ABOUT
Go for Kogei is a celebration of craft (kogei) in the Hokuriku region. Held annually since 2020, the event juxtaposes craft with the adjacent genres of contemporary art, art brut, and design to highlight the rich and multivarious forms of expression obscured by the conventional label of “craft.”
Before the introduction of the modern term kogei in the late nineteenth century, Japanese culture did not recognize a division between “fine art” and “craft.” Rather, aesthetic objects and their manufacture constituted a broader category. Bearing this history in mind, Go for Kogei seeks to challenge and update the conversation surrounding craft by highlighting new and contemporary forms of craft-based expression. The event is set in Hokuriku, a region known for its many longstanding craft traditions.
THEME
Craft and Art: Philosophies for Life
Go for Kogei 2024 features works by an exciting cast of craftspeople, designers, and artists. This year’s exhibition presents visitors with a nuanced view of the adjacent fields of contemporary craft and art, placing a renewed emphasis on material, technique, utility, and expression—the defining characteristics of modern crafts. The exhibition consists of multiple venues in two areas: the Iwase Area (Toyama), which was featured in last year’s exhibition, and the Higashiyama Area (Kanazawa), which is a new addition. Unlike a neutral museum environment, both areas are defined by traditional cityscapes that reflect the daily lives of residents. By inserting contemporary craft and art into this milieu, the exhibition transforms the familiar landscapes of each district.
The Iwase Area offers visitors a chance to enjoy local sake and food alongside site-specific installations that play off the district’s unique architecture and scenery. Meanwhile, the Higashiyama Area plumbs the depths of this year’s theme of “Craft and Art: Philosophies for Life,” featuring event programs that build off of Go for Kogei’s 2021 project Craft and Design: Kogei in Daily Life. Visitors can witness how works of craft, which usually exist in the miscellaneous spaces of daily life—mingling with light, weather, scent, and sound—can transcend ornamentation to meld with the life of the city, appearing as social objects with new value and meaning.
Akimoto Yuji (Go for Kogei Executive Director, Curator)
ARTISTS
Akagi Akito, Ino Ichizo, Ishiwata Yui, Isoya Hirofumi, Iwamura En, Iwasaki Tsutomu, Kakinuma Koji, Kawai Masaru, Matsuyama Tomokazu, Miura Shiro, Nakagawa Shuji, Oniki Koichiro, Otani Tetsuya, Sareena Sattapon, Sawada Kensho, Shakunaga Gaku, Sotome Haruka, Takemata Yuichi, Tatehana Noritaka, Toyama Kazuhiro, Yagi Takahiro, Yasuda Taizo. (Japanese names given in customary order, surname first)
AREA
Iwase Area (Toyama, Toyama Prefecture)
Iwase is located 15 minutes north of Toyama Station by car. In recent years, Masuda Sake Brewery has spearheaded an effort to revitalize Iwase through gastronomy and craft, enriching the district while preserving the aesthetic sensibility of Iwase’s beautiful historical cityscape, which originally flourished as a port-of-call on the Kitamaebune sea route. The Iwase Area exhibition highlights the surprising breadth of contemporary craft, presenting visitors with site-specific installations by craftspeople and contemporary artists. Visitors can discover new landscapes created by the interaction of historical architecture and expressive works of craft and contemporary art.
Higashiyama Area (Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture)
Higashiyama is home to the Higashi Chaya teahouse district, one of Kanazawa’s most popular destinations. It is said that countless artisan workshops once lined the back alleys of the district’s atmospheric streets. Today, the hidden cafes and galleries scattered among the district’s historical neighborhoods offer glimpses of a lifestyle still intimately tied to craft. The Higashiyama Area exhibition features special displays and event programming. Visitors can interact with craft objects and experience first-hand how crafts can stimulate and enrich everyday life.
TICKETS
Event Passport
Provides a single entry to each exhibition venue during the event.
General Admission: ¥2,500 (Advance purchase: ¥2,000)
University/Vocational Students: ¥2,000 (Advance purchase: ¥1,800)
Single Area One-Day Ticket
Provides a single entry to each venue in the ticket area, valid for one day.
Advanced purchase is not available for Single Area One-Day Tickets.
Iwase Area
General Admission: ¥2,000
University/Vocational Students: ¥1,500
Higashiyama Area
General Admission: ¥1,000
University/Vocational Students: ¥700
Purchase Tickets
Tickets may be purchased online from the Go for Kogei Official Website or in person at the event Information Centers.
Validating Your Tickets
Online tickets must be validated before use. Please visit the nearest event Information Center to receive your physical ticket.
–All ticket prices are after tax.
–Admission is free for high school students and visitors under 18.
–Visitors with a student ticket must present their student ID at the Information Center.
–Admission is free for visitors with disabilities and one attendant. Visitors must present a disability ID at the Information Center.
–Tickets are only valid for a single entry.
–Optional event fees are not included in the price of the ticket.
–Single Area One-Day Tickets are only valid for one day.
–Some venues do not require a ticket for entry.
–Exhibition and event programming may be subject to change.
–Tickets cannot be refunded or reissued.
OVERVIEW
Exhibition Dates: September 14–October 20, 2024
Hours: 10:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. (last admission 4:00 p.m.)
Venues: Iwase Area (Toyama, Toyama Prefecture) & Higashiyama Area (Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture)
Holidays by Venue: Saseki (closed on Tuesdays), SKLo (closed on Wednesdays). All other venues are open daily.
Organizers: NPO Syuto Kanazawa; Japan Arts Council; Agency for Cultural Affairs
Co-organizers: Toyama Prefecture; Toyama City; Toyama Cultural Foundation
Support: Ishikawa Prefecture; Kanazawa City; West Japan Railway Company
2024 Japan Cultural Expo 2.0 Program (Commission)
開催場所
Iwase Information Center/ Higashiyama Information Center
5 Kaigandori, Higashi Iwase-machi, Toyama, Toyama Prefecture/ 2-8-25 Higashiyama, Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture
チケット受付方法
Validating Your Tickets
Online tickets must be validated before use. Please visit the nearest event Information Center to receive your physical ticket.
Iwase Information Center
Toyama Port Observation Tower (5 Kaigandori, Higashi Iwase-machi, Toyama, Toyama Prefecture)
By Train: 10 min. walk from Iwasehama Station (Toyamako Line)
35 min. from Toyama Sta. by tram (walking time included)
Parking: Observation Tower (10 free spaces); Iwase Canal Hall (75 free spaces)
Higashiyama Information Center
Kai (2-8-25 Higashiyama, Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture)
By Bus: 10 min. walk from Hashiba-cho (Kanazawa Loop Bus, Hokutetsu Local Bus, or JR West Local Bus)
20 min. from Kanazawa Sta. by bus (walking time included)
Parking: Higashiyama Tourism Parking Lot (15 paid spaces)