KYOTO NIPPON FESTIVAL

KYOTO NIPPON FESTIVAL is an immersive exhibition that transforms the historic grounds of Kitano Tenmangu Shrine into a site where art, history, and seasonal change intersect. Moving beyond a conventional exhibition format, the project invites visitors to experience the atmosphere of the shrine while engaging with large-scale installations and performance.

Founded in 2016, KYOTO NIPPON FESTIVAL has presented Japan’s aesthetics and cultural traditions from Kyoto to an international audience. The festival has consistently used Kitano Tenmangu as its central venue, developing a range of cultural programs rooted in the site’s historical and spiritual significance. In 2026, marking its 10th anniversary, the festival features artist Mika Ninagawa in collaboration with the creative team EiM, led by Hiroaki Miyata, who also served as a Theme Project Producer for the Osaka-Kansai Expo. The program additionally includes a collaboration with the dance company DAZZLE, presenting the first immersive performance ever staged at Kitano Tenmangu.

Installations

Garden of Light and Flowers is an outdoor installation composed of approximately 1,200 handmade crystals, each carefully designed and arranged by Ninagawa. The work interacts with natural light, shifting weather conditions, and the gradual blooming of the shrine’s plum blossoms, emphasising the passage of time and the changing seasons.

Afterglow contrasts dried flowers with those in full bloom. The installation addresses themes of life, death, and impermanence, presenting decay and transience as essential elements of beauty rather than loss.

Immersive Performance

The immersive performance The Grand Tea Gathering on a Flowered Night, opening on March 20, represents Ninagawa’s first venture into stage-adjacent performance direction in her career of more than three decades. Lasting approximately 60 minutes, the performance removes the conventional boundary between audience and stage, allowing the narrative to unfold in close proximity to viewers.

Exhibition Goods

A special on-site shop offers exclusive exhibition merchandise, including collaborations with Kyoto-based makers such as tenugui towels, fresh yatsuhashi sweets, and confectionery boxes. Original T-shirts and postcards featuring Ninagawa’s photographs of Kitano Tenmangu’s plum blossoms are also available.

Tickets & Admission

Installation Admission Ticket: provides admission Plum Blossom Garden “Flower Garden” (February 1 - May 24) and Historic Site Odoi Maple Garden “Green Maple” (April 1 - May 24). Re-entry is permitted on the same day. Admission tickets include tea and traditional sweets, which can be collected at the tea shop within the plum garden on the day of your visit. Advance tickets are available via ePlus. Same-day tickets are available for purchase at the venue. Children under 6 years old (pre-school age) are admitted free of charge.

Installation + Immersive Theatre Admission Ticket: provides access to Plum Blossom Garden “Flower Garden” (February 1 - May 24), Historic Site Odoi Maple Garden “Green Maple” (April 1 - May 24) and a scheduled performance at the Fugetsuden Immersive Theatre (March 20 - May 24). Premium ticket holders are admitted before general entry and may enjoy additional performance elements and a special tea experience with selected performers. Premium tickets are available via ePlus.

Premium ticket prices differ between weekdays and weekends/public holidays. Same-day premium tickets are priced ¥1,000 higher than advance premium tickets.