50 Years of Art Come to Nakanoshima
NHK’s Sunday Art Museum celebrates 50 years with more than 140 works spanning Japanese art history at Nakanoshima Museum of Art. Explore everything from Jomon pottery and Edo masterpieces to modern and contemporary art alongside five decades of television archives.
For 50 years, NHK’s Sunday Art Museum has brought art into homes across Japan. Now the television program is reversing the journey, bringing more than 140 works by approximately 60 artists to Nakanoshima Museum of Art for a celebration of five decades of looking at, talking about and understanding art.
NHK Sunday Art Museum 50th Anniversary Exhibition runs October 10–December 20 in the museum’s fifth-floor galleries. First broadcast in 1976, the program has produced more than 2,500 episodes and in 2026 was recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s longest-running weekly fine-art television program.
The exhibition turns that broadcasting history into a journey through Japanese art. Jomon pottery, traditional crafts, Edo-period painting and modern and contemporary works appear alongside archival footage and commentary from the program. Rather than following a simple timeline, the exhibition uses five thematic chapters to connect works and ideas across different periods.
Among the artists represented are Ito Jakuchu, with his Stone Lanterns Folding Screen, and Tetsuya Ishida, whose 1996 Person Who Can No Longer Fly brings the exhibition firmly into contemporary Japan. Osaka also receives works exclusive to this venue, including Takahashi Yuichi’s 1872 Oiran, an Important Cultural Property. Some works, including the two screens of Jakuchu’s folding screen, will change during the exhibition’s ten-week run.
Visitors can even interact with one of the works. Contemporary artist Tomoko Konoike’s Wolf Bench / Black & White Fur, previously shown at Expo 2025, can be touched and sat upon. Special programming includes a November 23 discussion with program host Miu Sakamoto and a December 5 song-and-talk event with artist Ryo Inoue, both free with exhibition admission but requiring advance lottery registration.
For visitors unfamiliar with Japanese television, knowing the program is not a prerequisite. The attraction is its remarkable range: ancient pottery, Edo painting, craft and contemporary art can share the same galleries because the organizing idea is 50 years of artworks that gave Japan something to talk about.
Opened in 2022, Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka has quickly become one of the city’s major art institutions. Its striking black exterior surrounds a five-story atrium, while large fourth- and fifth-floor galleries host major Japanese and international exhibitions.
For ten weeks this autumn, those galleries become a walk through both Japanese art and television history — bringing together the works, artists and conversations that have kept Sunday Art Museum on the air for half a century.
140+ Works in One Show — Explore works by approximately 60 artists spanning thousands of years of Japanese art.
From Jomon to Contemporary — Move from ancient pottery and traditional craft through Edo painting to modern and contemporary works.
50 Years on Screen — See masterpieces alongside rare footage and commentary drawn from NHK’s record-setting Sunday Art Museum archives.
Only in Osaka — Discover Osaka-exclusive works including Takahashi Yuichi’s Important Cultural Property Oiran and works by Ito Jakuchu and Tomoko Konoike.
Sit with the Art — Touch and take a seat on Tomoko Konoike’s Wolf Bench / Black & White Fur, which attracted attention at Expo 2025.
Photos: Nakanoshima Museum of Art, NHK websites
Maps
Contact
Opening Hours
THE SCENE: FAQ’s
ACCESS
Venue: Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka — 5F Galleries
Address: 4-3-1 Nakanoshima, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-0005
Trains
Keihan Nakanoshima Line → Watanabebashi Station
Use Exit 2 and walk southwest approximately 5 minutes to Nakanoshima Museum of Art.
JR Osaka Loop Line → Fukushima Station
JR Tozai Line → Shin-Fukushima Station
Use Exit 2 and walk south approximately 10 minutes toward Nakanoshima.
Hanshin Main Line → Fukushima Station
Walk south approximately 10 minutes to the museum.
Subways
Metro Yotsubashi Line → Higobashi Station
Use Exit 4 and walk west approximately 10 minutes to Nakanoshima Museum of Art.
Metro Midosuji Line → Yodoyabashi Station
Use Exit 7, cross the Tosabori River and walk west approximately 15 minutes.
