Sending out
old and new
cultures
KYOTO CREATIVE PARK 2024
KYOMAF
Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art
ROHM Theatre Kyoto
The Okazaki area is located between downtown Kyoto and the city’s eastern hills, where the identity of the ancient capital and the history of the city’s modernization blend together. Positioned right to the east of the historical Heian capital (founded in 794), this area retains the atmosphere of traditional Japan, while it is also a place where a canal leading from Lake Biwa was completed in the Meiji period (1868-1912), creating a foundation of Kyoto as the modern city today. Now, the Okazaki area is a place that always has something to offer to everyone coming to explore culture and creativity, with dedicated facilities and events including the Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art, ROHM Theatre Kyoto and Kyoto International Manga Anime Fair (KYOMAF), each expressing and promoting old and new cultures in a variety of ways. Below are the three cultural hubs in Okazaki, Kyoto.
The Kyoto International Manga Anime Fair (KYOMAF), which began in 2012 and held every September at Miyako Messe and ROHM Theatre Kyoto, is one of the largest trade shows of manga, anime, and games in western Japan. It is participated by publishers, TV stations, and visual production companies promoting their newest releases, selling merchandise, and holding stage events featuring famous voice actors. The 2024 KYOMAF will be held on September 21 (Sat) and 22 (Sun), with various additional events held on other dates. For the latest information, visit the KYOMAF official website.
The Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art, which opened in 1933 to commemorate Emperor Showa’s ascension to the throne, has a large collection of famous modern Japanese paintings including many from the Kyoto art scene. Following a renovation project, it reopened in spring 2020 with the Collection Room, a new gallery for themed exhibitions of the museum’s collection including various types of art ranging from modern to contemporary, particularly those by artists of Kyoto. In addition, the new wing Higashiyama Cube holds contemporary art, design, manga, anime, and fashion exhibitions, allowing visitors to enjoy a wider variety of art. The museum’s new, glass-walled, underground entrance was built leaving the main building’s architecture blending Japanese and Western elements intact, resulting in a photogenic combination of historic and futuristic designs that is worth a look.
ROHM Theatre Kyoto (originally Kyoto Kaikan) reopened in January 10, 2016 after renovation and has the Main Hall that can seat 2005 people, the South Hall for 716 people, the North Hall (new) that is used for rehearsals and also functions as a small theater for 200 people, and two conference rooms. In addition, the complex now includes Park Plaza, a commercial zone created to contribute to the revitalization of cultural projects and art activities, and houses a restaurant, a bookshop, and a café. The theater complex has become a “hall of culture” of Kyoto, a city of arts and culture, where full-scale stage performances ranging from concerts, operas, ballets, traditional Japanese performing arts, drama and musicals are held while also serving as a venue for receptions, conventions and other MICE activities.
ROHM Theatre Kyoto
Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art
KYOMAF（Kyoto International Manga Anime Fair）
Kyoto International Manga Museum
The Kyoto International Manga Museum is a new type of cultural facility combining the functions of a museum for the research of manga culture, including the collection, preservation, and exhibition of works, with the functions as a library. Their vast collection totals to about 300,000 items, including currently popular works and works from overseas, as well as valuable historical materials related to manga such as mid-Edo period(1603-1867) cartoons, Meiji period (1868-1912) magazines, and postwar rent-to-read manga. Visitors can read 50,000 of the manga anywhere in the museum. The museum reuses the building of the former Tatsuike Elementary School, including the main wing built in 1929 and retains an atmosphere of the period. The Manga Studio, where you can take a close look at the processes of manga illustration, is open mainly on the weekends and national holidays, and the Portrait Corner, where you can have your portrait drawn in a style of manga or anime, is also popular among visitors. You can also enjoy the MM Kamishibai, an old-fashioned storytelling that uses illustrations.
The Kyoto Museum of Crafts and Design is dedicated to introducing the traditional craft industries of Kyoto and their backgrounds. The museum exhibits 74 types of traditional crafts of Kyoto including those of the traditional textile industries such as the Nishijin weaving and the Yuzen dyeing, pottery such as Kyoyaki- Kiyomizuyaki, and Kyoto lacquerware. Besides viewing the completed products, visitors can enjoy learning about the production processes, techniques, and backgrounds of each type of craft by watching videos with detailed commentary, touching the products with their own hands, or taking a look at the tools and materials used to make them. In addition, the attached museum shop sells a variety of new and old-fashioned products made by applying the ages-old traditions of Kyoto crafts.
Supported by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan, Fiscal year 2024
