period burial mounds in Tokai show variation in size and construction, and some contain bronze mirrors and other goods that came from the continent or from the Kinai region around present-day Nara and Kyoto. In the medieval period, ports along the Tokai coast handled trade between Kyoto, Kamakura, and other centers; contemporary documents record shipments of timber, salt, and ceramics.

The region’s position between east and west makes it a useful case study for how material culture changed as it moved across Japan. The exhibitions planned for Visit Aichi’s Archaeology 2026 are expected to draw on this local record and present it alongside comparative material from other parts of the country.

Mamoru Hosoda’s Origins / Exhibition

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the release of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, the largest exhibition to date for animation director Mamoru Hosoda will be held. Centering on The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars, and Wolf Children, the exhibition will display precious production materials such as storyboards, layouts, original drawings, and background art across a large space. It does not stop at the famous films, though. By tracing back to Hosoda’s work as a stage director, his independent animations from his student days, his oil paintings, and the original experiences in his hometown of Toyama, the exhibition unravels the origins of the director’s creativity and the essence of his visual direction alongside numerous famous scenes.

Event details

• Period: Wednesday, October 28, 2026 – Monday, January 4, 2027
• Closed: Thursday, December 31, 2026, Friday, January 1, 2027
• Hours: 10:00–18:00 (Last entry until 17:30)
• Location: Grand Front Osaka North Building, Knowledge Capital Event Lab (3-1 Ofukacho, Kita-ku, Osaka City)
• Fees: General/University Students 2,300 yen, Middle/High School Students 1,300 yen, Elementary School Students 700 yen *Preschool children free
• Inquiries: 0570-200-888 (12:00–17:00 *Closed on weekends and holidays)
• Website: https://www.ytv.co.jp/event/contents/hosodagenten-exhibit.html

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Mamoru Hosoda is an animation director from Toyama Prefecture, born in 1967. He began his career at Toei Animation, working on series such as Dragon Ball Z and Sailor Moon, then moved into feature films. His credits include The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars, Wolf Children, The Boy and the Beast, Mirai, and Belle. In 2011, he co-founded Studio Chizu with producer Yuichiro Saito.

His films are usually built around family relationships and the difficulties of growing up. Several also involve digital or virtual worlds, but these are treated as extensions of the characters’ lives rather than replacements for them. The animation itself is precise: backgrounds are detailed, movement is natural, and fantasy elements are introduced without undermining the realism of the everyday scenes around them.

An upcoming exhibition in Osaka will present concept art, storyboards, and production material from Hosoda’s major works. It will show how settings were designed, how character expressions were developed, and how the studio translated scripts into finished scenes. The exhibition is aimed at both longtime viewers and newcomers. It is less about celebrating Hosoda’s reputation than about showing the craft behind his films.

Oasis 21 i Center Hands-On Event: Arimatsu-Narumi Shibori Tie-Dyeing

For those seeking to deepen their engagement with the cultural landscape of Nagoya, the Oasis 21 i-Center offers a unique opportunity to engage with the city’s heritage through traditional crafts. Dyeing has been deeply integrated into the fabric of Nagoya since ancient times, characterized by a variety of sophisticated techniques including Nagoya Yuzen, Nagoya Kuro-mon-tsuki dyeing, and the renowned Arimatsu-Narumi Shibori. To preserve and share these skills, the i-Center hosts monthly experience events focused on Arimatsu-Narumi Shibori, allowing participants to experience the tactile joy of the dyeing process.

Because the workshop is designed to be accessible, small children are very welcome to participate. Furthermore, English support is available to ensure that international visitors can fully engage with the instruction.

● About Reservations
● Arimatsu-Narumi Shibori Dyeing Experience

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About Reservations

To manage the capacity of the workshop, a structured reservation system is in place. For the upcoming session, bookings for November open on November 2 (Mon) starting at 10:00 AM.

To ensure all participants have an opportunity to engage with the craft, seat reservations are limited to a maximum of 30 minutes and one piece of work per person. Participants must select one of the following available start times:

• Morning/Midday: 11:00 / 11:30 / 12:00 / 12:30
• Afternoon: 14:30 / 15:00 / 15:30 / 16:00

Reservations can be submitted via the Internet Application Form.

While priority is granted to those who reserve in advance, participation is possible on the day of the event provided there are vacant seats. Please note that the i-Center cannot accept any reservations made before the official reservation start date and time.

In the event of transportation disruptions caused by bad weather or other unforeseen circumstances, the experience event will be cancelled. In such instances, the i-Center will contact registered participants directly—which is why providing a name and contact information during the reservation process is essential. Official cancellation guidance will also be posted in the “Notice” section of the website and on the specific “Event Page.” Individuals who need to cancel their own reservations should contact the Oasis 21 i-Center via telephone at 052-963-5252.

Request for Cooperation

To ensure a safe and organized environment for all participants, the following guidelines are requested:

• Hand sanitization is required upon entry.
• The submission of a name and contact information is mandatory; this data will be discarded after one month and will not be used except in emergencies, such as severe weather.
• Photos will be taken during the workshop for recording purposes, though these will be captured in a manner that ensures faces are not recognizable.
• The workshop focuses on specific traditional methods; therefore, requests to use techniques other than the specified ones will be declined.
• For health and safety reasons, participation will be declined for anyone presenting a fever of 37.5 degrees or higher on the day of the event.

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Arimatsu-Narumi Shibori Dyeing Experience

Under the guidance of instructor Mr. Yasuhito Kondo of Konsei Co., Ltd., participants will create items such as tenugui (traditional hand towels). The focus of this session is “Sekka Shibori,” which is one of the distinct patterns derived from the “Itajime” (board-clamping) technique. It should be noted that the technical support provided for this session is limited to the creation of equilateral triangles or isosceles right triangles.

Event Details:

• Date: November 9, 2026 (Mon)
• Required Time: 30 minutes
• Location: In front of Oasis 21 i-Center (Oasis 21 B1F)
• Fee: 1,200 yen (per piece)
• Contact: Oasis 21 i-Center (Reception hours 10:00–20:00) | TEL: 052-963-5252

Access:
The venue is highly accessible via public transit, as it is directly connected to the following stations:

• Subway Higashiyama Line/Meijo Line: Exit the “Sakae” Station through the East Ticket Gate.
• Meitetsu Seto Line: Exit the “Sakaemachi” Station ticket gate.

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Arimatsu-Narumi Shibori is a resist-dyeing technique from the Arimatsu and Narumi districts, near Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture. It is one of many Japanese shibori methods, in which cloth is bound, folded, twisted, or stitched before dyeing to keep dye from reaching certain areas. The technique dates from the early Edo period, more than four centuries ago. It developed along the Tōkaidō road, the major route connecting Edo and Kyoto, and became a specialty sold to travelers passing through the region.

More than one hundred named patterns have been recorded. They include kanoko, small dots made by binding sections of cloth tightly with thread; miura, in which thread is looped around small pinches of fabric; kumo, formed by folding and binding the cloth into web-like lines; and hiwa, which produces irregular, bird-dropping shaped marks. Each of these requires handwork, and much of the labor is repetitive and slow. The dyed fabrics are often made with indigo or other natural dyes, and the finished textiles show geometric motifs, soft gradations, and clean, undyed lines.

In 1993, the Aichi Prefecture government designated Arimatsu-Narumi Shibori a Traditional Craft. The practice continues in the area: workshops are open to visitors, where it is possible to watch the process or try a simple technique, and local shops sell cloth, accessories, and garments made in this tradition.