Watanabebashi Station is the closest, with the museum approximately five minutes from Exit 2.
SCHEDULE
October 10–December 20, 2026
Hours
10:00–17:00
Last entry: 16:30
Closed
Mondays
October 13
November 24
The museum will be open on the Monday holidays of October 12 and November 23.
Some artworks will be rotated during the exhibition, so not every work will be displayed throughout the entire run.
Special Events
November 23 — “My Sunday Art Museum” Talk Show
Program host Miu Sakamoto and members of the production team discuss Sunday Art Museum from their own perspectives.
Venue: Museum 1F Hall
Capacity: 150
Admission: Free with an exhibition ticket
Advance lottery registration required; details TBA.
December 5 — Ryo Inoue Song & Talk Show
Artist Ryo Inoue presents a special song-and-talk program connected to the exhibition.
Venue: Museum 1F Hall
Capacity: 150
Admission: Free with an exhibition ticket
Advance lottery registration required; details TBA.
TICKETS
General: ¥2,000 / ¥1,800 advance
University / High School: ¥1,200 / ¥1,000 advance
Elementary / Junior High: ¥500 / ¥300 advance
Advance tickets are available through October 9, 2026. Advance tickets are not sold at the museum.
Online Ticket Sales
ART PASS
https://art-ap.passes.jp/user/e/nakka-nichibiten50-advance
Lawson Ticket — L Code: 55781
https://l-tike.com/
Ticket Pia — P Code: 687-520
https://t.pia.jp/
e+
https://eplus.jp/
Seven Ticket — Seven Code: 116-360
https://7ticket.jp/
Asoview!
https://www.asoview.com/
Rakuten Travel Experiences
https://experiences.travel.rakuten.co.jp/
Pair Ticket — ¥3,500
Includes two adult admissions and is available through Lawson Ticket until October 9. L Code: 55781.
NHK + British Museum Set Ticket — ¥4,000
Includes one adult admission to this exhibition and one adult admission to Edo in Focus: Japanese Treasures from the British Museum. Available October 31–December 20 through ART PASS and the Nakanoshima Museum of Art 2F ticket machines.
Visitors with a qualifying disability certificate and one accompanying person receive 50% off same-day admission. Purchase at the museum’s 2F ticket counter; advance reservations are not required.
Official Exhibition Website
https://nichibiten50.jp/
THE EXPERIENCE
This is a wide-ranging introduction to Japanese art built around 50 years of NHK television rather than a single artist, movement or period.
- Explore more than 140 works by approximately 60 artists.
- Move from Jomon pottery and traditional craft through Edo-period painting to modern and contemporary art.
- Watch archival Sunday Art Museum footage alongside artworks featured during the program’s 50-year history.
- Look for Osaka-exclusive works, including Takahashi Yuichi’s Oiran and selections by Ito Jakuchu.
- Touch and sit on Tomoko Konoike’s Wolf Bench / Black & White Fur.
- Add the audio guide narrated by former Sunday Art Museum hosts Fumi Dan and Arata Iura.
The audio guide costs ¥700 to rent at the exhibition or ¥800 through the Kiku Bijutsu smartphone app, which includes guidance for works appearing during exhibition rotations.
INFO & TIPS
With more than 140 works and five thematic chapters, allow enough time to explore the exhibition rather than treating it as a quick gallery visit.
- Some artworks rotate during the exhibition, so check the official exhibition information if there is a particular work you want to see.
- The museum is closed on most Mondays, plus October 13 and November 24.
- The exhibition catalogue runs 312 pages and costs ¥3,300 at the special 5F exhibition shop.
- Wheelchairs and strollers are available to borrow, subject to availability.
- 100-yen refundable lockers are available on the 1F and 2F; larger baggage can be left at the ticket counter.
- A nursing room and accessible restrooms are available.
- Food and drinks are not permitted inside the museum, except hydration outside the galleries with a closable container.
- The museum shop and restaurant on the 1F can be visited without exhibition admission.
- Watanabebashi Station offers the shortest walk to the museum.
Information: Osaka City General Call Center (Naniwa Call)
Telephone: 06-4301-7285
Hours: 08:00–21:00 daily
Official Exhibition Website
https://nichibiten50.jp/
