Did you know that even a busy place like Narita Airport has quiet places for people to relax? In fact, there are many works of art in areas that visitors use in passing.

In this corner, we will introduce these works of art and suggest a new way to spend your time at Narita Airport.

We hope the art you encounter will enliven the first step on your journey...

This mini gallery presents masterpieces of Japanese art in the collection of the Tokyo National Museum, such as Katsushika Hokusai’s Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, and the national treasure Scenes In and Around Kyoto (Funaki Version). As reproductions on the walls and ceilings shot with special film, this mini gallery allows visitors to examine the artworks even closer than in the Museum. This Gallery is presented in cooperation with 3M Japan Limited, Tokyo National Museum, and Narita International Airport Corporation.

Mini Gallery of Japanese Art

The theme expresses the gentle dawn light that envelopes everything on this earth and is the source of all energy. The techniques of paper making, handed down from ancient times, produce an atmosphere and feeling of warmth.

Dawn Light

Sculptures symbolizing aircraft. B. S. East (Blue Sky East) is an expression of the clouds of the East while V. O. West (Violet Ocean West) depicts the waves of the West. The idea for this artwork is conceived from the fact that the sun rises in the Eastern sky and sinks into the Western sea. The clouds are based on the Unchu Kuyo Bodhisattva of Byodo-in Temple, and the waves are based on the Kaibu Mon-yo, a traditional Japanese wave pattern often used on kimono. B. S. East is 4.5 meters high, 2.2 meters wide and 1.6 meters long, and V. O. West is 4.5 meters high, 2.4 meters wide and 1.6 meters long.

B.S.EAST／V.O.WEST

Perspectives of the present, past and future depicted by Narita Airport. Busy South Wing, Narita Airport depicts the inside and outside of the passenger terminal but with travelers and facilities from the Edo period. Expression is, in some parts, timeless and depicts a bustling Narita Airport. Airplanes, Narita Airport depicts luxurious three-level aircraft with hot spring facilities and tatami rooms, flying through yellow clouds from which appears Narita Airport as a castle. This is a copy of the intricately drawn water-color original transferred on to ceramic panels to hang mural style and is 3.8 meters high and 3 meters long.The closer you get, the more delightful detail you can see.

Busy South Wing, Narita Airport/Airplanes, Narita Airport

An enormous stained glass work created from an original by Yoko Yamamoto. Person to person, nation to nation, cooperating and working together is of supreme importance in preserving world peace. All conflicts around the world would cease if this was engraved in the hearts of men. That is the message conveyed by this work.

THE UNIVERSE

The rising sun symbolizes a bright future while the angel flying freely through the skies of Japan expresses a wish for a safe journey and world peace.

Image of an Angel

A huge stained glass work created from an original by Kiyoshi Awazu. This works depicts angels dancing freely and overflows with brilliance and kindness. It expresses the joyful hearts of a first encounter.

Angels in Flight

This work has become the symbol of the departure lobby in Terminal 1. Depicting a town in a pristine natural environment, it uses colors to represent blue sky and water, trees and thicket, flowers and blossoms, and fertility on a light green earth and the various colors draw the attention of travelers.

Glass Tower - Town in a Pristine Natural Environment

The overlapping petals of the Flower of Time change shape with a graceful beauty with each step taken. In the distinct four seasons of Japan, the perfume of flowers delivers the message of each season while the phases of the moon tell us of the passing of time.

Flower of Time

The viewer first encounters twin symmetrical gold and silver murals extending for 30 meters representing the golden country of Jipang and the land of the rising sun, Japan. Images of goldfish flying through space and time draw one to the story of the panels and Japan itself. While simultaneously showcasing the famous industry and technology of Japan, the design has been conceived for the principal purpose of promoting Japan.

Japan/All Things are Connected

A giant 3.5 meter high, 39.2 meter long mural with the layout of a folding screen installed in the central part of the departure lobby in Terminal 2. This ceramic piece was commissioned to one of Japan's most famous Nihonga (Japanese-style painting) artists, the late Matazou Kayama with the mandate to create a work that symbolized Japan and was a suitable creation for the airport in its role as the gateway to the nation. The theme follows the four distinct seasons which is a characteristic feature of Japan with frequent use of gold and platinum colors. To bring out the best in the original-based ceramic panels, the "translation" of the original to the ceramic was done under the instructions of Kayama himself. The Master paid particularly attention to the way in which the four seasons of Japan would produce a gentle atmosphere in a passenger terminal environment comprising concrete, steel and sharp silhouettes.

