text tokyo blog

Residency at Akiyoshidai

2010-07-07T17:08:00.002+09:00

Akiyoshidai International Art Village in Japan’s Yamaguchi prefecture is calling for applications for a 70-day residency to be held from January to March of 2011.

Located next to a limestone-studded national park that is home to Japan’s largest cave, the Art Village was founded in 1998 as a multidisciplinary space with facilities for both visual and performance art, including music, dance and theater. But don’t let that fool you—they’ll actually accept applications from practitioners working in every field from fashion to architecture to literature to music composition.

The only real requirement is that you must be a “young or emerging” artist (under 40) and able to communicate in English. Two artists of any nationality living outside Japan will be selected, along with one Japanese artist living either in Japan or abroad. They’ll pay for your flight and insurance, plus cover production costs of up to around 230,000 yen, and throw in daily stipend of 2,800 yen. Not heaps, but there’s probably nowhere to spend your money out there anyway, so never mind.

Get more info and all the forms here and get your applications in by July 31.

TWS looking for exhibition proposals

2010-06-29T16:48:00.000+09:00

Tokyo Wonder Site is calling for artists and aspiring curators to submit proposals for a funded exhibition to be held at TWS Hongo (near Suidobashi Station on the Chuo and Sobu lines). Selected applicants will receive exhibition space sometime around March 2011, a payment of 400,000 yen towards costs, and promotional support. Entry is restricted to artists and curators under the age of 40. Applicants must submit a CV, entry form, outline of proposal and a budget. There is a small entry fee of 2,000 and entries must be received by August 21.

And those nice people at TWS will even be holding a special information session sometime in early July to give prospective applicants a bit of a hand in designing their proposals.

Entries will be judged by panel of five, including Mami Kataoka, chief curator of the Mori Art Museum, so even if you don’t score, it’s a good chance to get on the radar of the movers and shakers of the Tokyo contemporary art scene.

Download all the forms here and tell 'em text tokyo sent you!

New arts complex opens in Akihabara

2010-05-26T11:32:00.002+09:00

Next month sees the full opening of a new art center in Tokyo’s “Electric Town” district of Akihabara. Previously a junior high school, the buildings that make up the new 3331 Arts Chiyoda complex have been renovated to accommodate “a range of different project and exhibition spaces,” not to mention offices, a café, lounge, rooftop garden allotments and more. In addition, a number of the former classrooms have been leased to all sorts of creative types, NPOs and other organizations, making for a fairly lively vibe. Although the gallery space has been open since March this year, the official opening of the whole site will be held on Saturday, June 26 and will consist of an exhibition, opening party and talks, with a series of further events to begin from the following day. See here for more details.

3331 Arts Chiyoda is also calling for applications for its inaugural artist-in-residence program, which is basically a user-pays deal that, at 500,000 to 600,000 yen for one month seems a little steep to us, but hey, if you’re dying to have an exhibition in Tokyo and have got the cash lying around, why not? Check out what’s on offer and download the application form here.

Artist-in-residence program in Kyoto calling for applicants

2010-05-24T17:10:00.000+09:00

The Kyoto Art Center is now accepting applications for its 2011 artist-in-residence program. The program is open to both artists and researchers of any age, nationality or discipline and to groups as well as individuals, but you must have a specific reason for seeking to stay in Kyoto, as opposed to some other part of Japan.

A spot of up to three months can be requested for anytime between April 1, 2011 and March 31, 2012. The residency basically consists of accommodation, studio space and an allowance of 200,000 yen to cover production/research costs. Travel and living expenses are not covered. Applications are due by June 30, 2010. More details and the application form can be found here. (Click where it says "ダウンロード OPEN" for the form.)

Bill and Ted would be proud

2010-05-21T16:08:00.002+09:00

The Japan Mint is offering a 500,000 yen prize for the "Most Excellent Work" submitted for its International Coin Design Competition. Other prizes include the "Excellent Work" prize (200,000 yen) and student prizes (50,000 yen), while the winning entries of the top two prizes will be exhibited at the (we guess totally prestigious and wildly exciting) Tokyo International Coin Convention in May 2011. Entries for the general and student categories must be in by August 31 and September 15, 2010, respectively.

Upcoming Artist-in-Residence Programs in Tokyo and Aomori

2010-04-26T16:12:00.004+09:00

Tokyo Wonder Site and Aomori Contemporary Art Centre are both calling for applications for upcoming artist-in-residence programs.

