Enjoy 40,000 Sunflowers, the Sea, and Art in Tokyo. | Connecting with the Sea. Touring Art. ― Harmony with Nature ― (Kasai Rinkai Park)

August is here, and summer is in full swing. It's too hot outside, I'm an indoor person, and I don't like crowded places, but I still want to get a little bit of that summer feeling… just as I was thinking that, the perfect event began.

“Connecting with the Sea. Touring Art. ― Harmony with Nature ―”

40,000 sunflowers, seaside scenery, and art exhibits by four artists. What's more, this is an event where you can enjoy all of this for free!

I immediately went to visit this event, which is being held at Kasai Rinkai Park in Tokyo from August 2 (Fri) to August 18 (Sun), 2024.

▍Art works viewed among 40,000 sunflowers

The nearest station is Kasai Rinkai Park Station on the JR Keiyo Line. As soon as you leave the station, you'll find the admission-free Kasai Rinkai Park.

As you walk toward the Ferris wheel, a magnificent sunflower field will jump into your view. A total of 40,000 sunflowers of three different varieties have been planted this year, and as of August 3, 2024, two of the varieties were in full bloom.

Because the sunflower varieties are planted in stages, you can enjoy a beautiful landscape where flowers of different heights spread out across the field.

Three works are exhibited within this sunflower field.

《Wooden Wood 73》/ Yuichi Hirako

Three wooden sculptures stand in front of the sunflower field. In the center is a life-sized human figure with a tree for a head. The books piled up at its feet symbolize the civilization and society built by humans.

《Liquid Universe: Copernican Turn of the Sunflower's Umwelt》/ Yoichi Ochiai

Displayed facing this sculpture is a generative AI video work by Yoichi Ochiai.

The images projected on the LED display shift as smoothly as liquid, creating the textures of sunflower petals, leaves, and seeds within abstract imagery. At times, figurative images of sunflower blossoms are also depicted.

It is a beautiful work that connects the sunflower blossoms that keep turning toward the sun with the continuously rotating Ferris wheel, the title's phrase 'Copernican Revolution,' the theme of post-anthropocentric thinking, and the connection between the figurative motifs and abstract imagery right before your eyes.

《The Hidden Other Me. Questions in the Sunflower Field》 / Naomi Kawase

Words written on small signs placed throughout the sunflower field. This work is by film director Naomi Kawase and is themed around 'encountering the other self that hides within you.'

Through the words they encounter at random, viewers are invited on a journey of introspection and self-discovery.

▍Enjoying Art Works Wrapped in Light in the Cool Indoors

After enjoying the sunflower field, escape the heat and head to the Kasai Rinkai Park Observation Plaza Rest House, 'Crystal View.' Here, works by photographer Mika Ninagawa are on display.

《Garden of Sky》 / Mika Ninagawa with EiM

An installation featuring photographs of flowers and butterflies is spread across the walls of this beautiful, light-transmitting building covered in glass.

Entering the cool building and heading to the second floor, an installation based on crystals unfolds. In this space with glass on three sides, sunlight streams in from different directions depending on the time of day, making it a work where you can enjoy various expressions depending on the viewing angle.

Even when leaving the venue, you can enjoy the photographic works on the outer walls from the inside, making it an installation that allows you to immerse yourself in the world of Mika Ninagawa's work. It is truly delightful that all of these exhibitions can be enjoyed for free.

▍A slightly different aquarium experience than usual

Within Kasai Rinkai Park, there is also an aquarium called Kasai Rinkai Aquarium, and during this event, a "fog performance" is held at 15-minute intervals in the aquarium plaza.

While a separate admission fee is required to enter the aquarium grounds, the surrounding fountains and mist effects create a cooling atmosphere that is pleasant even in the scorching heat. As it is a metropolitan aquarium, the admission fee is also affordable at 700 yen for adults. Showing your Ferris wheel ticket will get you an additional 20% discount.

At this aquarium, for four days from Sunday, August 11, 2024, to Wednesday, August 14, 2024, a special event called Night of Wonder will be held, featuring extended evening hours and a special experience where the tank lights are turned off so you can welcome the night with the fish. After enjoying the art, why not experience the aquarium at night, which is different from usual?

The park is hot in the summer, but when it gets too hot, you can take a break in a cool building or drink draft beer at a restaurant. You can also enjoy swimming in the sea and barbecuing within the park.

It is a recommended event that you can enjoy for a whole day in different ways depending on your preferences.

[Event Overview] Connecting with the sea. Touring the art. ― Harmony with Nature ―

URL: https://www.tokyo-zoo.net/zoo/kasai/special/2024art-kasai/index.html
Period: August 2, 2024 (Fri) – August 18, 2024 (Sun)Venue: Kasai Rinkai Park
Opening Hours: Kasai Rinkai Aquarium / 9:30–17:00 *Last admission 16:00(August 11, 2024 (Sun/Holiday) – August 14, 2024 (Wed): 9:30–20:00 *Last admission 19:00)
Kasai Rinkai Park / 9:00–20:30 (Crystal View / 9:00–17:00, Sunflower Field / 9:00–20:30)Admission: Kasai Rinkai Park / Free
Kasai Rinkai Aquarium / General: 700 yen, 65 and older: 350 yen, Junior high school students: 250 yen

[Summary of things to know before visiting the exhibition]

Photography: Allowed for both still images and videos
Admission reservation: Not requiredExhibition changes during the period: None
Audio guide: NoneExhibition catalog: None
Other: It is hot outdoors, so don't forget to take measures against heatstroke and sunburn

If you go to Kasai Rinkai Park, why not also tour the architecture within the park?