Sukiya-bashi

Sukiya-bashi Review

The side streets of the Sukiya-bashi area are full of art galleries, which operate a bit differently here than they do in most of the world's art markets. A few, like the venerable Nichido (5-3-16 Ginza), Gekkoso (7-2-8 Ginza), Yoseido (5-5-15 Ginza), and Kabuto-ya (8-8-7 Ginza), actually function as dealers, representing particular artists, as well as acquiring and selling art. The majority, however, are rental spaces. Artists or groups pay for the gallery by the week, publicize their shows themselves, and in some cases even hang their own work. You might suspect, and with good reason, that some of these shows are vanity exhibitions by amateurs with money to spare, even in a prestigious venue like Ginza; thankfully, that's not always the case.