In The Neighbourhood
TOKYO
2026
Kawashima Shopping Street
3 Chome-14-6 Yayoicho
Nakano City, Tokyo
164-0013
Japan
In the Neighbourhood is a series of site-specific murals by Thierry Noir created along Kawashima Shopping Street, a historic Showa-era neighbourhood in Tokyo. Defined by vintage signage, ageing shopfronts and a strong sense of community, the street remains home to a collection of long-established family businesses including a fishmongers, greengrocers, cycle shop, electrical stores, restaurants and neighbourhood bars. It offers a rare glimpse into a quieter and more personal side of Tokyo that preserves a sense of community that has largely disappeared from many modern cities.
The project emerged while Noir was staying in the neighbourhood during the production phase of Rush Hour, a major site-specific exhibition at Phillips in Roppongi, Tokyo. Produced over more than a month and presented in July 2025, the exhibition required an extended stay in Tokyo, giving Noir the opportunity to become a familiar presence on the street. Through daily walks and chance encounters he developed a genuine connection to the neighbourhood and the people who animate it. On the last day of the Rush Hour show many in the neighbourhood visited Phillips and together with Noir the kernel of an idea was born to create new murals in the neighbourhood.
Returning to Tokyo in 2026, Noir again immersed himself in the life of the street, once more spending time with shop owners and local residents. Further conversations shared over tea and the warmth of local hospitality transformed the project from a public art intervention into a genuine collaboration.
The resulting murals are rooted directly in the identity of the street. Rather than imposing imagery onto the neighbourhood, Noir responded to its existing character. Each work draws inspiration from the individual business it accompanies and the personalities that sustain them.
Unlike most public mural projects, the majority of the works in In the Neighbourhood are located not on the exterior of the buildings but within them. Conceived as a series of discoveries hidden throughout the street, the murals reveal themselves inside creating moments of intentional surprise for customers and visitors alike.
With so many works concentrated along a single street, Noir was careful not to overwhelm the existing visual identity of the neighbourhood. Instead, the murals function as hidden jewels embedded within the fabric of daily life, quietly inhabiting the spaces where the community gathers, works and socialises. The project encourages visitors to step inside, meet the owners and experience the street as locals do, transforming a simple walk into a process of exploration and encounter.
The Showa era (1926–1989) occupies a unique place within Japan’s cultural memory. A period of profound transformation, it shaped many of the values, aesthetics and neighbourhood traditions that continue to define Japanese life today. Surviving Showa streets offer a tangible connection to this history, where familiar faces, long-established businesses and daily routines create a sense of continuity between generations.
While Showa Japan is often viewed through a nostalgic lens, In the Neighbourhood is not simply a celebration of the past. Instead, it highlights values that remain relevant today: neighbourliness, continuity, craftsmanship and the importance of everyday human connection. In a city renowned for speed, innovation and constant change, these streets provide a reminder of the pleasures found in slower rhythms and familiar faces.
The project also reveals an unexpected affinity between Noir’s practice and the spirit of Showa culture. Noir’s iconic visual language emerged in 1980s West Berlin, an era now viewed with its own sense of nostalgia. Like the surviving Showa streets themselves, his characters appear suspended between past and present, carrying a timeless quality.
Within these murals, two worlds meet. The visual energy of Noir’s Berlin encounters the enduring character of a Tokyo neighbourhood, creating a dialogue across cultures, histories and communities. The result is a body of work that celebrates not only place, but the people who give it meaning.
As visitors explore the street, the murals appear almost like neighbours themselves—greeting passers-by, watching over familiar routines and quietly participating in daily life. In this way, the Showa era does not simply survive as memory. Through the people, businesses and stories that continue to shape the neighbourhood, it waves back at us.
“There is a quiet magic to this neighbourhood. Not because anything extraordinary happens, but because ordinary things happen so well. There is a community and people who know each other. That’s where I wanted my paintings to be. So I decided to hide a few. Sometimes if everything is visible immediately there can be no adventure”
— Thierry Noir
In the Neighbourhood represents the first chapter of an ongoing collaboration with Kawashima Shopping Street. This initial wave of more than ten murals lays the foundation for an exciting second phase of the project, scheduled to launch later in 2026. Codenamed TOKYO NOIR this project will again invite visitors to return and discover the neighbourhood anew.
Further links:
Rush Hour exhibition
Phillips, Tokyo & Hong Kong
2025
Thierry Noir Primary
Artwork releases inspired by In The Neighbourhood
Photography by Shinichi Yokoyama
