Spring and autumn are all-too-brief seasons of joy anywhere in Japan, and maybe even more so in Kyoto, known for its brutal summers and winters. When the pandemic struck, KYOTOGRAPHIE 2020 was postponed from one pleasant time of year to another. On a beautiful, still-warm early fall day, it felt like there couldn't be a better time to hop on a rent-a-cycle and make the rounds of the city's international photography festival. In this eighth edition, with the theme of "Vision," works are exhibited at a splendid lineup of venues within the city limits: the 116-year-old former main building of the Kyoto Prefectural Office, galleries converted from a historic obi (kimono sash) workshop and a grand machiya townhouse, a row of humbler traditional townhouses in the city center, a Zen temple. more...

Tokorozawa Sakura Town is an exciting new facility located within the lush green environment of Tokorozawa, a city northwest of Tokyo in Saitama Prefecture, where architect Kengo Kuma has deftly knitted together community space, cultural facilities, and industry into one complex. Created through an initiative by the city and the Kadokawa Corporation titled Cool Japan Forest Vision, Sakura Town contains a wide array of functions, including a museum for anime, an anime-themed hotel, an event pavilion, a religious shrine, an office campus, book manufacturing facilities, retail shops, and restaurants. The crown jewel in this complex is the Kadokawa Culture Museum, a place where art, education, and the culture of books are integrated together. more...