{"id":433,"date":"2025-10-31T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T03:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/?p=433"},"modified":"2025-11-07T10:29:27","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T01:29:27","slug":"interview-roaming-through-the-entertainment-capital-behind-the-scenes-of-benten-2-art-night-kabukicho-maki-tezuka-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/?p=433","title":{"rendered":"[Interview] Roaming Through the Entertainment Capital: Behind the Scenes of \u201cBENTEN 2 Art Night Kabukicho\u201d \u2014 Maki Tezuka Edition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The art event \u201cBENTEN 2 Art Night Kabukicho\u201d invites audiences to rediscover the light and shadow of Kabukicho through its culture. For Chim\u2191Pom from Smappa!Group, who curate the event, Maki Tezuka has long served as a vital conduit between the collective (from their pre-name-change era to the present) and the district. He also acts as a broader hub connecting Kabukicho with the \u201coutside world.\u201d (For details on the name change, see Bijutsu Techo\u2019s interview \u201cWhy did Chim\u2191Pom from Smappa!Group choose to rename? On the importance of \u2018mutation.\u2019\u201d<\/a>)

Entering the district in 1997 as a host and now an entrepreneur running numerous host clubs, restaurants, and salons, Tezuka has contributed to Kabukicho\u2019s cultural reputation as an executive director of the local shopping association and founder of the volunteer group Yach\u014d no Kai. (For the turbulent story of Tezuka and Kabukicho, see his book Shinjuku\/Kabukicho: Why Do People Seek the \u201cNight City\u201d?)

So what future does he envision for Kabukicho? Through \u201cBENTEN 2 Art Night Kabukicho,\u201d we explore the future he seeks and his unwavering love for the district.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
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\u201cSo see you again tomorrow, too?\u201d (2016) \/ Drawing Blueprints ver.2
Cyanotype, room, installation \/ Photo: Kenji Morita
Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO Production<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Carrying the Deep Layers of Kabukicho on Contemporary Art<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While Mr. Ushiro spoke from an artistic perspective, you\u2019ve led many initiatives in Kabukicho including work with local government. What are your thoughts on \u201cBENTEN 2 Art Night Kabukicho\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tezuka: After the war, there was a movement to rebuild this district through culture. Contemporary art can capture and express social phenomena. With this year\u2019s theme, \u201cUrban Rewilding,\u201d art that goes beyond the surface is well suited to a district as rapidly changing as Kabukicho.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For this event, do you focus more on people working in Kabukicho or those from outside?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tezuka: My strongest wish is to make life more enjoyable for the insiders\u2014not only those here now but those who will come to work here. That includes people who visit to see the cultural side\u2014different from the stereotypical image\u2014and people who want to help create the event. In fact, BENTEN also has a recruiting aspect: some visitors from last year ended up working with us.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cBENTEN 2024\u201d \u00a9 Shun Uehara
\u201cA-Yoko,\u201d a chaotic alley of performances, pop-ups, and food inside the Ojo Building