TWS’s International Creator Residency program, a three-month residency from January to March 2011, is open to practitioners, researchers and curators working in a broad range of fields encompassing visual art, architecture, design, video, music and performing arts. Based in Tokyo’s happening Aoyama district, the two creators selected will be expected to “perform new creative activities based on … subjects which are [at the] core of our projects such as ‘Art and Environment,’ ‘Cultural diversity and the activities of New Art Centres’ or ‘Possibilities of collaboration.’” The deadline for applications is May 31, 2010. Download the application package here.

Although perched way up on the northern tip of Japan’s main island of Honshu, Aomori Contemporary Art Centre’s location far from the country’s major metropolitan hubs hasn’t seemed to do it any harm. The Centre itself was designed by renowned architect Tadao Ando and its buildings are described intriguingly on the Centre’s website as being “buried deep inside the surrounding forest.” The Japan Foundation’s Japanese Artist-in-Residency website gives a nice outline of the Centre, its programs and the local area.

ACAC’s 2010 autumn residency is based on the theme of “surprise” or “wonder” (“bikkuri” in Japanese) and the five artists selected will be expected to address the theme in the group exhibition held at the end of the roughly two-month period, which starts September 13 and finishes November 26 this year. Applications must be received by May 28, 2010. The application guidelines and form can be downloaded here.

art, art, art

2010-04-01T13:55:00.001+09:00

ART FAIR TOKYO, Japan’s largest art fair, is on again this weekend at Tokyo International Forum in Marunouchi. This year, 138 galleries will be displaying around 3,000 artworks, many of which will be available for sale. If that isn’t enough to wear you out, there are also a couple of seminars and some guided tours. The excitement kicks off tonight with a special guest/press preview and continues for the next three days, ending on Sunday the 4th. Tickets are 1,200 yen pre-purchase or 1,500 yen at the door. Get more information here.

Also this weekend is a new event with the slightly misleading moniker ART FAIR FREE. Although considerably smaller than ART FAIR TOKYO, this group exhibition offers a fun alternative to the earnest sales-driven atmosphere of its bigger, much sweatier cousin. Part silent auction, part swap meet, ART FAIR FREE gives the financially challenged a chance to get in on the game by way of a barter system in which would-be buyers offer stuff for art. Not to mention simultaneously doing away with that pesky “first-in-best-dressed” rule AND giving you the chance to clean out your closet.

Here’s how it works: 55 artists will contribute works. If you spot one you really, desperately can’t live without, you can request a special (yes, special) email address where you can write to the artist, proposing a trade. If the artist wants what you’re offering more than any of the other offers they receive, you get the artwork and the artist gets that brand new exercise machine you bought two years ago and still haven’t unwrapped.

ART FAIR FREE will be held at VACANT in Harajuku from Friday, April 2 to Sunday, April 4. The successful bidders will be announced at a party on Sunday night. Entry to the exhibition is 1,000 yen. Click here for more.

Roppongi Art Night 2010

2010-03-19T12:57:00.002+09:00

Get ready for Roppongi Art Night 2010 next weekend from the night of Saturday, March 27 until the following morning. This dusk-to-dawn extravaganza featuring installations, talks, performances, screenings and more will take place right across Roppongi in the streets and at participating shops and restaurants. Mori Art Museum, the National Art Center, Tokyo, the Suntory Museum of Art and 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT as well as Tokyo Midtown and Roppongi Hills will also be running their own programs. Click on the venue links for more information or try the official website here (unfortunately, mostly only in Japanese).

P.S. Parents who want to bring their kids along should beware. As noted on the Roppongi Art Night website: “In accordance with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government regulation on the healthy development of youth, children below the age of 18 may not to attend events between the hours of 11 pm and 4 am.”

Artist File 2010

2010-03-18T14:23:00.007+09:00

CHISATO SAITO, The portraits of bubble

Macro photographer Chisato Saito will give a workshop from 1:30 to 5pm on Saturday, March 20 as part of the National Art Center, Tokyo's third annual Artist File exhibition on from March 3 to May 5, 2010. Bringing together six Japanese and one Dutch artist, Artist File 2010: The NACT Annual Show of Contemporary Art has no particular theme but rather styles itself as “a series of solo exhibitions” designed to showcase a range of current forms of artistic expression.

This year’s show also features Naoyo Fukuda, Takashi Ishida, Toru Kuwakubo, Aernout Mik, Kaoru Minamino and Jun O.

The six other artists will be giving talks throughout the exhibition, including a double talk on March 27 as part of Roppongi Art Night (see post).

