KYOTO NIPPON FESTIVAL 2026: Lights, Flowers and Performances

KYOTO NIPPON FESTIVAL 2026: A Blooming Garden Beyond Time commissions acclaimed artist Mika Ninagawa and the multidisciplinary collective EiM to transform the grounds of Kitano Tenmangu into a season‑responsive art program that combines nature, light, and live performance.

Set within a shrine founded more than a thousand years ago, renowned for its plum garden, mossy pathways, and traditional tea‑house architecture, the festival runs February 1–May 24, 2026. The program includes large‑scale outdoor installations among the trees, an intimate tea‑house work, and a limited run (from March 20) of a non‑verbal immersive theatre piece developed in collaboration with the experimental dance company DAZZLE.

Led by Mika Ninagawa with EiM and concept development by Hiroaki Miyata, whose production and scientific consultancy informed theme projects for Expo 2025 Osaka‑Kansai, the creative team also comprises production designers, lighting directors, and technical specialists who will implement the projects with care for the shrine’s historic fabric. Through the integration of living plants and the deliberate choreography of natural light across centuries‑old vistas, the festival seeks to produce time‑based encounters that uncover new dimensions of Kitano Tenmangu’s beauty and history.

Launched in 2016, KYOTO NIPPON FESTIVAL is an annual program presenting Kyoto’s arts, crafts, and seasonal culture through site‑specific works and performances. The 2026 edition, marking the festival’s 10th anniversary, continues that mission by pairing contemporary artistic practice with historic locations to create immersive encounters rooted in Japanese tradition.

Highlights

The Garden of Light and Flowers (Plum Garden installation)

The festival turns the plum garden and nearby historic spaces into site-responsive artworks. More than 1,000 crystal elements hang among the plum trees, and additional site-specific interventions are placed across the grounds. As daylight and the season progress—from bare branches to blossoms to fresh green, these elements produce shifting reflections, colors, and shadows. A tea stall inside the garden serves wagashi (Japanese sweets), encouraging visitors to linger and take in the subtle changes in light and tone.

Zansho — Lingering Light (Tea-house installation)

Inside the tea-house, bright flowers sit next to faded petals and seed heads, hinting at the cycle of life. The installation mixes live plants, preserved pieces, and simple set elements so new details pop up depending on where you stand. As daylight fades into evening light, colors and shadows change, a quick look gives you a single scene, but linger and you’ll notice slow shifts. Movement, viewpoint, and time all change what you see, creating a calm, reflective space that rewards taking your time.

Hanayoi no Oocha-kai (Immersive performance in Fugutsuden)

For the first time in Japan, a full-scale immersive performance will be staged inside a centuries-old shrine building. Hanayoi no Oocha-kai is a non-verbal, site-specific production in which audience members are invited to move freely and become active participants rather than passive observers. The work imagines a phantom second day of a legendary tea gathering from 400 years ago: performers circulate through multiple rooms and enact encounters that blur the line between contemporary visitors and historical echoes.

DAZZLE’s movement-based vocabulary and Ninagawa with EiM’s visual world combine to create a tactile, memory-laced experience lasting approximately 60 minutes.

KYOTO NIPPON FESTIVAL 2026: A Blooming Garden Beyond Time

Dates: February 1– May 24, 2026.
Immersive performance: March 20 –May 24, 2026 (selected dates; about 60 minutes).
Location: Kitano Tenmangu, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto.
Hours: 9:00 - 20:30 (last admission 20:00)
Gates usually open around 09:00; closing and last-entry times vary. Some closed days and selected performance dates — check the official schedule online.

Ticket Types:
Installation only: access to the plum garden and seasonal maple area.
Combined: installation plus a timed entry to the immersive performance.
Premium: early entry and special interactive moments.
Same-day: tickets sold at the venue (note: combined tickets have set times).
Discounts: reduced rates for children, concessions for visitors with disabilities, and free entry for preschoolers. See the official site for full details and prices.
Tickets can be purchased through the official website below
Website: https://kyoto-nippon-festival.com/
Social: official X and Instagram accounts for updates. (Japanese)
Email: contact@kyoto-nippon-festival.com

This edition of KYOTO NIPPON FESTIVAL offers a rare union of living nature, contemporary art, and participatory performance in a sacred, historical setting. If you’re interested in art that changes with time, theater that invites you inside the story, and design that converses with Kyoto’s layered past, this festival presents a distinctive, time-sensitive cultural outing.
Information and picture source: PR TIMES