[JR West] The 1st Kyoto Station Building Art Festival (GEIJUTSU NO EKI 2025/GNE) is being held! Image
URL: JR West Press release: September 10, 2025 To Members of the Press The 1st Kyoto Station Building Art Festival (GEIJUTSU NO EKI 2025/GNE) is being held! Kyoto Station Building Becomes the Crossroads of Culture and Art – A New Era of Cultural Creation Born from the “Combination” of Artistic Genres – Kyoto Station Building Development Co., Ltd. (President and CEO: Nobuo Hashimoto) is hosting the 1st Kyoto Station Building Art Festival (GEIJUTSU NO EKI 2025/GNE) as a new challenge as a “cultural and artistic platform” to create cross-disciplinary “combinations” and “connections between people, things, and
organizations.” The massive architectural space will be treated as art, offering a new cultural experience through a variety of expressions, including contemporary art and traditional crafts. Through interactions between visitors, local communities, and artists, we will establish a hub for cultural exchange and pass on the cultural interest that has followed the Osaka-Kansai Expo to Kyoto. This project will also collaborate with shrines, temples, and Buddhist temples in Kyoto City, aiming to contribute to sustainable cultural tourism. 1. Event overview (1) Event period October 14th (Tuesday) to November 3rd (Monday/holiday), 2025 *Held from 16:00 on the 14th (Tuesday) (2) Venue Kyoto Station Building as a whole and associated satellite venues (Omuro-Ninna-ji Temple, the head temple of Kyoto, and Keishun-in Temple, a sub-temple of Myoshinji Temple) (3) Management Structure Classification Content Sponsored Kyoto Station Building Development Co., Ltd. Co-hosted Kyoto City Sponsored Kyoto City Tourism Association, Public Interest Incorporated Association Sponsorship (Planned) Ohayo Dairy Products Co., Ltd., Bandai Namco Experience Inc., The Ritsumeikan University, Gekkeikan Co., Ltd., World Brands Collection Hotels & Resorts Co., Ltd. Special Cooperation West Japan Railway Company Cooperation (in alphabetical order) 〇Companies and Organizations Kyoto Gion Kazura Kiyoshi
Long-Established Store, Kyogofukueri Zen, International Art Festival BIWAKO Biennale Executive Committee, Sagano Scenic Railway Co., Ltd., CGO.com LLC, JR West Isetan Co., Ltd., JR West Kyoto SC Development Co., Ltd., JR West Hotel Development Co., Ltd., 3M Japan Ltd., Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd., Diamond Dining Co., Ltd., TAG Heuer LVMH Watch & Jewelry Japan Co., Ltd., Nishijin Youth Association, Hogaku Ni.0, Miyawaki Baisenan Co., Ltd., Yasuda Nenjuten Co., Ltd., Yoshikawa Paper Trading Co., Ltd., Lily Lace International Co., Ltd., Wataya Besso Co., Ltd. 〇Shrines and Temples Kibune Main Shrine Kifune Shrine, Kongosan Shochojuin Daimido Hall, Jorakuji Temple, Head Temple Omuro Ninnaji, Myoshinji Sub-Temple Keishunin, Local Governments, etc., Kamakura City, Kamakura City.