<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Shifting \u201cInsider\u201d Mindsets\u2014From a Pass-Through Town to a Place to Stay<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Tezuka: Many people live through social media, which is flooded with easy, stereotyped narratives. Kabukicho\u2019s ephemerality amplifies that mindset, so surface-level stories get more attention. As a result, the self-awareness and real, on-the-ground sense of those who come and work here can thin out. I want to gradually adjust that gap between prevailing impressions and actual reality.
Otherwise we lose our sense of locality\u2014\u201cwe create things here; this is our hometown\u201d\u2014and Kabukicho becomes just a place people pass through. That has its charms, but we are the ones who stay. I want to give meaning to that, and I\u2019m always thinking about how to involve insiders. I see BENTEN 2 long-term, as a way to gradually build such a current.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cBENTEN 2024\u201d \u00a9 Shun Uehara<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In Kabukicho\u2019s history, Kibei Suzuki\u2014who worked to rebuild the district after the war\u2014also faced misunderstanding and setbacks, correct?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tezuka: Yes. After Suzuki, many who embedded culture here were Taiwanese entrepreneurs who had built wealth. You need both resources and ideals\u2014lacking either fails. I believe holding that balance is my role. For this event, more than half the venues are our Smappa!Group rentals\u2014that\u2019s frankly disappointing. Going forward, I want to gather more insiders who share this intention and involve the entire district.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What ideas do you have to involve the district even more widely?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tezuka: While I value contemporary art as a gateway to reach abroad, I also want to add more entertainment-oriented elements\u2014things insiders can join casually and link to their livelihoods.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cBENTEN 2024\u201d \u00a9 Shun Uehara<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From Art Event to a Cultural Festival\u2014with Art at the Core<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Golden Gai is packed with foreign visitors. What do you think about the inbound surge?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tezuka: If profit is the goal, you just target foreigners. But then you get only a surface-level Kabukicho. That has its place, but insiders and visitors should mingle to cultivate culture.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s most important in striking that balance?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tezuka: I\u2019m not an artist\u2014that\u2019s key. My role is to understand contemporary art, connect the city\u2019s future (beyond art) with the outside, and steer how Kabukicho is presented so it aligns with on-the-ground reality.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I see\u2014more of a third-party perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tezuka: Exactly. We must be careful not to misinterpret Kabukicho.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That sounds less like art curation and more like Kabukicho curation\u2014advice only someone who knows the area deeply could give.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cBENTEN 2024\u201d \u00a9 Shun Uehara
 \u201cTokyo Sabaku,\u201d one of the venues for \u201cBENTEN 2 Art Night Kabukicho\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Tezuka: Understanding how we\u2019re seen is crucial. Rather than asking what we want Kabukicho to become, we should frame it within contemporary art, guarantee quality, and add entertainment to widen the entrance. Then it becomes coherent\u2014evolving into a city-scale festival, not just an art event, with contemporary art at the center. That\u2019s what I want. It lets even those indifferent to art think about the city as their own matter and become active citizens of it.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And always grounded in the city\u2019s culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tezuka: Exactly. I want to adjust the external gaze and change things from within. It\u2019s not \u201conly those who get it should come.\u201d I also want to revisit history\u2014like the once-successful ice-skating rink project\u2014without simply repeating the past, but by inheriting the city\u2019s history and doing what fits the present.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cBENTEN 2024\u201d \u00a9 Shun Uehara<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Kabukicho as \u201cNourishment for Life\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This art event depends on viewers roaming the city. Are you intentionally designing it so people understand Kabukicho by walking it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tezuka: Very much so. The roaming format lets each participant decide for themselves what this city is. Come to the nightlife on your own, find it interesting\u2014that\u2019s what gives the event meaning.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What kind of city do you want Kabukicho to become?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tezuka: I want it to be a place where working in Kabukicho becomes nourishment for life. People already say it was a good experience, but often what\u2019s missing is culture. I\u2019d be happy if they could say exposure to culture here was valuable. This city has that potential\u2014it\u2019s a place that prompts you to consider how you want to live.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does Kabukicho mean to you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tezuka: Kabukicho is in constant upheaval. Here you feel the great shifts\u2014AI, the internet age, the pandemic\u2014in real time. Debates about foreign tourists aren\u2019t just online discourse; they\u2019re events right in front of you. Because change is so palpable, the zeitgeist appears on the surface. That forces us to consider how to live and who to be\u2014not as an armchair theory, not as a pretty story. That\u2019s what makes it compelling.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A final message to visitors?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tezuka: Enjoy as much art as you can\u2014and please roam the city, peek into bars and eateries, and observe the people who inhabit Kabukicho.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On November 1, as you roam the city through \u201cBENTEN 2 Art Night Kabukicho,\u201d the old image of a \u201cdangerous\u201d Kabukicho will shift, revealing a fresher outline. If this article contributes even a little to that pre-revolutionary moment, we\u2019ll be glad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BENTEN 2 Art Night Kabukicho<\/p><\/div>

\n

The roaming art event \u201cBENTEN 2 Art Night Kabukicho\u201d will be held from November 1 to 3, 2025.
Under the theme \u201cUrban Rewilding,\u201d it is curated by Chim\u2191Pom from Smappa!Group, following the success of \u201cBENTEN 2024.\u201dAudiences can experience Kabukicho\u2019s cultural pulse by roaming through venues such as the Shinjuku Kabukicho Noh Stage, Ojo Building, Decameron, WHITEHOUSE, and Tokyo Sabaku. Come witness the raw reality of this chaotic, luminous city firsthand.

Hours<\/strong>
November 1 (Sat) 15:00\u201305:00 \/ November 2 (Sun) 15:00\u201305:00 \/ November 3 (Mon, holiday) 15:00\u201323:00
*Hours may vary by venue.

Tickets<\/strong>
Advance tickets on sale now *Until October 31 at 11:59 p.m.
https:\/\/artsticker.app\/en\/events\/94416<\/a>

At the door:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1-Day \u00a53,500 \/ Advance \u00a53,000<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3-Day Pass \u00a57,000 \/ Advance \u00a56,000<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under 18 \u00a52,500 \/ Free for junior high school and under<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After midnight: \u00a52,000 (incl. 1 drink)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*Some programs may require additional fees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Website: https:\/\/www.benten-kabukicho.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instagram: @benten2025_kabukicho<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The art event \u201cBENTEN 2 Art Night Kabukicho\u201d invites audiences to rediscover the light and shadow of Kabukicho …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":434,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_genesis_block_theme_hide_title":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,6],"tags":[166,168,167,169],"editor":[78],"photographer":[],"class_list":["post-433","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-event","tag-benten-2-art-night-kabukicho","tag-chimpom-from-smappagroup","tag-kabukicho","tag-maki-tezuka","editor-ryo-kobayashi","with-featured-image"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t