BODY: There's a particular thrill to seeing a working film set through the eyes of one of its stars β and starting tomorrow, Tokyo gets exactly that. On July 17, actor Taiga Nakano and photographer Yusuke Abe open their joint photo exhibition Once Upon A Time! at NEW in Omotesando, and organizers have just announced a run of original T-shirts sold nowhere else but the gallery floor.
The exhibition draws heavily from the set of Toyotomi Kyodai! (The Toyotomi Brothers!), the sweeping period drama in which Nakano stars. Abe's lens captures the between-takes texture of a major production β the waiting, the costumes, the quiet moments actors rarely let outsiders witness. Nakano himself is a longtime shutterbug, and the pairing frames the shoot as a shared creative diary rather than a promotional gallery.
The T-shirts translate select images into wearable keepsakes. Among the standout designs are candid shots of Nakano on location and, memorably, a pair of monkeys spotted on set β a playful nod that fans of the era will appreciate, given that Toyotomi Hideyoshi himself was famously nicknamed "the monkey." The apparel is strictly a venue exclusive, with no online sales planned.
For fans, the appeal is twofold: rarely seen production photography and a piece of merchandise that doubles as a keepsake from a landmark historical drama still fresh in the public eye.
The insider take
From Tokyo, this is a very of-the-moment kind of event. Omotesando's NEW has become a go-to for intimate, buzzy pop-up exhibitions, and the "actor as photographer" format taps a genre Japanese audiences adore β the personal, unguarded look behind a polished production. Tying limited goods to Toyotomi Kyodai! while the drama is culturally hot is savvy timing, and the monkey gag lands precisely because Japanese viewers instantly read the Hideyoshi reference. Expect lines.
Originally reported by ζ η»γγΏγͺγΌ - ζζ°γγ₯γΌγΉ (Japanese).