If you have ever listened to a Japanese city pop playlist and wondered about the images that accompany it -- the palm trees against a white sky, the sports car on an empty coastal road, the rooftop pool at dusk -- many of them came from one person: Hiroshi Nagai (永井博).
Nagai's illustrations defined the visual language of Japan's city pop era in the 1980s, appearing on album covers for artists including Tatsuro Yamashita and Taeko Ohnuki. Decades later, his work has reached entirely new global audiences through the city pop revival, his images circulating widely online as a kind of shorthand for a particular aesthetic of Japanese leisure and optimism.
TRAVELLING NORTH
His latest exhibition, TRAVELLING NORTH, opens at Bunkamura Gallery 8/ in Shibuya Hikarie from May 1 to 17, 2026. As the title suggests, this body of work shifts the palette away from the tropical blues and oranges that made his name toward northern landscapes -- spare, cooler, with a different kind of stillness. Whether this means Hokkaido snowfields, lakeside birch forests, or simply a different season in the same imagined world, the exhibition is expected to reveal new dimensions of an artist who has spent decades perfecting a single, luminous vision.
About the Venue
Bunkamura Gallery 8/ is located on the 8th floor of Shibuya Hikarie, the glass tower directly connected to Shibuya Station's east exit. The gallery space itself is intimate and well-suited to illustration work, allowing Nagai's paintings to be seen at close range. Admission is typically free for Bunkamura Gallery exhibitions; check the official listing for any ticketing details.
Getting There
Shibuya Hikarie is directly connected to Shibuya Station via multiple lines including the JR Yamanote Line, Tokyo Metro Ginza, Hanzomon, and Fukutoshin lines, and the Tokyu Toyoko and Den-en-toshi lines. The 8th floor is accessible by elevator from the ground floor or the station-connected B3 floor.
Tips
- The exhibition runs for just 17 days; weekend visits will be busier, especially during the Golden Week period at the start of the run.
- Nagai's original paintings and prints are typically available for purchase at his exhibitions. Come early in the run for the full selection.
- The Hikarie building has several good cafes and restaurants across its lower floors if you want to make an afternoon of it.
- Pair with a visit to the nearby Bunkamura The Museum in Daikanyama for more art content in the same neighbourhood.
For anyone who has ever felt that pull toward the imagined Japanese summer of the 1980s -- or who simply appreciates masterful use of light and colour in illustration -- TRAVELLING NORTH is not to be missed.
Event: https://matsurimap.app/en/event/d4f00e62-0105-4849-bd23-5a219f6042d7 | Place: https://matsurimap.app/en/place/place-bunkamura-001
Image: Shibuya Cultural Center OWADA, Tokyo, CC BY-SA 3.0, Momotarou2012, via Wikimedia Commons
