Matsumoto becomes a museum: the Architecture + Art Festival 2026 opens

Four exhibition venues in Asama Onsen, including a work by Kengo Kito at Matsumoto Jujo’s Otona Honbako.

The second phase of Matsumoto Architecture + Art Festival 2026 ADVANCE opened on 3 November.

For 41 days, until 13 December, 19 venues in 18 buildings across Matsumoto are showing work by 18 artists and collectives from Japan and overseas. Internationally renowned participants include Lee Ufan, teamLab and Julian Opie.

This year, the festival reaches beyond central Matsumoto into Asama Onsen and the western part of the city.

Contemporary art in historic buildings offers a fresh way to see the architecture. The pleasure lies in the works, the buildings themselves, and the time spent walking between them.

Four exhibition venues in Asama Onsen

Asama Onsen has long been cherished as Matsumoto’s hot-spring retreat. For this festival, four distinctive buildings in the neighbourhood have become exhibition venues.

Matsumoto Honbako (Matsumoto Jujo) × Kengo Kito

First, a place we would like to introduce: Matsumoto Honbako, the book hotel at Matsumoto Jujo.

A work by contemporary artist Kengo Kito is on show at Otona Honbako, the bookshop created from the former main baths of the historic Koyanagi ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn.

Kito is known for colourful installations made with familiar materials, including scarves, mirrors and hula hoops.

A space where generations of visitors once took the waters has become a place surrounded by books, and now a setting for contemporary art.

The building has been given a new role while carrying its accumulated history forward, rather than being demolished and replaced. The story of Matsumoto Honbako itself echoes the theme of this festival.

Admission to the Matsumoto Honbako exhibition is free, but advance booking is required.

Former Asama Onsen Arts Association (Tanabe Yakuhin, 2F) × Kengo Kito

Another work by Kengo Kito is on show in a second building in the hot-spring neighbourhood.

The venue is the former Asama Onsen Arts Association, where geiko—traditional performing artists of music and dance—once practised.

Asama Onsen was once a thriving centre of geiko culture. Kito’s installation unfolds in a space that still holds that memory.

The artist is the same, but the spaces carry very different meanings: a former ryokan bathhouse at Matsumoto Honbako, and a rehearsal room for geiko.

Visit the two in succession and compare the relationship between the architecture and the work. It is another rewarding way to look.

Former Yoshizawa Souvenir Shop × Mihoko Ogaki

A former souvenir shop, now standing empty, is also becoming an exhibition venue.

The artist is Mihoko Ogaki, who studied in Düsseldorf, Germany, and works internationally.

The work on show reveals a human figure in the darkness, emitting countless points of light.

Visitors once passed through here to buy souvenirs. With the building’s life as a shop over, a new experience of looking begins.

Here, the history of the old souvenir shop deserves your attention alongside the artwork.

Shomon Bunko × Takashi Nakajima

Another place well worth a visit is Shomon Bunko.

This privately established library was built in the Taisho era (1912–1926). Local residents continue their efforts to preserve it today.

Contemporary artist Takashi Nakajima is exhibiting here.

Using materials such as tape and film that reflect or transmit light, Nakajima has created installations that take in the structure of a building, the movement of people and changes in the light.

The architecture becomes part of the work itself, rather than simply its backdrop. His approach seems to embody the spirit of this festival.

How will the memory of an old library resonate with contemporary art? We are looking forward to finding out.

More to discover in the castle town

A little further from Asama Onsen, central Matsumoto has many more exhibition venues.

At Kappo Matsumotokan, a nationally registered Tangible Cultural Property, teamLab is showing a video work. Set in the historic Ho-o Room, it takes its inspiration from the grid paintings of Ito Jakuchu.

The former priests’ residence is showing woodblock prints by Lee Ufan. At Matsumoto Performing Arts Centre, you can see Julian Opie’s Busan Walkers.

In the western part of the city, the former Matsumoto District Courthouse, an Important Cultural Property, is showing The Last Supper by Ken + Julia Yonetani: a nine-metre-long work made from salt.

Explore art and architecture, then stay in Asama Onsen

One of the pleasures of Matsumoto Architecture + Art Festival is that it extends beyond the museum walls.

Visit old buildings, wander down side streets and encounter the city’s history, finding art in places you might not expect.

In Asama Onsen alone, the four venues and a walk around the hot-spring neighbourhood promise a rewarding visit.

And after a day on foot, there is the hot spring.

10 Stories Stay Matsumoto can be your base for a Matsumoto visit filled with architecture, art and hot springs.

Matsumoto Architecture + Art Festival 2026 ADVANCE: at a glance

• Dates: Tuesday 3 November 2026 (public holiday) to Sunday 13 December 2026
• Venues: 19 venues in 18 buildings across Matsumoto
• Participating artists: 18 artists and collectives from Japan and overseas
• Exhibition pass: general admission ¥3,000; high-school, university and vocational-school students ¥2,000; junior-high-school students and younger children free when accompanied by a parent or guardian

Opening hours and closed days differ between venues. Please see the official website for full details, including discounts and free-admission eligibility.

Matsumoto Architecture + Art Festival official website / Exhibition pass information

Exhibition venues in Asama Onsen

• Matsumoto Honbako (Matsumoto Jujo) / Kengo Kito
• Former Asama Onsen Arts Association (Tanabe Yakuhin, 2F) / Kengo Kito
• Former Yoshizawa Souvenir Shop / Mihoko Ogaki
• Shomon Bunko / Takashi Nakajima

Visiting the Matsumoto Honbako exhibition

• Address: 3-13-1 Asama Onsen, Matsumoto, Nagano
• Opening hours: 12:00–17:00 (last admission 16:00)
• Closed: Saturday 7 November and Monday 30 November
• Admission: free, with advance booking required (one-hour visit)

Matsumoto Honbako exhibition details and booking

Before visiting the other three venues in Asama Onsen, please check their opening hours and closed days on the official website too.