Waseda University Museum Week to be Held [May 11-22]
Waseda University is hosting its annual 'Museum Week' from May 11 to 22. The event features live performances, special exhibitions, and a stamp rally across its six museums, opening its valuable cultural assets to the public.
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Waseda University (Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo) is home to six museums: The Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum, Aizu Museum, Waseda University History for Tomorrow Museum, The Waseda International House of Literature (The Haruki Murakami Library) (all located on the Waseda Campus), Waseda Sports Museum (Toyama Campus), and Honjo Waseda no Mori Museum (Honjo Campus). These museums widely open the university's valuable cultural assets to citizens, local communities, and society.
This year, the "Museum Week" event, where you can experience the charm of Waseda University's museums, will be held again from May 11 to 22. Along with the traditional Okuma LIVE and Museum LIVE, various events will be held at each museum. Please enjoy!
Waseda University Museum Week HP
▲Check here for event details as well▲
Event Calendar
Giveaway Project
Participate in events and get giveaways!
The "Culture Promotion Student Advisors," a student volunteer group promoting Waseda culture, and the Waseda University Manga Club have prepared various giveaway projects to help everyone enjoy touring the museums.
View details
Live Concerts
*Advance registration required
There are plenty of events such as "Okuma LIVE," where carefully selected performance circles enthusiastically liven up Waseda, "Museum LIVE," delivering a powerful stage performance at the center of the Waseda Campus under a clear blue sky, and "Museum Concerts" and "Nishi-Waseda Campus Concerts," where talented Waseda circles perform in special spaces within museums and campuses.
View details
Special Events
Student guides will introduce the highlights of the museums. Participants will receive original goods (first 30 people per session).
Please check here for details.
Venue: Waseda Gallery
The Waseda University Egyptian Archaeological Mission, formed around Sakuji Yoshimura, conducted a general survey (ruins investigation) in 1966. This was the first Egyptian survey conducted in Asia and laid the foundation for Japanese Egyptian archaeology.
To commemorate the 60th anniversary this year, this exhibition introduces the history of long-term excavation surveys and numerous discoveries through artifacts and panels.
Please check here for details.
Wase-meshi Stamp Rally
Presented by Culture Promotion Student Advisors [Support Project for Eateries Around Waseda University]
The popular Wase-meshi Stamp Rally is open to anyone. Get 5 stamps by dining in or taking out at participating stores during the period. Stamp cards are distributed at participating stores. Please note that cards may run out of stock. For those who collect 5 stamps and apply, 1,000 people will be selected by lottery to receive an "Original T-shirt (Not for Sale)"!
View details
Exhibition Information
We introduce the exhibitions held at each museum during Museum Week (May 11-22, 2026). For details of each exhibition, please check the respective museum's website.
The Ever-Changing Love: The Brilliance of Japanese Romantic Comedy Films (From May 15)
The Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum
Since the Meiji era, when the translated word "Ren'ai" (Romantic Love) was coined, love, which had been confined to the discourse of intellectuals, penetrated everyday life up to the early Showa period. At the same time, movies, which were developing as an industry, projected "ever-changing love" on the screen.
This exhibition introduces the changing forms of romance along with modern history through the diverse depictions of love in Japanese romantic comedy films. At the same time, we will turn our attention to East Asian movies and dramas that have been popular in recent years, focusing on how romantic comedies are received today within a transnational expanse.
The World Seen Through 'Miss Saigon' - War, Refugees, and Literature (From May 1)
The Waseda International House of Literature (The Haruki Murakami Library), Waseda University History for Tomorrow Museum
Even today, half a century after the end of the Vietnam War, conflicts and refugee issues continue around the world. In order to grasp these contemporary issues from a historical perspective, this exhibition focuses on the Vietnam War and the refugee culture and literature born in the post-war period. Starting with the musical 'Miss Saigon' (1989), it introduces the history of the war and Vietnamese literature by refugees, examining the impact the war had on people's lives and cultural expressions.
