The German Embassy in Tokyo is home to a brand-new mural that’s bursting with color and camaraderie.
The new mural commemorates 160 years of German–Japanese relations by portraying significant moments—and the people who championed them—throughout the two countries’ enduring friendship.
There are six sections devoted to medicine and science, culture, trade and economics, music, sports, and politics. Each section comes with a QR code, which leads to a post with more information on the German Embassy’s Instagram page.
Some of the prominent figures represented in the mural include:
- Philipp Franz von Siebold: A German physician and botanist who studied Japanese flora and fauna and lent a hand in introducing Western medicine in Japan.
- Mori Ogai: A surgeon in the Japanese army and man of letters who studied in Germany. There, he became interested in European literature and later introduced German literary works to Japan.
- Kurt Masur: A German conductor with a long and lauded music career.
- Pina Bausch: A German choreographer who has won many awards, including the Kyoto Prize, Japan’s highest lifetime achievement award in arts and sciences.
The large-scale mural was spearheaded by art agency TokyoDex and created by artistic duo hitch and simo of WHOLE9. The installation is scheduled to be up through the rest of 2021.
- 291 m from Hirō Station Hibiya Line (H3)
