Ryuichi Sakamoto Returns in Mixed Reality (MR) — The Long-Awaited Japan Premiere of 'KAGAMI'
The acclaimed mixed-reality project 'KAGAMI,' created by the late Ryuichi Sakamoto and Tin Drum, is set for its long-awaited Japan premiere. This immersive experience allows audiences to witness a lifelike, 3D-rendered performance by Sakamoto, offering an intimate encounter with his music that transcends physical boundaries.
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- 📰 Published: March 28, 2026 at 23:03
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"KAGAMI" is a work that captures Ryuichi Sakamoto's piano performance in three dimensions and brings it back to life in a mixed reality (MR) space. This project was created over the final four years of Sakamoto's life in collaboration with Tin Drum, led by Todd Eckert (production and visual design). Since its world premiere at The Shed in New York in 2023, "KAGAMI" has been performed in London, Manchester, Taipei, Singapore, Melbourne, Italy, Hong Kong, and other locations around the world, continuing to garner significant acclaim. Now, it finally makes its long-awaited arrival in Japan.
Audience members wear special transparent headsets to witness the figure of Ryuichi Sakamoto, meticulously recreated through unique 3D imaging technology. His presence at the iconic grand piano, accompanied by ethereal 3D visuals from Tin Drum that respond to the music, feels so tangible you could almost reach out and touch his gray hair. It offers an unprecedented immersive experience, allowing you to confront his refined performance at a distance impossible in a real-life concert.
The venue will also feature videos, photographs, texts, and a scent specially curated by Ryuichi Sakamoto himself. The entire space is designed to quietly awaken the senses of those who visit.
The UK's The Guardian described the work as: "A magical experience that many would not have been able to have while he was alive."
Serene yet leaving a deep, lingering resonance, "KAGAMI" acts as a quiet mirror reflecting the music of Ryuichi Sakamoto.
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There is a virtual me inside reality.
The virtual me does not age, and will continue to play the piano for years, decades, and centuries.
Will humanity still exist then?
Will the squids that conquer the Earth after humanity listen to it?
What is a piano to them?
What is music?
Can empathy be established there?
An empathy that spans hundreds of thousands of years.
Ah, but the battery won't last that long.
Ryuichi Sakamoto
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Ryuichi Sakamoto was the person who taught me "how to listen to the world."
I discovered his music during my impressionable teenage years, spent in the bleak cities of America. His music was so beautiful and urgent, unlike anything I had ever heard before. It changed my concept of "possibility" in both art and my outlook on life.
I am deeply grateful for the good fortune of knowing Ryuichi Sakamoto, and for the opportunity to create a work that transcends the limits of life, overcoming the difficulties of illness and global turmoil together.
In "KAGAMI," he will continue to meet his audience forever. That was our wish from the very beginning, and as a director, there is no greater honor.
Todd Eckert / Director & Producer of KAGAMI
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RYUICHI SAKAMOTO & TIN DRUM
KAGAMI+
Dates: [To be announced]