An art area called "ART BRIDGE" (アート・ブリッヂ) will open at Omori Furusato no Hamabe Park (大森ふるさとの浜辺公園) in Ota City, Tokyo, on Saturday, November 7 and Sunday, November 8, 2026. It is set up as a project commemorating the 80th anniversary of Ota City, within "OTA Fureai Festa" (OTAふれあいフェスタ), the largest ward festival in Ota City. The park, which hosts the festival, is lively with a variety of events and vendors under the theme of "multiculturalism."
The art area exhibits a giant blue cat nicknamed "Ao-chan" (アオちゃん), measuring 9.8 meters wide and 3.6 meters high. It is large enough to make passersby stop in their tracks, yet Ao-chan is taking a comfortable nap. The work is WA!moto's AO-CNI., an inflatable nylon sculpture whose vivid blue color and relaxed sleeping pose catch the eye.
The familiar park becomes like a scene from a story. Visitors can step closer or view the cat from a little distance, find a favorite spot, and spend a peaceful moment with Ao-chan. Workshops related to the artwork will also be held on site by "Mo! Asobi" (モ！アソビ) and choreographer Ryu Suzuki (鈴木竜).
NANTAN Tokyo Artist Collective (南端東京) also takes part. Visitors can look through collections of works by artists who participate in the open studio program it runs, and join two workshops on both days: "Fantastic Matango" by artist Taira Ichikawa, using aluminum, and "Nori no Iro" by ukokor.
The event runs for only two days. Visitors can enjoy the art that appears in a seaside park in Ota City, and a moment in which people with many different perspectives share the same scenery.
Event Details
- Name: ART BRIDGE (アート・ブリッヂ ART BRIDGE), Interacting with Art in a Seaside Park
- Dates and hours: Saturday, November 7 and Sunday, November 8, 2026, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
- Venue: Omori Furusato no Hamabe Park (大森ふるさとの浜辺公園, 東京都大田区１－１), inside the "OTA Fureai Festa 2026" venue
- Admission: Free
- Access: 15-minute walk from Heiwajima Station on the Keikyu Line. A free shuttle bus runs from near the east exits of JR Omori Station and JR Kamata Station.
- Official website: https://www.city.ota.tokyo.jp/event/event_kankou/festa.html
- Organizers: OTA Fureai Festa Executive Committee (OTAふれあいフェスタ実行委員会) and Ota City
- Planning cooperation: 公益財団法人大田区文化振興協会
Participating Programs
Exhibited Work: WA!moto, AO-CNI. (2023)
Being able to nap in peace is one form of peace.
The concept of AO-CNI. is "PEACEFUL NAP." With conflicts continuing around the world and divisions growing between people, the importance of an everyday life in which one can close one's eyes and rest with peace of mind is being questioned anew. In such times, a large blue cat sleeps defenselessly in a park. Its gentle figure offers passersby a chance to share a sense of calm. Even across differences in language, culture, and generation, people look up at the same cat and smile. Even in that small moment, there is a point of contact for people to live together. Looking at Ao-chan's nap, visitors can turn their thoughts to a world where everyone can spend their days in peace. The extraordinary scene that appears in the park gently illuminates the peace that is close to us.
WA!moto. "motoka watanabe" (わっもと もとか わたなべ)
Born in 1981 in Date, Hokkaido. Based in Ota City.
Interested in the relationship between urban space and people, WA!moto creates and installs sculptures in public spaces to help people connect with urban space on a spiritual level.
Major public art works include "猿結参道" at the approach to Hodo Inari Shrine (宝童稲荷神社) in Ginza 4-chome (2016, Ginza), the symbol art "YOUwe." for the bouldering wall at MIYASHITA PARK (2020, Shibuya), the 5.7-meter-high large sculpture "Find Our Happiness" (2021, Zhongshan, China), and "HEY" (2024, Tennozu), among many others.
Photo by Tomohiro Mazawa
November 7 (Sat.): Workshop "Let's Make Fish Swim in the Sky!" (空に魚を泳がせよう！) by Mo! Asobi (モ！アソビ)
This is a craft workshop produced by Mo! Asobi, which expands free thinking through play. The venue is inside the artwork of the big cat napping in the park. While imagining the dream the cat is having, participants make an original pinwheel in the shape of a fish. They can then spin the finished pinwheel in the park breeze and enjoy both making and playing.
- Instructor: Mo! Asobi
- Ages: 5 to 12 (children under 5 may participate with a parent or guardian)
- Capacity: 10 people per session
- Sessions: Session 1: 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM / Session 2: 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM / Session 3: 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
- Fee: Free
- How to apply: Advance reservation required (first come, first served). Apply here
- Note: In case of severe weather, the workshop may be held at a different venue.
About Mo! Asobi (モ！アソビ！)
Mo! Asobi is a creative program that expands free imagination and creativity through play born from art and design ideas.
What it values is free play with no right or wrong answers. It believes that thinking, trying, and working things out on one's own, and the discoveries and sense of achievement that come from that process, lead to each person's self-confidence.
It plans and produces workshops and events that anyone, from children to adults, can get absorbed in.
It is a business of WA! Co.,Ltd., headquartered in Ota City.
November 8 (Sun.): "Let's Become a Big Cat" (おおきなネコになろう) Body-Awareness Workshop by Ryu Suzuki (鈴木竜)
Participants go inside AO-CNI., the big cat dozing in a nap, and experience feeling the cat's body together. By becoming part of the cat's body and moving their own, they can feel the cat's breathing, movement, and the presence around it. The instructor is Ryu Suzuki, a choreographer based in the local area.