Aichi Triennale 2010 calls for exhibition proposals

2010-03-17T15:06:00.003+09:00

Aichi Triennale 2010 is calling for applications for “inspiring projects of contemporary art exhibition by artists and curators” as part of its second Curatorial Competition. The Aichi Triennale is a new international contemporary and performance art festival to be held in various venues in the city of Nagoya in Aichi prefecture from August 21 to October 31 this year.

This second round of the competition is open to both individuals and groups of artists and curators, with no restrictions on age or nationality. Applications may be submitted in English. Applicants should nominate their proposed site within Nagoya’s Choja-machi district. The list of sites available includes a room in a dilapidated building and a retail store in an underground shopping strip.

The 12 entries selected will be given an approximately three-week exhibition in either August, September or October 2010, along with up to 100,000 yen cash to cover the costs of creating and shipping the work, site preparation and installation, and travel and accommodation.

The deadline for application is March 31. Get more details and download the application forms here.

Applications sought for ARCUS Project 2010 Ibaraki artist-in-residence program

2010-03-03T16:30:00.000+09:00

The Ibaraki-based artist-in-residence ARCUS Project is once again calling for applications from international emerging artists to participate in a three-month residency from late September to December. Selected applicants will be provided with studio space and accommodation in Moriya city, Ibaraki prefecture for the entire period, along with a return airfare, travel insurance, and a monthly allowance. Artists must be able to communicate in English and should not be enrolled in an undergraduate or post-graduate program during the residency period. Although five studios are available, only one artist per country will be selected.

This year's program takes a more process-oriented approach and organizers are therefore seeking "a project which does not regard final presentation as a goal, but tries to conduct a site-specific research / project within a certain period of time."

Applications must be mailed, postmarked no later than March 31, 2010. Get all the details and application forms here.

New Tokyo Art Beat iPhone App

2010-02-19T13:28:00.002+09:00

Tokyo Art Beat, the ultimate bilingual guide to the city's art scene, has finally released its long-promised iPhone/iPod Touch application. Sadly, when text tokyo tried to download it, we were told we did have not enough credit to cover the 230 yen price tag. Oh well, we're going to recommend that you go out and buy it anyway. If it's even half as informative and useful as the website (and it seems to have the same browse-by-category functions and recommendations, plus maps and directions) it will be the best favor you've done yourself in a long time... And no, before you even think it, text tokyo has not been paid, requested or in any way induced to make this endorsement. Can't a person just genuinely admire someone else's work these days without suspicions being aroused?

Yebisu International Festival for Art & Alternative Visions 2010

2010-02-18T16:49:00.012+09:00

The Second Yebisu International Festival for Art & Alternative Visions 2010 starts tomorrow, Friday 19 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography in Ebisu. This 10-day event features a mix of just about everything you can think of (and, this being Japan, probably a lot you can’t), including film, video, photography, computer-generated imagery, two- and three-dimensional works, installations, light shows, sound works, projections, talks, performances and more.

The theme for this year’s festival is “searching songs,” with the connection explained by festival director Keiko Okamura in what could almost be the exact opposite of a revelatory manner:

Just as a song is passed from generation to generation, an image is carried by the people who see it.

Whatever. Anyway, the festival is organized into five largely media-based categories of "screenings", "exhibitions," "off site," "live events" and the "website," with the last one almost certain to be the least interesting to non-Japanese speakers. The "off site" part consists of lighting shows and more around Yebisu Garden Place in Ebisu and showing stuff on outdoor screens in Shibuya.

And don’t fret if all that snowboarding this season has left you cash strapped—apart from some of the screenings, entry is free.

LED installation by Takayuki Fujimoto, one of the artists participating in this year's Yebisu International Festival for Art & Alternative Visions

A scene from last year's event

13th Japan Media Arts Festival

2010-02-03T13:00:00.000+09:00

The 13th Japan Media Arts Festival starts today at The National Arts Center, Tokyo. Running until February 14, the exhibition showcases winners in four divisions: Art, Entertainment, Animation and Manga. Past winners include Hayao Miyaki's anime film, Spirited Away and Nintendo's Wii Sports game. The festival is organized by Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs and aims to "promote the creation and development of media arts." This year the festival received over 2,500 entries from 53 countries and regions around the world.

