Yoshitake Shinsuke Exhibition at the Sogo Building in Yokohama

A couple of years ago, in September 2024, my family and I went to a children’s author and illustrator’s exhibition at the Sogo building in Yokohama. His name is Yoshitake Shinsuke. Earlier that year, I had bought some of his books for my older son, who was four years old at the time.

Yoshitake Shinsuke is known for his humorous children’s books, which often explore rather philosophical topics from a child’s perspective, such as “What makes an apple an apple?” or “Why am I bored?” The humor comes from the ordinariness of the situations. The setting is usually quite domestic, with a character thinking whimsically about the meaning of something that most of us would normally take for granted.

Sometimes, however, the topics are a little more serious. His book What Happens Next deals with a boy trying to understand what it means when his grandfather passes away. He imagines what life might be like for his grandfather after death. Even with these more serious topics, there is still humor to be found in Yoshitake’s books, always handled in a thoughtful and tasteful way.

Because the exhibition was a little while ago, my memory is a little hazy, but I seem to remember how busy it was. We went on a weekend, and Minatomirai was packed with people, right from the station all the way to the exhibition venue. When we arrived, I seem to remember there being a long line. Luckily, it was moving at a decent pace.

As we came into the venue with the queue, we noticed what looked like a series of back rooms or storage areas, with cardboard boxes and partitions sticking out. The first word that came to mind was the Japanese word 地味に (じみに), which can mean something like “plain” or “unassuming” in English.

But if you looked closer, there were funny illustrations and small sculptures attached to the walls, which made waiting in line quite amusing. Everything was in keeping with the mood of Yoshitake Shinsuke’s books.

Inside the exhibition, the “plain” theme continued, with quirky displays on a much larger scale. There were large, human-sized robots, miniatures displayed in unusual places, and exhibits that were sometimes a little out of the way, out of sight, or seemingly out of place.

On reflection, the recently released and rather successful horror film Backrooms came to mind. Some of the exhibition displays had a kind of “zero-budget” look, with unfinished-looking interiors and strange arrangements that felt quirky and dreamlike. Unlike a horror movie, however, the Yoshitake Shinsuke exhibition presented this style in a warm and playful way.

There were also plenty of original sketches, outlines, and artwork related to his books. Seeing the original drawings gave us a different perspective on the books that we had at home.

There were some interactive exhibits for children, too. For example, there was a game where kids could throw apples into holes surrounded by an interactive screen. These kinds of activities made the exhibition feel less like a traditional art exhibition and more like a place where children could actually interact with Yoshitake Shinsuke’s ideas and illustrations.

At the end of the day, despite the crowds, it was a pretty good outing. The Yoshitake Shinsuke exhibition stood out from a lot of other exhibitions because of the way everything was displayed.

My son already liked Yoshitake Shinsuke’s books, and he really dug the exhibition. For me, there was something inspiring about the playfulness and creativity of the displays. It was interesting to see how simple ideas and ordinary objects could be turned into something funny, thoughtful, and imaginative.

It was also a nice reminder that children’s books don’t necessarily have to be simple. Yoshitake Shinsuke’s books can make kids laugh while also encouraging them to think about bigger questions. The combination of humor, creativity, and everyday Japanese life makes his work not only interesting for kids, but for adults too. The exhibition managed to capture that same feeling in a visual and interactive way.

【スタッフによる要約】

武蔵小杉校のMark先生が、2024年9月に家族で訪れた横浜・そごうのヨシタケシンスケ展について紹介する記事です。ヨシタケシンスケさんの子ども向け絵本の魅力や、哲学的なテーマ、ユニークで遊び心のある展示、子どもが楽しめるインタラクティブな展示について紹介しています。横浜・みなとみらいでの家族のお出かけというローカルな要素も取り入れ、武蔵小杉・横浜エリアで英語や海外文化に興味のある大人にも読みやすい内容にしています。