Tokyo’s Roppongi district possesses a curious – and compelling – double identity: contemporary arts hotspot by day, and party central after the sun goes down. The annual Roppongi Art Night dynamically unites these two facets in a celebration of creativity that takes over major art museums, shopping complexes and the city streets themselves.
Over three evenings from September 27 to 29, the 13th edition of Roppongi Art Night comprises over 40 programmes from 30 artists and art collectives, curated to reflect the 2024 edition’s theme of ‘A Festival of City, Art and Future’. Across an eclectic selection of exhibitions, performances, installations, digital works, music and more, runs a common thread of global-mindedness and continuation into the next generation.
Alongside major ongoing art shows, including the spectacular Keiichi Tanaami retrospective at The National Art Center, Tokyo, Roppongi Art Night includes a whole host of exclusive presentations. Many take place in public spaces, and can be enjoyed without spending a single yen. Among these, here are just a few of the highlights.
A procession of glowing flowers lights up Roppongi’s streets
'PongiRing - Parade of Light Flower' is a one-night-only ‘living artwork’ created by Kyoto-born Kyota Takahashi. A crowd of people wearing flower-shaped, glow-in-the-dark rubber rings will walk from the National Art Center, Tokyo, through Tokyo Midtown and on to Roppongi Hills. LED lights on accompanying floats will change colour in time with the footsteps of participants, with the sensory experience heightened even further by atmospheric music.
When: September 28, 6.30pm-7.30pm (parade), performance in front of Roppongi Hills Arena (7.30pm-9pm)
Where: From the National Art Center, Tokyo to Roppongi Hills
Larger-than-life bubbles teach us to live in the moment
An immersive light and sound installation, Atelier Sisu's 'Ephemeral Collection' seeks to convey the transient nature of life via the fragility of the bubble. Here, these gigantic, translucent spheres are created using colour-reflecting material that changes its appearance as day shifts into night.
When: September 27 (5.30pm–11pm), September 28 (11am-11pm), September 29 (11am-8pm)
Where: Roppongi Hills Arena
Ultra-vivid sculptures evoke the elements of life on earth
'Bliss of Luxuriance – Reflection', by Taiwanese and Japanese duo Tsai and Yoshikawa, consists of giant abstract flower sculptures expressing energies that are essential to life on our planet: water, light and air. Formed from aluminium and painted in fluorescent hues, they glow brilliantly before sunset, then dazzle under blacklight in the evening.
When: September 27 (5.30pm), September 29 (8pm), September 30-October 14
Where: Roppongi Hills West Walk, 2nd floor
Discover a electrifying new interpretation of Bon Odori
Japan’s Bon Odori festival, originally a ritual to honour deceased ancestors, is radically reimagined in this ‘Electronikos Fantastikos! Electromagnetic Street Bon Dance Festival’ that pays tribute to electricity, an indispensable element of modern life. The traditional Bon Odori songs take on a new character as they are played on discarded household appliances in place of conventional instruments, while dancers dynamically interact with this one-of-a-kind soundtrack.
When: September 29, 4pm-4.30pm, 7.10pm-8pm
Where: Roppongi Hills Arena
A streetwise fox deity appears in Tokyo Midtown
Ancient folklore and modern urbanism come together in ‘Blue Fox’, an intriguing installation by Hiroshima-based Hiroko Kubo. This fox-like blue creature, standing on floor B1 of Tokyo Midtown Galleria, takes inspiration from the fox deities in Japanese legends that have inspired the names of present-day Roppongi areas including Kitsune-zaka. Reflecting this influence on the modern landscape, Kubo’s ‘Blue Fox’ is formed from the wire mesh and windbreak netting that is used to cover construction sites in Japan.
When: September 27-October 14
Where: Tokyo Midtown Galleria, B1
Roppongi Art Night is set to run from Friday September 27 to Sunday September 29. The festival is largely free, but some programmes and museum exhibitions may require a fee. For more information and the full programme, check the festival website.
This article was published on September 20 and updated on September 27.
More from Time Out Tokyo
Gakugeidaigaku is one of the world’s coolest neighbourhoods in 2024
Here’s the official 2024 autumn leaves forecast for Japan
3 big festivals happening in Tokyo this September 27-29 weekend
Five million red spider lilies will be blooming at this Saitama park soon
teamLab is opening a new permanent exhibition at a rice terrace in Ibaraki
Want to be the first to know what’s cool in Tokyo? Sign up to our newsletter for the latest updates from Tokyo and Japan.