New artist-in-residency program at Australia House, Niigata

2010-02-01T17:06:00.003+09:00

Matsudai-Nobutai cultural center has announced a new artist-in-residence program to take place at Australia House, a renovated two-story property located in the beautiful countryside of Urada in Niigata prefecture. This former farmhouse was originally restored to provide exhibition space and accommodations for Australian participants in the Echigo-Tsumari Triennial 2009 (an event in which Matsudai-Nobutai also played a key role) and is now positioned as a permanent space for Australian-Japanese exchange. Organized with assistance from the Australian Embassy in Tokyo and the Australia-Japan Foundation, the residency includes accommodation and studio space at Australia House from June 1 to August 7, 2010, and support for an exhibition (at a location to be determined in consultation with the artist) from August 1.

Funding is an incredibly generous AUD$17,000 and includes provision for return airfares for the selected artist and an accompanying person (they actually recommend that you take someone with you, “considering the location”), other travel expenses, costs related to the creation, transport and exhibition of the artwork, general living expenses and more.

Apart from the work itself, the artist will be expected to create opportunities for engagement with local residents and take part in activities designed to help revitalize the local area.

Application is only open to citizens and permanent residents of Australia.

Download guidelines and the application form from the Australia House website here and get your application in by February 28, 2010.

Tokyo Art Nights

2010-01-27T13:23:00.002+09:00

Also this weekend, timed nicely (if not deliberately) to coincide with G-tokyo 2010 (see post) and the beginning of New Tokyo Contemporaries 3 (see post), is another event based on a fairly loose reading of the term “art fair.” Borrowing heavily from the art-fair-in-a-hotel model, the organizers of Mancy’s Tokyo Art Nights, to be held on Saturday, January 30 and the following day, describe the event as their first attempt to link contemporary art with upscale restauranty (yes, we did just make up that word). The upscale restaurant in question—if the name didn’t already give it away—is newly opened “luxury salon and cafe” Mancy’s Tokyo located in Azabu Juban, and the art is courtesy of nine contemporary galleries from Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea and China.

If the art isn’t enough to get you in the door, there are also promises of “fancy food and drinks”--our favorite kind--for the bargain price of 500 yen plus the chance to schmooze with artists and gallerists.

You can kick off your Saturday night at the opening reception, starting from 9 pm, or pop in for a look-see anytime between 4 pm and 12 midnight on Saturday or 12 noon and 9 pm on Sunday.

New Tokyo Contemporaries 3

2010-01-26T16:09:00.001+09:00

Starting today and continuing on through to Sunday, February 21 is the all-singing, all-dancing* extravaganza formally known as New Tokyo Contemporaries 3. This “art month” of events spread across the city is organized around the theme of “contemporary culture and business” and features talks, films, workshops and -- yes, please! -- parties, along with special on-site exhibitions by the seven participating galleries plus a number of off-site collaborations between the galleries and various artists.

The stated aim of the event is to “foreground contemporary art as an essential part of everyday contemporary culture” and “represents a new phase of activity for NTC, which was founded with the goal of increasing opportunities for and interest in the exhibition and appreciation of contemporary art in Tokyo.” So there.

* No, not literally.

G-tokyo 2010 at Mori Arts Center Gallery

2010-01-25T17:14:00.001+09:00

If you prefer to take your weekly or monthly art fix in one big dose but aren't so keen on the frenzied, shopping-mall-at-sale-time atmosphere that sometimes characterizes the big art fairs, biennials, triennials and whatever else they've come up with, G-tokyo may be just what you're looking for. This three-day event brings together 15 of Tokyo's top contemporary art galleries under one roof at the Mori Arts Center Gallery at Roppongi Hills, where they will exhibit "solo artist shows or curated projects." The stated aim of this first-time event is to offer "seasoned and beginning art collectors an extremely rare opportunity to experience the diversity of the Japanese contemporary art world."

Participating galleries include text tokyo favorites like Scai the Bathhouse and Wako Works of Art, but this time we're particularly looking forward to getting an eyeful of Neo Nihongan Akira Yamaguchi at the Mizuma Art Gallery booth and German artist Thomas Demand, presented by Taka Ishii Gallery.

The preview on Friday, January 29 is by invitation only, but the show will continue over the weekend (11 am to 8 pm both Saturday and Sunday). Entry is 1000 yen. See you there!

Mori Art Museum curator to give talk at Tokyo Wonder Site

2010-01-20T13:06:00.001+09:00

Mami Kataoka, the chief curator of the Mori Art Museum (and also the international curator at London's Hayward Gallery), will give a talk this Saturday, January 23 on the topic "Japanese Art Scene - it's transition in the past 20 years" at TWS Aoyama: Creator-in-Residence (located within the United Nations University on Aoyama Dori, see map). The talk is free and is scheduled to start at 2pm. Following the talk, guests will have the chance to explore the studio space and work in progress of the current cohort of artists-in-residence. No need to book, just show up!