Translation Project Mini Exhibition: "Translation is the Wings that Cross Borders"
The Waseda International House of Literature (The Haruki Murakami Library)
"Translation" occupies a major position in Haruki Murakami's work. At the International House of Literature, a translation project including a "Translator Residency," where overseas translators are invited to conduct research and give lectures during a one-month stay, started in fiscal 2024. This exhibition introduces initiatives up to fiscal 2025 and displays materials related to translation work.
A Gaze Upon Yungang
This year, the "Museum Week" event, where you can experience the charm of Waseda University's museums, will be held again from May 11 to 22. Along with the traditional Okuma LIVE and Museum LIVE, various events will be held at each museum. Please enjoy!
Waseda University Museum Week HP
▲Check here for event details as well▲
Event Calendar
Giveaway Project
Participate in events and get giveaways!
The "Culture Promotion Student Advisors," a student volunteer group promoting Waseda culture, and the Waseda University Manga Club have prepared various giveaway projects to help everyone enjoy touring the museums.
View details
Live Concerts
*Advance registration required
There are plenty of events such as "Okuma LIVE," where carefully selected performance circles enthusiastically liven up Waseda, "Museum LIVE," delivering a powerful stage performance at the center of the Waseda Campus under a clear blue sky, and "Museum Concerts" and "Nishi-Waseda Campus Concerts," where talented Waseda circles perform in special spaces within museums and campuses.
View details
Special Events
Student guides will introduce the highlights of the museums. Participants will receive original goods (first 30 people per session).
Please check here for details.
Venue: Waseda Gallery
The Waseda University Egyptian Archaeological Mission, formed around Sakuji Yoshimura, conducted a general survey (ruins investigation) in 1966. This was the first Egyptian survey conducted in Asia and laid the foundation for Japanese Egyptian archaeology.
To commemorate the 60th anniversary this year, this exhibition introduces the history of long-term excavation surveys and numerous discoveries through artifacts and panels.
Please check here for details.
Wase-meshi Stamp Rally
Presented by Culture Promotion Student Advisors [Support Project for Eateries Around Waseda University]
The popular Wase-meshi Stamp Rally is open to anyone. Get 5 stamps by dining in or taking out at participating stores during the period. Stamp cards are distributed at participating stores. Please note that cards may run out of stock. For those who collect 5 stamps and apply, 1,000 people will be selected by lottery to receive an "Original T-shirt (Not for Sale)"!
View details
Exhibition Information
We introduce the exhibitions held at each museum during Museum Week (May 11-22, 2026). For details of each exhibition, please check the respective museum's website.
The Ever-Changing Love: The Brilliance of Japanese Romantic Comedy Films (From May 15)
The Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum
Since the Meiji era, when the translated word "Ren'ai" (Romantic Love) was coined, love, which had been confined to the discourse of intellectuals, penetrated everyday life up to the early Showa period. At the same time, movies, which were developing as an industry, projected "ever-changing love" on the screen.
This exhibition introduces the changing forms of romance along with modern history through the diverse depictions of love in Japanese romantic comedy films. At the same time, we will turn our attention to East Asian movies and dramas that have been popular in recent years, focusing on how romantic comedies are received today within a transnational expanse.
The World Seen Through 'Miss Saigon' - War, Refugees, and Literature (From May 1)
The Waseda International House of Literature (The Haruki Murakami Library), Waseda University History for Tomorrow Museum
Even today, half a century after the end of the Vietnam War, conflicts and refugee issues continue around the world. In order to grasp these contemporary issues from a historical perspective, this exhibition focuses on the Vietnam War and the refugee culture and literature born in the post-war period. Starting with the musical 'Miss Saigon' (1989), it introduces the history of the war and Vietnamese literature by refugees, examining the impact the war had on people's lives and cultural expressions.
Translation Project Mini Exhibition: "Translation is the Wings that Cross Borders"
The Waseda International House of Literature (The Haruki Murakami Library)
"Translation" occupies a major position in Haruki Murakami's work. At the International House of Literature, a translation project including a "Translator Residency," where overseas translators are invited to conduct research and give lectures during a one-month stay, started in fiscal 2024. This exhibition introduces initiatives up to fiscal 2025 and displays materials related to translation work.
A Gaze Upon Yungang