IN A TOKYO SUBURB, A SMALL WORKSHOP FOR SELF-TAUGHT ARTISTS HAS PRODUCED A COLORFUL 2026 CALENDAR

LED BY THE ARTIST TAKESHI TADATSU, IRORIN ART CLASS OFFERS A PLACE FOR CREATIVITY AND A VALUABLE SENSE OF COMMUNITY

Published on January 19, 2026

by Edward M. Gómez

TOKYO — Like any vast, dynamic metropolis, Tokyo is a place that is full of surprises and discoveries that are just waiting to be made. So it was that, last year, I ventured out to Tachikawa, a suburban town to the west of central Tokyo, where the Hanamidori Bunka Sentā (Hanamidori Cultural Center) may easily be found; it’s situated in Shōwa Kinen Park, just a few blocks to the north of Japan Railway Tachikawa Station on the Chūō train line.

The cover of the 2026 calendar produced and published by Irorin Art Class. All photos by brutjournal

The cultural center is a large, modern building whose undulating, glass-wall façade encloses large, open spaces that can be used for crafts fairs, performances, workshops, exhibitions, and many other kinds of activities and events. The building also houses the Emperor Shōwa Memorial Museum, which focuses on the life of the Japanese monarch of the Shōwa era (1926-1989), who is better known outside Japan as Emperor Hirohito.