Memento Mori in NYC: The Art of Japanese Life and Death
Death is not merely an end. In Japan, it is a reminder to live.
For two days, RESOBOX becomes a gathering place for artists, thinkers, and makers from Japan and New York, exploring life through the lens of death. This is not a somber event. It is an invitation to slow down, look closely, and ask what it means to live well.
The festival opens on November 5 at 10:00 am with The Art of Living with Death: a live encoffining ceremony by nōkanshi Koki Kimura, performed alongside a live calligraphy performance by Taisan Tanaka, set against a coffin inspired by Hokusai’s Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji. Together with his father, Kimura served as a technical advisor on the Academy Award–winning film Departures.
Across both days, you can explore:
- Art exhibition by more than 20 Japanese artists and craftspeople
- Talks with speakers including a Zen teacher, a death doula, and a death-literacy researcher
- Coffin experience, open to all ticket holders: lie down, close your eyes, and see how it feels. Afterward, you are welcome to write your own epitaph with brush and ink at the calligraphy corner.
- Marketplace of Japanese crafts, urns, and keepsakes
- Bar and space to talk
No knowledge of Japanese is needed. All are welcome, whatever your beliefs.
Hours: Thursday, November 5 & Friday, November 6, 9:30 am – 7:00 pm
Also during the festival (admission ticket required):
Mizuhiki Workshop: Memento Mori Jewelry — November 5, 5:00 pm
Iei: A Portrait of the Life You Are Living — November 5 & 6, book a time slot
For the full program, speakers, and artists, please visit the official website: mementomori-nyc.com
$20 Early Bird (first 100 tickets)
$30 General Admission
Plus NY sales tax (8.875%) · Valid for both days · General Admission also available at the door
PLEASE NOTE: General Admission tickets are also available at the door: scan the QR code at reception and pay on your phone. Cancellations made within 72 hours of the event are nonrefundable.