Exhibition Report: ATELIER MUJI "'Tsuzuru' Exhibition - Weaving the path of WONDER FULL LIFE"

[Approx. 3,200 characters, approx. 25 photos]
I visited "ATELIER MUJI" on the 6th floor of MUJI Ginza for the first time. I am writing my impressions of it.

To conclude, since it is an exhibition run by a retail company as a side project, I did not expect much in terms of scale or content, but it was more impressive than I had anticipated. For those who have never been, I thought it is a place you should definitely visit when you are in Ginza.

▶︎ Access

MUJI Ginza is about a 5-minute walk from the Ginza store. It is located right behind UNIQLO TOKYO. "ATELIER MUJI" is on the 6th floor.

▶︎ "'Tsuzuru' Exhibition - Weaving the path of WONDER FULL LIFE"

The reason for my visit was that when I briefly read an article on someone's note about the "small MUJI" Exhibition - How to enjoy daily necessities -, I thought, "Oh, that exists. I'll stop by if I have time when I go to Ginza next."

When I went, I was surprised that it was more professional than I had expected. Since it is an exhibition run by a company as a side project, I imagined it would just be things placed in a small space. However, there were many exhibits, and the selection was geared toward experts.

Such exhibitions require funding, manpower, and corporate decision-making (various approval processes and the resulting revision work), so it seems like a lot for MUJI, whose main business is retail (even if they outsource the work to contractors).

Sacrificing retail floor space to hold such an exhibition means they cannot continue without a corresponding return. I felt that it requires creativity because they need to layer the exhibits with MUJI's concept for branding and customer attraction, rather than just aimlessly displaying interesting things.

The concept of "WONDER FULL LIFE" is as follows:

My impression from a quick look at the exhibition was that the nature of the exhibits and the warmth of the people shared common ground with MUJI's concept. As a result, what MUJI intended was somehow conveyed to me as well.

Furthermore, (although details were provided in the handout distributed at the venue), since captions listing the work titles, materials, and artists were not attached to the actual pieces, it was not immediately clear what each piece was made for, whether they were just traditional items brought in, or if they were art pieces created specifically for this exhibition; in short, it was difficult to tell at a glance what the exhibits actually were.

Since only vague text was written on the walls, I think the organizer's intentions would be better understood by visitors if more specific information were provided near the works. MUJI is not running "ATELIER MUJI" as a volunteer project, so I felt it would be better to have both more direct ways to convey the intent of the works and ways to tie them into the brand concept.

Among the items, there were also materials provided by minä perhonen. Are MUJI and minä perhonen on good terms? I had assumed that because a brand like minä perhonen, which focuses on unique, one-of-a-kind pieces, has a different philosophy from mass-production-oriented MUJI, they might refuse requests from brands like MUJI.

Below are photos of the main works.

There was one staff member stationed near gallery 2. They were explaining things carefully to the visitors, who were listening intently.

▶︎ Summary

What did you think? As a gallery operated by a corporation, there were several insights to be learned, such as how to tie it into branding. While the exhibition itself was interesting, I felt that having more explanations about the exhibits posted on the floor would have made it easier to understand.

▶︎ Bonus

▶︎ 6th Floor Atmosphere

Although the location of ATELIER MUJI on the 6th floor is not ideal, I got the impression that customers were coming in constantly. Perhaps this is because the hotel entrance and the bar counter "Salon" are also on the 6th floor.

Also, on the 6th floor, there is a library with various books that you can read freely. There were also picture books for children (photography is not allowed in the bookshelf area).

Because the atmosphere around "Salon" and the library is so nice, I thought it was a hidden gem for a break when you get a little tired in Ginza.

▶︎ What I've been feeling in MUJI stores lately

In recent years, I feel that MUJI stores have started to resemble Uniqlo. Ryohin Keikaku has positioned September 2021 as its "Second Founding" and is proceeding with business structural reforms. As mentioned in the article "Behind the scenes of MUJI's unusual 'mass hiring'", Ryohin Keikaku is strengthening its recruitment. Furthermore, as mentioned in the article "Former Uniqlo employees acting like executives at MUJI", it seems there are many people transferring from Uniqlo as well. As a result, I think MUJI's sales floors have become "Uniqlo-ized".

Ryohin Keikaku's financial results for the third quarter of the fiscal year ending August 2023 showed an increase in profit for the first time in seven quarters since the fourth quarter of the fiscal year ending August 2021, and the pace of recovery was fast, which was well-received by the stock market.

MUJI started as a private brand of Seiyu that was "cheap for a reason." Now that the sales floors have become like Uniqlo and price hikes continue, it's not exactly "cheap for a reason" anymore. If I want to buy furniture, I go to Nitori; if I want to buy clothes, I go to specialty stores like Uniqlo. For customers, where does the true value of MUJI lie? I still cannot optimistically foresee the future of MUJI.

▶︎ Today's Museum Meal