- Instructor: Ryu Suzuki
- Ages: 4 to 12 (preschool children and those who need support must be accompanied by a parent or caregiver. Parents and caregivers are not counted in the capacity.)
- Capacity: About 10 people per session
- Sessions: Session 1: 11:00 AM to 11:30 AM / Session 2: 12:00 PM to 12:30 PM / Session 3: 1:30 PM to 2:00 PM / Session 4: 2:30 PM to 3:00 PM
- Fee: Free
- How to apply: Advance reservation required (first come, first served). Apply here
- Note: In case of severe weather, the workshop may be canceled.
Ryu Suzuki (鈴木 竜) | RYU SUZUKI
Choreographer. Born in Yokohama and lives in Ota City.
He graduated from the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance in the UK and joined Phoenix Dance Theatre. After leaving the company, he took part in works by Akram Khan, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Philippe Decouflé, Tero Saarinen, Inbal Pinto / Avshalom Pollak, Motoko Hirayama (平山素子), Ryohei Kondo (近藤良平), Kenta Kojiri (小㞍健太), and others.
As a choreographer, he has created works for dance institutions such as Dance Base Yokohama (Japan), the Korea National Contemporary Dance Company (韓国国立現代舞踊団, South Korea), AURA Dance Theatre (Lithuania), and Attakalari Centre for Movement Arts (India). His works have been performed in Japan and around the world, including the UK, Italy, France, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and South Korea.
@Takayuki Abe
November 7 (Sat.) and 8 (Sun.): NANTAN Tokyo Workshops and Art Exhibition
NANTAN Tokyo (南端東京) runs "NANTAN Tokyo Open Studio" (南端東京オープンスタジオ), which opens the production sites of contemporary artists to the public. At the event, it introduces its activities and presents a display where visitors can freely pick up and enjoy collections of works by participating artists. It also holds workshops led by artists with ties to the local area, related to the history and culture of Ota City. It is an opportunity for everyone, from children to adults, to enjoy art casually, even those unfamiliar with contemporary art. The collections are on display all day and can be viewed freely. Workshop details are below.
- Organizer: NANTAN Tokyo Art Collective (南端東京)
November 7 (Sat.) and 8 (Sun.): "Fantastic Matango" (ファンタスティックマタンゴ) Workshop by Taira Ichikawa (市川 平)
This is an art workshop in which participants use materials such as aluminum and wire to freely make three-dimensional objects. By bending, twisting, and combining the materials, they discover unexpected shapes and unique silhouettes. Together with artist Taira Ichikawa, participants use their hands to expand their imagination and create a mysterious form of their own. It is a program where everyone from children to adults can experience the joy of making things.
- Instructor: Taira Ichikawa
- Ages: No restrictions
- Capacity: Participation is possible whenever a seat becomes available, with about 6 people at a time
- Time: 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
- How to apply: No advance reservation required. Come directly to the venue.
- Fee: Free
Taira Ichikawa (市川 平 | いちかわ たいら)
Taira Ichikawa is a special lighting artist (特殊照明家) and former sculptor from Ota City, Tokyo. Born in 1965, he completed the graduate school of Musashino Art University. In 1988 he created "Planetarium Without a Dome" (ドームのないプラネタリウム), and he went on to make works that bring contemporary motifs into sculpture and express a science-fiction worldview. In recent years, as a special lighting artist, he has been coloring works and spaces with light through collaborations with various contemporary artists.
November 7 (Sat.) and 8 (Sun.): "Nori no Iro" (のりのいろ) Workshop by ukokor
The scent and taste of nori, the texture that spreads in the mouth, the slight resistance felt when folding it and the dry sound that comes the moment it gives way. The colors and textures that come to mind when people hear "nori" differ from person to person.
In this workshop, participants do not use black art materials. Instead, they combine various colors and trace their memories and sensations to create the "colors of nori." Participants turn the image of "nori" within themselves into color and enjoy painting it with their own sense.
- Instructor: ukokor
- Ages: No restrictions
- Capacity: Participation is possible whenever a seat becomes available, with about 6 people at a time
- Time: 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
- How to apply: No advance reservation required. Come directly to the venue.
- Fee: Free
ukokor (うこころ)
ukokor designs products, starting from the joy of making things by hand while touching and shaping materials, and an exploration of the beauty that objects hold. It creates its products in collaboration with various craftspeople and professionals.
- Website: https://ukokor.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ukokor_products
Event Highlights
1. Exhibited Work: WA!moto, AO-CNI. (2023)
The big, big blue cat AO-CNI. by artist WA!moto is an inflatable nylon sculpture filled with air. It is 9.8 meters wide and 3.6 meters high, and its concept is "PEACEFUL NAP." Its vivid blue stands out against the green of the park lawn.
2. A Variety of Workshops
Combining the workshops related to WA!moto's AO-CNI. with the NANTAN Tokyo workshops, visitors can enjoy four art workshops.
3. Meet Artists with Ties to the Local Area
WA!moto, who takes part in this event, as well as Ryu Suzuki and NANTAN Tokyo Art Collective, are all artists based in Ota City.
4. "OTA Fureai Festa 2026 - 80th Anniversary of Ota City"
Now in its 37th year, this is the largest ward festival in Ota City. Under the themes of "local connections" and "a circle of exchange," it is held at four venues in Ota City: Omori Furusato no Hamabe Park, Boat Race Heiwajima (ボートレース平和島), Heiwajima Park, and Heiwa no Mori Park. Temporary free shuttle buses run on the days of the event, and the festival draws more than 150,000 visitors every year over the two days.
The art area, set up as a project commemorating the 80th anniversary of Ota City, is located at Omori Furusato no Hamabe Park, one of the venues.
