The roaming all-night art event BENTEN 2 Art Night Kabukicho is set to take place over three nights—November 1, 2, and 3 (a national holiday)—in Tokyo’s iconic Kabukicho district.
Kabukicho has long been a hub for avant-garde artists, dating back to Japan’s postwar reconstruction period, and continues to cultivate a unique cultural landscape as the nation’s largest entertainment district. The event brings together a diverse lineup of domestic and international artists, offering a wide range of creative expressions. This marks the second edition of BENTEN, following last year’s inaugural event.
The theme for this year is “Rewilding the City.” Amid increasing urbanization and the institutionalization of city life, the event examines how the innate impulses of creativity and free expression can survive, adapt, and evolve within a structured urban environment.
Theme: Rewilding the City
Tokyo’s large-scale redevelopment, often described as a “once-in-a-century” transformation, has dramatically reshaped the city, strengthening urban order while eliminating biodiversity and the so-called “urban wild.” Yet Kabukicho, Tokyo’s famed nightlife district, stands out as an exception. Alongside redevelopment, the area has seen a proliferation of irregularities: street hustlers, transient workers, exploding rat populations, and problematic host clubs—all of which highlight its “inconveniences.”
Kabukicho can arguably be called the only district in Tokyo experiencing a form of urban rewilding.
While many of these phenomena are treated as social issues in the media, the district has historically reproduced gaps in the system—from postwar black markets to underground culture, to the constant cat-and-mouse struggle of maintaining public order and curbing violence. By embracing capital while simultaneously embracing chaos, Kabukicho demonstrates a rare urban identity in an increasingly homogenized Tokyo. Its raw, unrestrained energy and openness have ironically made it one of the city’s busiest and most vibrant areas.
Through the various venues of BENTEN, many of which emerged alongside redevelopment, this year’s event aims to explore the history and present reality of urban “wildness.”
This theme draws on conversations with urban sociologist Nozomi Semba.
Chim↑Pom from Smappa!Group
The event will take place across multiple venues, continuing from last year, including Ōjō Building, Shinjuku Kabukicho Nō Butai, Decameron, WHITEHOUSE, and Tokyo Desert. Artists will create works in dialogue with the urban environment, while visitors can explore the streets and interact with the pieces, prompting a reconsideration of the relationship between city and art. Curated by Chim↑Pom from Smappa!Group and others, the event brings together artists from a wide range of disciplines in Kabukicho.
Works by Miwa Yanagi will be exhibited on one floor of the Ōjō Building as well as at the Shinjuku Kabukicho Nō Butai, with a special performance created specifically for BENTEN 2 scheduled on the final day. The Troupe Kara will present a theatrical installation that intersects critic Koji Taki’s analyses with archival actions that occurred in Shinjuku. The installation reinterprets the title of Jūrō Kara’s Situation Theatre and centers on the set used in Kara Group’s In the Town of Picture-Story Shows.
Additionally, the DOMMUNE KABUKICHO SATELLITE STUDIO will run for three days at the Ōjō Building. Highlights include Merzbow’s first collaboration with VMO during a two-day session, a collaboration with Nosu Hōsui, a seven-screen installation of over 200 cymbals performed under the direction of ∈Y∋ (BOREDOMS) titled Arv100, and a program by JAZZDOMMUNISTERS featuring Naruyoshi Kikuchi and Nao Otani.
Other activities at the Ōjō Building include Polyparallax, a group exhibition featuring MES, Garyu Miyoshi, and Hana Saito, curated by Dan Isomura, as well as A-Yoko, where artists engage in creative expression, merchandise, and food offerings, and the Katsubenten Film Festival.
At WHITEHOUSE, the architecture collective GROUP will present an exhibition reflecting on 100 years of Shinjuku, centered on the 1975 MoMA exhibition Shinjuku: PhenomenalCity. A talk by architect Toyo Ito is also scheduled.
At Decameron, Yuta Geshi will host a participatory workshop where DJing and miso-making coexist in the same space. Participants can take home the miso they prepare themselves.
Meanwhile, Tokyo Desert will make a three-day limited-time return as an art civic space and ultra-small art salon/bar curated by Makoto Aida. Aida and collaborators will serve as daily rotating bartenders for visitors. Additionally, at THE FOUR-EYED, Boku Nō will present “Fo-Yoko Yami Ichiba” (Four-Yoko Night Market).
BENTEN 2 Art Night Kabukicho
Theme: Rewilding the City
Dates & Times:
- Saturday, November 1, 2025 | 15:00–5:00
- Sunday, November 2, 2025 | 15:00–5:00
- Monday, November 3, 2025 (National Holiday) | 15:00–23:00
Opening hours vary by venue. Please check the official website or social media for details.