Pick of the week: ON ZA LINE's The Garden as Science Fiction Vol. 2

2009-12-14T13:50:00.001+09:00

Tokyo-based ceramic design duo ON ZA LINE have revisited their fabulous vision of the future in a new exhibition, The Garden as Science Fiction Vol. 2, on this week at Rocket gallery in Harajuku.

Staying with the botanical theme adopted for their collection of the same name launched in October last year, the two have once again employed their prodigious talents and creativity to produce pieces of exquisite delicacy and beauty, with the pairs' characteristic sense of playfulness and fun providing an overall frame for the show.

This time they have teamed up with photographer Sebastian Mayer, who's stunning prints both bring the pieces and the gallery space to life, as well as amply seeding the imagination of the viewer.

But you'll have to be quick to catch it -- the show ends Tuesday, December 15. Click here for a map to Rocket.

text tokyo attended the opening on Friday night. Here's a few pics.

Applications sought for the Kamiyama Artist-in-Residence Program 2010

2009-12-04T15:10:00.009+09:00

The Kamiyama Artist-in-Residence Program, began in 1999 by local NPO Green Valley, is calling for applications for 2010. Located in Tokushima prefecture on the island of Shikoku, the smallest of the four main islands that make up Japan, Kamiyama (meaning "God's mountain") is certainly off the beaten track, but if it's peace and quiet you're looking for, you'd be coming to the right place.

Surrounded by mountains, the township has a long historical association with artistic practice. In it's glory days it was apparently a hotbed for puppet-making and even boasts an old theater that has been renovated and turned into a studio/exhibition space for participating artists. The people that run the program are all local volunteers and they are very keen to be of assistance.

Residencies are available for the period between August 17 and November 9, 2010, and the March 1, 2010 deadline for applications is still a comfortable several months away.

Applications are sought from artists working in "painting, drawing, sculpture, installation, land art or other art making" and must, among other things, be able to communicate in either English or Japanese.

Both domestic and international travel expenses to and from Osaka Airport and Kamiyama are covered, and artists will be provided with a studio, accommodation, a materials allowance of up to 300,000 yen (about US$3,400) and a living allowance of 100,000 yen (around US$1,100) for the period. (Not to mention use of a car, motorbike or bicycle. Have they thought of everything or what?)

Apart from making work, the selected artists will be expected to give presentations and otherwise engage with the local community and provide a report at the end of their stay.

All the details and application guidelines and forms are right here.

This seems like a pretty good deal, but only three artists will be selected, so you better have a kick-ass application.

Oh and by the way, the studios and accommodations are available for rent when not in use during the program.

Curatorial workshop with Vasif Kortun at TWS

2009-12-02T10:39:00.006+09:00

TWS Aoyama: Creator-in-Residence is hosting a four-part curatorial workshop by Turkish curator Vasif Kortun. Over the last decade or so, among other things, Kortun has been appointed head or co-curator of a number of international biennales, including Istanbul, Sao Paulo and Taipei.

Kortun will present a two-day workshop in four sessions on the weekend of December 19 - 20, starting at 10.30 am and finishing at 4.00 pm. The 5000 yen fee includes admission to the talk Kortun will give on the Friday night before.

Details on how to apply here:

http://www.tokyo-ws.org/english/archive/2009/11/on-the-agenda-of-the-arts.shtml

Interview with Kortun by Fillip:

http://fillip.ca/content/vasif-kortun-istanbul-qua-istanbul

100-day art festival seeking proposals

2009-08-03T15:01:00.006+09:00

Setouchi International Art Festival 2010 is inviting proposals from both Japanese and international artists for a 100-day exhibition to take place from July next year. The exhibition will be spread over seven islands located in Japan's Seto Inland Sea and artists are invited to incorporate the existing environment, with submission categories including works to be placed in "private or vacant houses," pieces to be installed in alleys on Ogijima island and artworks inspired by the natural landscape or terraced rice paddies of Shodoshima island. The application fee is a mere 1000 yen (about 10 bucks US) and up to three submissions by individual artists or groups will be accepted.

Besides the opportunity to exhibit alongside the likes of Chiharu Shiota and Christian Boltanski, successful applicants will receive a production fee of between 500,000 yen to 2,500,000 yen to cover costs (around US$5,000 to 26,000).