Sun, Moon and Four Seasons

Sitting conspicuously in the Terminal 2 arrival lobby, these ceramics adorn the north and south ends. The south end of the arrival lobby features the Red & White Camellia and the Purple Iris is at the north end. Rather than use different color glazing, the design of the flowers is divided into the petal color and the stem color with large ceramic panels in various curved shapes fitting together like a giant jigsaw puzzle.

Red & White Camellia/Purple Iris

In Japan, with its distinctive change in seasons and high humidity, houses are built with timber which harks back to nature. This exhibit comprises flat panels and wooden frames, incorporating the designs of Japanese furniture and fittings. It uses precious virgin timber (cedar, katsura, Japanese cypress, Japanese zelkova) to emphasize the beauty of the grain in the tree which has formed itself over the years and months. Using intricate planing skills of a master craftsman, Kano has revealed the true beauty of the grain. He emphasizes that beauty by applying wax, another natural material, to the surface to prolong its life. A round, drum-like, three-dimensional object has been set in the middle, through which one may be able to feel the warmth of the timber.

Wood

Earth has long been used as building material in various countries, not just Japan. Plastering, the art of using crude earth as a beautiful, functionally superior finish to a wall, is a well-known tradecraft in Japan. As a Japanese earthen wall, this work is a combination of the residual expression of earth and Tosa-style lime plaster, which has a deep effect even in plaster walls. The stepping creates depth and expression in the wall surface.

Earth

Tiles are used on the roofs of timber houses in Japan. Today, there is increasing demand for Western tiles and Japanese tiles are mostly mechanically shaped and fired in gas or electric kilns. However, the tiles on display here have been fired in a traditional kiln known as a darumagama. The difference between kilns that produce tiles and those that produce ceramics is the shape. With a tile kiln, the tiles are stacked in the center and the fuel for the fire is added from the sides. Instead of covering the tiles directly with ash (glaze), the tiles are smoked to produce an ink black color and improve fire resistance. The ink black color of the tiles produced by the kiln varies and has an important significance. This exhibit emphasizes the wave shaped curves by aligning the tiles simply to convey the beauty of the smooth curves formed individually by hand. The snow guard tiles third from the bottom are not just a statement of style, they demonstrate the knowledge accumulated in areas where snow is heavy.

Tile

Long ago, ascending kilns (large kilns that rotated the fire using an incline to fire more effectively) were used for the mass production of ceramics but because of the cost, gas kilns are mostly used today. Although there are a few ascending kills in operation, they are very rare. One of those rare ascending kilns was put to work to fire this exhibit and demonstrate the traditional technique. Ascending kilns are fueled by Japanese red pine 24-hours-a-day for five or six days. Tiles placed near the opening of the kiln are glazed by the thick covering of red pine ash, producing a glass-like surface finish. Those near the top become a reddish color called scarlet of increasing intensity, the further up they are placed in the kiln. No two tiles are alike in terms of the expression (view) emitted by the natural ash.

Ceramics

Negoro Lacquer is produced in a process in which vermillion lacquer is applied as a finishing coat over several layers of black lacquer primer. The technique has been used for several thousand years and remains today as a traditional lacquer ware method. In this exhibit, the vermillion and black lacquer are applied side by side in equal parts in a lucid design to achieve an unobstructed view of the simple yet powerful beauty. Negoro Lacquer is used on containers and other everyday items and through this frequent, daily use, the black primer coat begins to appear under the vermillion top coat. In the Japanese sense of aesthetics, seeing the beauty in the patterns that emerge over the years, it is possible to comprehend the respect for nature and life. Therefore, this exhibit displays the underlying current of aesthetics in Japan by removing the patterns and showing the Negoro Lacquer in its original state. Through the polishing process, the surfaces give off a mirror-like gloss which reflects the images of the passing traffic and the colors appear to change depending on the location of the viewer.