Venues:
Kabukicho District, Tokyo, including Ōjō Building, Shinjuku Kabukicho Nō Butai, Decameron, WHITEHOUSE, Tokyo Desert (former Art Civic Space), THE FOUR-EYED, and others.
The Cinecity Plaza will also host the Kabuki Chō Festival 2025 concurrently.
Official Website: http://benten-kabukicho.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benten2025_kabukicho
Organizers: Kabukicho Art Night Executive Committee
Partners: Kabuki Chō Festival 2025, Kabukicho EXPANDED, FINALBY (), “Ikirareta Shinjuku” Executive Committee
Sponsors: Kabukicho Shopping Street Promotion Association, Masamichi Tōyama, Tokyu Corporation
Supported by: Shinjuku Ward, Shinjuku Tourism Association
Grant: Arts Council Tokyo [Arts and Cultural Attraction Creation Grant]
Collaborators: The Chain Museum, AI AGENT Co., Ltd., Isshiki Office, UNICA Co., Ltd.
Participating Artists:
Miwa Yanagi, Noboru Yasuda, Kasumi Kanazawa, Hisashi Watanabe, JanMah, DOMMUNE, Naohiro Ukawa, ∈Y∋, COSMICLAB, VMO, Merzbow, Naruyoshi Kikuchi, Nao Otani, Nosu Hōsui, New Immigration B x Maki Nomiya, MES, Garyu Miyoshi, Hana Saito, Troupe Kara, Takuo Inari, Yuki Fukumoto, Tsumugi Harada, Jūzō Yamamoto, Maiko Satō, Arata Mino, Won Yoon, Yata Asōko, Yuta Geshi, GROUP, Toshiya Yoshimi, Ryūta Ujō, Toyo Ito, Makoto Aida, Yuko Okada, Keisuke Okada, Rintarō Fuse, Tomotoshi, Takumi Hirayama, THE COPY TRAVELERS, 0914, KANE-ZANMAI, Sonzaimoten, Kōshinkyoku, Takasegawa Monitoring Department, Yamanaka Suplex, Kurouto no Ran, Kaze no Hito, Pylon Shop, satokai publishing:-), Nutomic, Go Murakami (Punk Rocker Labor Union, Red Riot Band), Aoi Kaze yo (Aokid + Sakai Kaze + Yodamarie), Takuma Imao (ft. Wataru Kikuchi, Midori Tagami), M-Meeting, Amateur no Ran Remnants Radio, Modern Angels, Tomo City Museum, Asama Onsen Darazuso, Miyu Motegi, Tōmei Fukusha, Nanaka Haga, Boku Nō …and more!
Project Team:
- Kabukicho Art Night Executive Committee: Ryūta Ujō, Maki Tezuka, Yuko Yamamoto
- Curators: Chim↑Pom from Smappa!Group (Ryūta Ujō, Erii, Yasutaka Hayashi, Toshinori Mizuno, Masataka Okada, Motomu Inaoka), Yuko Yamamoto, Tomohito Wakui, Kaho Ikeda, Dan Isomura
- Art Direction & Design: Yasutaka Hayashi (Chim↑Pom from Smappa!Group), Smappa!Group
- PR: Aya Yamamoto, Smappa!Group
- Project Managers: Rena Ashibe, Nao Nakamura
Tickets:
Available via ArtSticker: https://artsticker.app/events/94416 (Pre-sale until October 31, 23:59)
- General (1-Day Ticket): ¥3,000 (pre-sale), ¥3,500 (at the door)
- General (3-Day Free Pass): ¥6,000 (pre-sale), ¥7,000 (at the door)
- Under 18: ¥2,500
- Junior High School and below: Free
- Individual Supporter Ticket: ¥10,000 per unit
Some programs may require additional fees.
Entry for those under 18 is restricted from 22:00–5:00 per regulations.
Children under junior high school age must be accompanied by a guardian.
Visitors with a disability certificate and one accompanying person may enter free of charge. Assistance from the accompanying person is required for navigation within and to the venues.
Ōjō Building, Shinjuku Kabukicho Nō Butai, Decameron, WHITEHOUSE, and Tokyo Desert do not have elevators; all floor movement requires stairs.
Unlimited re-entry is allowed on the day of attendance.
Opening hours may change; please confirm the latest information on the official website or social media before visiting.
Same-day tickets are sold only at Ōjō Building. Visitors who purchased tickets online must also check in at Ōjō Building reception first.
