Digitized Hokusai Ukiyo-e Works Displayed in Japan’s Narita Airport; Delighting International Travelers

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:30 JST, January 27, 2024

An art exhibition space was recently opened in Narita Airport, where digital copies of ukiyo-e works by Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) are displayed.

On the walls of a 12-meter-wide aisle to the boarding gates, digital images and motion pictures are exhibited in the 57-meter-long space.

The event is titled “Digital x Hokusai in Narita Airport.” Narita International Airport Corp. organized the event jointly with other companies, including the Chiba business branch of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone East Corp. (NTT East).

The exhibited works include “Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji,” the originals of which are stored in the Yamanashi Prefectural Museum, and “Phoenix,” the original of which is drawn on the ceiling of Gansho-in temple’s main hall in Obuse, Nagano Prefecture.

By utilizing high-resolution digital data of the paintings representing Hokusai’s works, the companies created precise reproductions of paintings and other items.

The works are exhibited in an area where passengers pass through after finishing their embarkation procedures in the airport’s Terminal 2, so that passengers can enjoy looking at artwork just before their departure.

In Narita Airport, the number of foreign travelers has been recovering since COVID-19 restrictions have eased.

The companies said that they want foreign travelers to revisit Japan after seeing the art of Hokusai, whose work is highly popular in Japan and overseas.

They also aim to encourage foreign tourists to make side trips to provincial regions, such as Yamanashi and Nagano prefectures, where they can see the original works of Hokusai.