The deadline for submission is August 31. More details, including the application form, guidelines and information about the various islands can be found here.

Performance and residency spots on offer at Tokyo Wonder Site

2009-06-24T14:43:00.013+09:00

Tokyo Wonder Site is calling for applications for its Experimental Sound, Art & Performance Festival, scheduled to take place at TWS Hongo (near Ochanomizu Station) from February 25 to 28, 2010.

Applications are invited from both local and international artists/performers working in the areas of "performance, improvisation, contemporary music, ethnic music, noise music and sound installation." Curators and producers are also encouraged to apply. Selected applicants will have the chance to perform pieces of up to two hours' duration for an audience of up to 80, with around 90% of ticket revenues going to the performer. TWS will take care of all the publicity and can provide limited equipment.

The application process is no walk in the park though. Applicants are required to submit either audio or video recordings of their work, plus a 600 to 800 word essay. If you get through the screening process, you'll be asked to come in for an interview and live presentation.

More details and the application form can be found here. Applications must be received by July 31.

***

You'll have to be quick to catch this one, but Tokyo Wonder Site is also inviting applications from "international creators" for its first 2010 residency (from January to March) at TWS Aoyama (within the UN University on Aoyama Dori). The deadline for this is June 30 and only two artists will be selected out of the no doubt thousands of applications.

text tokyo got a peek at both the studio and living space when our friend Australian artist James Lynch was invited to participate a couple of years ago and we can confirm it all looked pretty comfortable.

Details and form here. Get cracking!

101Tokyo art talks

2009-03-27T15:23:00.004+09:00

101Tokyo has just announced it will hold a series of talks "on the state of the Japanese art world today," to take place over three of the four days (April 2 to April 5) of the 101Tokyo Contemporary Art Fair 2009.

Dubbed "101Questions," topics range from the role of art fairs in Asia to the influence of contemporary art on creative industries. Check out the full program and list of panelists here.

ARCUS artist residency in Ibaraki

2009-03-14T14:28:00.001+09:00

The prefectural government-sponsored ARCUS Project is calling for applications for its 2009 artist-in-residence program. The program runs for three to four months at the end of 2009 and provides artists with a studio, accomodation, round-trip fare (international or from within Japan) and a monthly allowance of 100,000 yen!

In return, artists will be expected to participate in local community and other program activities (including sightseeing!) and produce stunning masterpieces*, or at least be "be positively motivated in conducting artistic research." How hard can it be?

But make your application good and quick—(probably) only two artists will be selected and applications close March 31.

Get the application materials here.

* Actually, this is less an explicit statement by ARCUS and more a loose interpretation by us.

Two massive art fairs hit Tokyo first weekend of April

2009-03-06T14:46:00.003+09:00

But before we tell you all about it, let us welcome you to the text tokyo blog: an admittedly far from comprehensive round up of news, events, exhibitions going on in and around Tokyo's contemporary art scene.

Besides providing a rundown on major events we think will be of interest to some (based on the highly subjective notion that they are of interest to ourselves), we will drawing heavily upon our own superhero-like powers of discrimination to endeavor to steer you towards what we consider to be the most interesting artists, the best shows, the wildest opening parties and a generally rollicking good time. Or at least somewhere to get out of the cold/heat and score a couple of free wines.

First up then, we can't help but notice that the first week in April will bring not one, not one-and-a-half, not even one-and-seven-ninths but two massive art fairs in the form of 101 Tokyo and Art Fair Tokyo. With the former bringing together over 30 contemporary art galleries and the latter a reported 68 (not to mention an additional 95 galleries specializing in modern art, nihonga and antiques) it's going to be a total brainbust ... but in a good way. Trust us.

101 Tokyo Contemporary Art Fair 2009 is on for a full four days, from Thursday, April 2 to Sunday, April 5 at Akiba Square in Akihabara (map). Tickets are 1000 yen per day.

Art Fair Tokyo 2009 runs for three days, from Friday, April 3 to Sunday, April 4, with a special preview on the Thursday before and different talks on subjects such as art collecting at various times over the course of the weekend.

Art Fair Tokyo will be held in Maranouchi (near Tokyo Station) at the Tokyo International Forum, with a second venue showcasing newly established contemporary art galleries across the road at Tokia Bldg, Tokia Galleria (map). Tickets are 1500 yen per day, or 1200 yen if you get them in advance. Tickets will also get you discounted entry at Mori Art Museum, Suntory Museum of Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo as well as discounts at shops and restaurants in Tokia Galleria.