Perspectives

Old Town Blends with Extraordinary Art in Sumida

Old & New video

By Ryuzo Suzuki / Yomiuri Shimbun Senior Photographer

13:27 JST, October 26, 2025

The Sumida Mukojima Expo 6 is being held in the northern part of Tokyo’s Sumida Ward, a district where the scenery and daily life of the shitamachi old town area remain prominent.

This area was spared from war damage, and numerous traditional nagaya row houses remain. It is also known as a “craftsmanship town” that supported the nation’s strong economic growth in the post-war period.

Recently, however, a variety of artists and creators, captivated by the daily life of the old town area, have moved in. They regularly utilize old houses and shops to host various activities, including exhibitions, events and social experiments.

By Ryuzo Suzuki / Yomiuri Shimbun Senior Photographer
Ryogo Kobata, left, stages a piece of performance art in which he acts as a living clock, playing violin and singing to announce the time at the Kirakira Tachibana shopping street in the Kyojima district on Oct. 4, the opening day of the Sumida Mukojima Expo 6.

This has resulted in scenes of the old town blending with extraordinary creative spaces, giving rise to new stories and chains of events.

Under the philosophy of “connecting with the community,” the annual Sumida Mukojima Expo serves to publicly showcase this unique local situation.

By Ryuzo Suzuki / Yomiuri Shimbun Senior Photographer
On the left is a 100-year-old former barbershop that now serves as the “Story Center” explaining the concept of the Sumida Mukojima Expo 6. It typically houses artists Tengyo and Egu, and also functions flexibly as an event venue, a coffee shop or even an ice cream shop. On the right, a former futon store operates as a shop specializing in pottery, paintings and other art forms.

Filmmaker Daiki Goto, who lives in the ward, launched the Expo’s executive committee in 2020. He started the event to draw attention to the old streetscapes and architecture. If these buildings — including the deteriorating row houses — are ever demolished, they will not be replaced.

This year’s event, the sixth iteration, is specifically designed for participating artists and creators to express their gratitude to local residents and deepen their ties with them. It simultaneously aims to ensure every visitor appreciates the town’s everyday resilience and beauty, encouraging them to reflect on their own communities and lifestyles, and the nature of society as a whole.

By Ryuzo Suzuki / Yomiuri Shimbun Senior Photographer
Artist Youko Takahashi’s work is displayed to the right at a koppepan bread roll bakery in a building that is nearly 100 years old.

The venues include about 50 locations, such as the row houses, small factories and old residences, including some that have been renovated and converted into share houses. Many of the exhibitions are held in the homes where the artists and creators actually live, including some properties that are usually closed to the public.

By Ryuzo Suzuki / Yomiuri Shimbun Senior Photographer
In an alleyway, Tibetan prayer flags designed by Lithuanian artist Ieva Blazeviciute, based in the Kyojima district, flutter gently in the breeze.

The Kyojima district, at the heart of the Expo, has long charmed visitors with its unique landscape of integrated home and work, intricate alleyways and distinctive shops brimming with warmth and friendliness. But in recent years, it has faced modern challenges such as disaster prevention and real estate development.

The Expo is mainly open on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays until Nov. 3, running from around 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., though opening hours vary by venue.

While some venues offer free admission, visitors can purchase a passport that includes a shopping street voucher, priced at ¥3,500 for adults and ¥2,500 for Sumida Ward residents and university students.

High school students and younger enter for free.

The passport and a guide map can be picked up at Uchira no Ima Bunkan, a renovated traditional Japanese house in the Kyojima district, where Goto once resided, before starting the tour.