The Biwako Biennale isn’t just an exhibition of the best Japanese art of 2025, it’s a masterpiece of displaying new art in historic settings, with dramatic lighting to die for. Whoever paired the winning pieces with each gorgeously restored merchant house was a genius, and this little detour on the way to Kyoto is well worth the stop.
Spreading the show over twelve different houses within easy walking distance of each other grants each artist enough space to display their work to its best advantage…
and the rooms of the preserved merchant houses are made lovelier furnished with fabulous art.
So, shall we take a walk?
This is what stopped me a week ago, mid-scroll, with an “I need to see that!”
Kosei Komatsu’s slowly turning sculpture was even more spectacular in real life than on Instagram, suspended in a venerable two-story space that enhanced the shadows it cast across the half-timbered walls. (Sorry, to see it in motion, go to @jonellepatrick on Instagram, where I posted a video!)
Because of the excellent lighting design, shadows play a big part in this exhibition. Niino Kyohei’s spun glass jellyfish swims through this magnificent entry as its shadow flows across the walls…
and you can almost hear this wolf baying at the moon by the way it’s lit.
Many pieces seem designed for the spaces where they were exhibited, like this metallic sculpture inspired by native trees that spins in its attic space, casting swinging shadows of storm-tossed branches over the crazy angles of the walls (video on Instagram @jonellepatrick)…
or this schoolgirl serenely reading a book beneath this house’s vintage lamp.
This giant salamander installation thrives on the expanse of ceiling that evokes an “as-above-so-below” creation vibe…
and an old-fashioned country kitchen is the perfect setting for this alchemy of flickering flames and slowly spinning leaves.
No surprise, Japanese artists’ commitment to mastering traditional crafts and turning them into modern art was well-represented, like this glowing vortex sculpture that sucks you into its lacquered goodness…
and their willingness to experiment with traditional technologies produced effects I’ve never seen before, like these sculptures in which clay and glass were fired together.
Modern industrial technologies were also bent in new directions, like this mesmerizing sculpture of lasers cutting through intricately folded sections of light-conducting threads. (Again, video on Instagram @jonellepatrick if you want to be mesmerized by the glow yourownself!)
And no display of modern Japanese art could neglect the exquisite pieces that nevertheless display a sense of humor. Coming across this giant iridescent blob pulsing away outside an Edo-era farmhouse…
only becomes more surreal when you crawl inside and lie down on the wiggly waterbed to experience the historic architecture through a scrim of brightly colored plastic.
This collection of pet dogs X the god of flaming retribution was brilliant (in addition to the Fire Schnauzer, there were excellent variations featuring chihuahuas, poodles and other popular breeds)…
but the ones I’d have bought if they were for sale were these impish pots, that flexed…
and strolled their way right into my heart.
Biwako Biennale 2025
September 20 – November 16, 2025
Open: Six days a week, closed Wednesdays
Hours: 10:00 – 17:00
Admission: Adults: ¥3500, Students: (High school & college) ¥2500, Children: Free
MAP
The Biwako Biennale is in Omihachiman, which is a short local train ride from the Maihara shinkansen stop, near Kyoto. The exhibition area is right next to a stretch of historic canal that’s often used to film historical dramas and movies.
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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly e-magazine Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
Only In Japan 
Aw, man. I would sell my sister to see that exhibition. I’m living my Japan life through your eyes these days, my friend. Keep them bright and beautiful.
Am honored that my feeble efforts are bringing satisfying amounts of Japan to you, O master of observing Japan life! I hope this finds you and yours both well & happy in your island paradise. ^_^