It looks like “niwa-doku 2026” will be held at the Ashiya City Cultural Zone (Ashiya City Museum of Art & History and the Tanizaki Junichiro Memorial Museum) on Saturday, October 31.
Source: Ashiya City Museum of Art & History official website
niwa-doku 2026
This event invites visitors to spend time reading in the gardens. You can read on the shaded stone steps while watching the koi in the pond or flip through a picture book on the lawn. Admission to the gardens is free, so you’re also welcome to simply drop by.
When is it?
Saturday, October 31, 2026, 10:00–16:00
A decision on postponement or cancellation will be announced on the museum’s website and social media at 17:00 the day before.
Where is it?
Front garden of the Ashiya City Museum of Art & History / Garden of the Tanizaki Junichiro Memorial Museum
The two neighboring museums make up the Ashiya City Cultural Zone.
Here it is on the map ↓
The address is 12-25 Ise-cho, Ashiya, Hyogo.
What activities will there be?
Source: Ashiya City Museum of Art & History official website
- Book exchange — Write what you recommend about your book on a bookmark and bring it to the exchange area. You can take home any books that catch your interest (up to five per person) 📚
- Books for adults will be available in the garden of the Tanizaki Junichiro Memorial Museum, while children’s books will be in the front garden of the Ashiya City Museum of Art & History 🔄
- Open-air sketchbook — Take a drawing break between books. Drawing supplies will be provided at the venue 🖍️
- Yomu-zō coloring activity — Color in an illustration of Yomu-zō and make your own one-of-a-kind bookmark 🐘
- Let’s read picture books together — Volunteer-led storytime sessions (5–10 minutes each) 📖
- Storytime with junior librarians — From 10:45 to 12:00, children who have learned about librarians’ work at the library will read their recommended books aloud 👧
- Kamishibai storytelling by the Tanizaki Junichiro Memorial Museum — From 13:00, “Per the Cat and Time Travel: Welcome to Ashiya 90 Years Ago” for children; from 13:15, “Junichiro Tanizaki and the World of ‘The Makioka Sisters’” for adults 🎭
- Cyanotype book-cover workshop (advance registration required) — From 15:00 to 16:00, make an original book cover using a camera-less photographic printing technique 🌞
- Baked-goods shop “オヤツのソノ”, food truck “kopa losa cafe”, and café “カフェ・ド・ルポ” will also be there ☕
Activities without a specified time will be available throughout the day from 10:00 to 16:00. Even if you arrive empty-handed, you can pick up one of the library books placed around the gardens and read it wherever you like.
How much does it cost?
Admission to the gardens is free
Only the cyanotype workshop costs 300 yen.
※Admission fees are required to view exhibitions currently being held at each museum.
What is the capacity?
The cyanotype workshop is limited to 15 participants on a first-come, first-served basis.
Who can participate?
The coloring, open-air sketchbook, and storytime activities are open to both children and adults.
The cyanotype workshop is open to junior high school students and older.
How to register
No registration is required for admission. Simply come directly to the venue on the day.
Advance registration is required only for the cyanotype workshop, with places offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
Registration period: Sunday, September 20–Sunday, October 18
During the registration period, contact the Ashiya City Museum of Art & History by phone (0797-38-5432) or email (ashiya_event@shopro.co.jp) and provide your name, age, and contact information (phone number or email address).
The instructor is artist Karin Tsutsui, and the workshop will be held in the museum’s hands-on learning room.
For event details, click → here
In Closing
The book exchange sounds great—you get to take a book home with a recommendation bookmark written by someone you’ve never met still tucked inside. We’re curious to see what kinds of books you might discover. With a food truck and café there too, you could treat yourself to a leisurely afternoon reading on the lawn with a snack and coffee in hand. It should feel amazing if the autumn weather stays clear, so if this sounds like your kind of event, why not stop by?
秋空の下、読書するならどんな本？
