It's become a pandemic cliché: three years ago seems like an eternity. The previous edition of the Aichi Triennale (held in Aichi Prefecture in central Japan) took place in the waning days of the innocent, mask-free era, though it faced trouble of another kind with right-wing outrage over a sculpture addressing the "comfort women" issue. The controversy contributed to minor changes -- Nagoya City has withdrawn financial support, never a king's ransom to begin with, and the Japanese name is now simply Aichi 2022, though the triennial schedule and English name are unchanged. But as this year's title, "Still Alive," tells us, the Triennale is alive and kicking. more...

Ueno Park has been a place of historic significance ever since the Tokugawa shogunate established the area as a site for religious buildings and mausoleums during the Edo period (1603-1867). This religious sanctuary was destroyed in the civil war of 1868, after which the new Meiji government turned it into a park. The park first functioned as a site for cultural and industrial expositions, and over the decades, this role fostered its evolution into one of the most important cultural hubs in Japan. more...