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https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/95753/1633/95753-1633-cf6386c0bb7d57b86a70e48d5003bd6b-361×511.jpg (1) Kyoto Station becomes an art space filled with excitement and discovery Just like a “mashup” in the world of music, where different songs are combined to create a new work, the entire station space will be decorated with a diverse mix of genres, including contemporary art, traditional crafts, and musical performances. Visitors will be able to stimulate their five senses and purchase works they like. Kyoto Station will be the setting for a new cultural experience and a journey to rediscover Kyoto. (2) A hub of cultural exchange where Japan and the world meet and create the future At Kyoto Station, where many people from Japan and abroad gather, travelers, local residents, and artists alike Connecting through art. Random encounters lead to new perspectives and creativity. We will create and spread these ideas into the future. (3) Designing New Forms of Cultural Tourism We will connect the growing interest in culture generated by the Osaka-Kansai Expo to Kyoto and create a new flow of people. Furthermore, by utilizing art to collaborate with temples and shrines and redesign pedestrian flow in a fun way, we will address issues such as overtourism and propose a sustainable form of tourism. 3. Main Upcoming Events (Partial Listing) (1) Opening Ceremony Tuesday, October 14th, Start: 4:30 PM, End: 7:30 PM (Doors open at 4:00 PM) Maiko and geiko perform with special dance fans, while the guitar and koto resonate together in a fantastical session. Masters from across genres will weave a one-of-a-kind dialogue that can only be heard here. A stage where tradition and innovation intersect! (2) Kyoto Station Building Art Exhibition Interactive exhibitions featuring contemporary art, traditional crafts, digital art, and more decorate the station. (3) Stage Events – KYOTO MIC PROJECT Music Live Performance by Champions and Other Artists, KYOTO MIC PROJECT Artist “Rey Aoi Kimono Styles Show” (Saturday, October 18th) – Performance by the Kyoto Prefectural Junior High School Brass Band (Sunday, October 26th) – Kongo-ryu Noh × Ritsumeikan University Symphony Orchestra Collaboration Stage (Sunday, November 2nd) ・Talk show on Japanese culture and traditions by Shinto priests and Buddhist monks (Sunday, November 2nd) (4) Satellite Venues A tour of the collaborative cultural properties (head temple Omuro Ninna-ji and sub-temple Keishun-in of Myoshinji) that serve as motifs for the art. (5) WESTER Points Campaign During the campaign period, participate in this campaign and present your “Kyoto Station Building Entire Building or WESPO App” or your mobile ICOCA (Mobile ICOCA / Apple ICOCA card registered with WESTER membership) at Kyoto Porta, Hotel Granvia Kyoto, JR Kyoto Isetan, or restaurants in the Kyoto Station Building. Customers who pay with ICOCA (Pay with ICOCA) or Wesmo! will be entered into a lottery to win up to 10,000 WESTER points. In addition, if you show the WESTER app or WESPO app screen at the FUTURE TRAIN closest to Umekoji Kyoto-Nishi Station, you’ll receive free admission (700 yen) and an original sticker. 4. Artist (part) Name Work content Japanese Painter Takanori Isayama Mashup with “Fauchon Hotel Kyoto” Mashup with pop artist “Omochi” Painter/Artist Ellie Omiya This work marks the artist’s first attempt at fusuma painting at an exhibition in collaboration with the Important Cultural Property “Sliding Door Paintings by Kano Sansetsu” at Keishun-in, a sub-temple of Myoshinji Temple, in 2024. Contemporary Artist DAICHI MIURA GNE Special Josie’s work Mashup with “Nishijin-ori” Self-employed contemporary artist Backside works. Mashup work with “Kyoto Gofukueri Zen” Kyoto Indigo Dyeing Artist Matsuzaki Riku Mashup work with pencil artist Shinnosuke Hariya
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/95753/1633/95753-1633-ab0629f41183422e23434547c81e0457-291×438.jpg Taoki Isayama
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/95753/1633/95753-1633-25a4f9fe5bfa29de341938f74f5062b3-292×438.jpg Ellie Omiya. Photography: Junji Moroi.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/95753/1633/95753-1633-f558c65d919b46411bd8729b9773acf9-320×442.jpg DAICHI MIURA
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/95753/1633/95753-1633-99dc9857c6dbc872f0f1382e93bba294-362×362.jpg Backside works.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/95753/1633/95753-1633-2f532812e4a419b8d6735c6ea2fc370d-285×356.jpg Riku Matsuzaki 5. Future Developments, etc. ・Early September: Teaser site released (https://kyotostation-gne.jp) – Late September: Press information (*Separate information will be provided) – Early October: Official website launch, details of participating artists and shrine collaboration projects announced – Other information will be posted on the Kyoto Station Building official Instagram in due course 6. Other This project was selected for the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ FY2025 “Cultural Resource Utilization Project Subsidy (Project to Promote the Utilization of Attractive Cultural Properties Nationwide).”
