[Art People Navi - From Museums Affiliated with the Museums Association] 5. Edo-Tokyo Museum, Taro Nitta (Part 2) "Bathing in History, Bringing It Back to the City: The New Edo-Tokyo Museum's Challenge"
Taro Nitta, who led the renewal of the Edo-Tokyo Museum, discusses immersive exhibits, XR technology, and the Maruyama Okyo exhibition.Summary
In the second part of an interview with Taro Nitta, Planning Division Manager at the Edo-Tokyo Museum, which reopened in 2026 after about four years of closure, he explains the renewal's key features. The permanent exhibitions now allow visitors to enter many restored buildings, enhancing immersion in history, such as the Edo tenement houses and Nakamura-za theater in the Edo Zone, and the former Hattori Clock Shop and Dojunkai Apartments in the Tokyo Zone. A new gallery space for quietly appreciating artworks like ukiyo-e prints has been added. Beyond exhibition rooms, the museum offers a 7th-floor library and "Book Plaza" with views, and projection mapping in the 3rd-floor "Edo-Tokyo Plaza." Digital initiatives include the free app "Hyper Edo-Tokyo XR Museum" launched in July 2026, which uses AR/VR both inside and outside the museum to overlay past scenes onto current streets. The special exhibition "Maruyama Okyo: Beyond Reality, Spatial Revolution" from November 28 will recreate three rooms from Daijo-ji Temple in Hyogo with original sliding screen paintings, allowing visitors to experience Okyo's art integrated with architectural space.
(Source：美術展ナビ)