Lacquer

Maki-e is the utilizing of characteristics of lacquer to achieve a higher level of decorative beauty. It is the process of creating a picture or pattern and sprinkling gold dust over it before the lacquer dries. This type of lacquer art is unique to Japan and is famous worldwide. This exhibit uses the silver grass pattern from Kodaiji Temple lacquer ware to portray the beauty of patterns that abstract nature. The different shades of vermillion are arranged in a way that shows interesting changes with the outer eight panels rendered in a bright washed-out vermillion and the inner four panels in a deep vermillion. To draw out the vermillion maki-e, patterns have been left off the interspersing black maki-e. Gold is more frequent in the central maki-e to draw on the introspective nature of the exhibit.

Maki-e

Imari ware is one of the leading types of porcelain in Japan and is said to have had an influence on Meissen porcelain art. This exhibit is a display of the works produced by the craftsmen with the traditional techniques used by Imari when cobalt was the only color used for art work in the early days of Imari ware, and who draw the art by hand and glaze with natural materials. Art work on these porcelain plates are perfected in the given shape. The plates are therefore exhibited as they are without altering them into flat panels. Craftsmen producing traditional Imari ware add their own elements to the art. Every piece is different and that diversity can be seen here. By displaying familiar porcelain items in an orderly way, the exhibit blends harmoniously with the surrounding architecture, yet the numerous plates and their uniquely individual designs draw the viewer into its own little universe.

Porcelain

Gold in Japan has not been mined in any great amount and because of its rarity, a technique has developed where it is manually flattened out into leaf. In this exhibit, real gold leaf is pasted over top quality washi paper in the same way as it was used in the past when gold leaf was used as the background for artwork on fusuma (sliding doors) and folding screens, inviting the viewer into a world of luxury. Underneath, several layers of washi paper are pasted over a wooden panel so that the exhibit can withstand changes in temperature, adhering to the traditional method for producing fusuma.

Gold Leaf

Bamboo is used in Tanabata and for the kadomatsu decoration at New Year and it is also used for the imidake decoration erected for ground-breaking ceremonies. It is revered in Japan because its straight growth and longevity is seen as auspicious and a symbol of purity and it plays a significant role in Japanese society. The bamboo fence is also seen in this light. They undergo various processes by craftsmen and are used as a decorative feature of Japanese gardens because of their structural beauty. This is a taimatsugaki fence. The bamboo is split and put back together as a means of preventing splitting through drying and to enhance its decorative beauty. Alternating the bamboo in a one forward/one back combination creates a beautiful three dimensional effect. Smoked, dark bamboo is used for the cross rails and the black twine contrasts beautifully with the light colored bamboo.

Bamboo

Although stone in Japan is not used for walls in the same way as the West, it has been used in the foundations of castles, to support the wooden columns in temples and shrines and as structural supports. Rocks have also been used for formative beauty in Japanese gardens. This exhibit illustrates the strength of rock walls and displays the formative beauty of interlocked stone. The exhibit is based on the high stone walls of the Kikokutei Gardens at Higashi-Hongan-ji Temple. The series of large Kurama stones from top left to lower right seem to flow invitingly down to a Kutsunugi stone which is often used by guests to slip their shoes off when being invited in. The elements of visitors and crossroads which are central to a place such as an airport are expressed here with traditional arrangements used in Japanese gardens. All of the rocks are from Japan (about 8 to 10 varieties).

Stone

Paper is indispensible to day-to-day life for the Japanese. Paper is used to craft everything from fittings and furniture such as sliding doors, shoji screens and folding screens, to lamps, lanterns and other lighting as well as hinges on folding screens. Although it tears easily, it can be mended and repaired time after time. We should value the bounties of Mother Nature and, like the flora that prospers and declines with each season, accept and make do with the changes that are brought with the passing of time. It is that spirit in Japan that is expressed in the culture of paper. Therein also lies the aesthetic significance of art on sliding doors and folding screens to welcome guests. At both ends of the arrival course, there are folding screen works which have been plant dyed in the two colors representative of Japan, crimson and indigo by Somenotsukasa Yoshioka. The paper used in this installation is top quality washi made in the studio of Shinji Idani from Hiigawa in Shimane Prefecture and framed by Gengo Suzuki. The folding screens created by the cumulative skills of these artisans radiate a gentle, lamp-like glow to welcome visitors to Japan.

Folding Screens (Crimson)

Narita Airport is a vibrant place where people and things are always coming and going every day.

Art Feature in the Airport DetailsArt Promenade

Works