Fleeting February 

February is a transitional month between winter and spring, and we experience this transition both physically and psychologically.

Physically, the preparation for SHIBAURA HOUSE’s hostel has already begun, Lots of stuff needs to be moved. Particularly, the 3rd and 4th floors are being transformed into completely new spaces starting this month. Psychologically, it is time to make new plans for this year. working with different projects also requires us to approach each day differently, much like how we continuously adapt to Sejima’s design in our daily lives.

EVENT | Moon Kitchen　

Date: Feb. 3rd/10th/17th
Location: SHIBAURA HOUSE @1F&5F

Instead of simply calling this a kitchen, we’d rather introduce the Moon Kitchen as a playground for all. This February, we hosted three events, welcoming over 60 families in total. At each event, we prepared vegetable cream stew and rice balls & miso soup. One of the mothers shared with us that her child ate more and better here than when staying home alone. At the same time, we’ve welcomed several new neighbors who want to support Moon Kitchen voluntarily. Together with our staff, they brought exciting activities such as hip-hop dance battles, karaoke singing circles, interactive games, a mini projection cinema, and many other fun ideas to engage with families.

Some mothers were able to take a break when they came to SHIBAURA HOUSE as we had many kind and caring "sisters" who could look after their children and give them the attention they needed. And of course, everyone needs friends! Kids played games or drew pictures on the floor with new friends, while mothers chatted about their recent lives. We witnessed many wonderful connections being made here.

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Exhibition | Sowing the Fields of Hirono

Date: Feb. 7th-12th

Location: SHIBAURA HOUSE

We held a pop-up event in collaboration with the local Japanese media outlet, Hirono no Shiori, which introduces the people and their lifestyles in Hirono Town, Iwate Prefecture.

Hirono Town is located in the northern part of Iwate Prefecture, facing the Pacific Ocean, and is known for its beautiful coastlines and abundant natural resources. The main livelihoods of the people there are fishing and agriculture.

It’s been three years since we began collaborating with the Hirono team. This time, we created new content beyond just promoting the local specialties. Our cafe, Tulip, offered a special menu and dishes as part of the collaboration project. All ingredients were sourced from Hirono Town and crafted with the producers’ dedication. In addition, We hosted a special program featuring woodworkers and local fishermen. It was truly an honor to organize this exhibition with the amazing Hirono team annually. We want this exhibition to introduce the incredible region of Hirono Town and the livelihoods of its people to a wider audience throughout the exhibition.

Visit | Deputy Mayor of the City of Amsterdam

Date: Feb. 22nd 
Location: SHIBAURA HOUSE 

We are honored to have received the visit of the Deputy Mayor of the City of Amsterdam Touria Meliani, and the Director of Arts and Culture in the City of Amsterdam Mr. Araf Ahmadali visited Shibaura House. The City of Amsterdam celebrates its 750th birthday in 2025, and the official visit to Tokyo was made to foster the international cultural collaboration between the two cities.

We were delighted to share our experiences having been closely engaged with numerous Dutch creatives, especially with support from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Japan since 2011. Some of the projects include: "nl/local" connecting three cities in Japan with the Netherlands, "Waterfront Circular Lab." exploring the waterfront usage of Sibaura in collaboration with the Minato Ward Office, and many other official meetings and workshops involving civil servants, artists, and so forth.

Furthermore, we started the partnership with Pakhuis de Zwijger in recent years. In 2024, we joined one of their projects called Designing Cities for All: RE-generation, co-creating a three-month series of live cast programs called "(Re)Designing Connection". 

It has always been full of inspiration working with international cultural professionals. We look forward to more collaborations!

Performance | 66 different instruments with 6 musicians  

Date: Feb. 28th 
Location: SHIBAURA HOUSE @1F

Performance title: TAMKLANG

Performers:Gereon Bründt, Sterfan Hölker, Uwe Jansen, Gervyn Kothen, Karsten Lehl, Pit Therre

Six European musicians came to SHIBAURA HOUSE and performed two 15-minute pieces of improvisational sound for over 50 people from around the world. One of the Italian performers, Pit Therre, who has over 50 years of stage experience, shared during the Q&A session: "Always listening to each other is how we coordinate with 66 different instruments and individual artists."

Communication can take the form of words or non-verbal expressions, and music is a powerful way to touch our hearts and bring laughter. As we saw how they incorporated toys, slippers, books, and whistles into their performance, it may have inspired people to observe daily life more closely and discover joy in unexpected places.

Special thanks to the kitchen team from Amsterdam!

Meanwhile, we invited Ya'gel Schoonderbeek who is partially cooking in a donation-based community kitchen at De Sering every week. These four friends shared heartfelt dishes for a group of 50 people at the TAMKLANG performance. Everyone enjoyed the home-cooked Amsterdam-style dinner course, starting from gazpacho-inspired tomato soup, Dutch sausage rolls "Worstenbroodjes", and mashed potatoes, as well as the dessert plate of ice cream with cinnamon syrup and fresh fruits.

Knowing the fact that some just arrived in Japan with jetlag and agreed to join our event for extra fun, we cannot help but be exhilarated by their passion and energy.

In the end

February marks the beginning of our renovation project within SHIBAURA HOUSE’s space. Due to these changes, those of us who work and live here are also affected. At times, so many people have gathered here that we couldn’t offer enough seats at the moment, yet many people still stayed with us, keeping their eyes on this place. As time and space change, we, too, continue to grow and evolve—don’t we?