A free photography exhibition at Tokyo Midtown offers a chance to see the Sahara through decades of work by Kazuyoshi Nomachi. Sahara: SAHARA THE ETERNAL (野町和嘉写真展 サハラ SAHARA THE ETERNAL) runs at FUJIFILM SQUARE (フジフイルム スクエア) from October 30 to November 26, 2026, with 63 photographs planned and several free gallery talks.
The most useful detail for planning your visit: the exhibition will be closed throughout November 21–23. It also finishes early on its final day.
Dates, hours and location
The exhibition takes place inside Tokyo Midtown’s Midtown West building. Admission is free, so you can plan a visit around the photographs themselves without budgeting for an entrance ticket.
| Exhibition | Kazuyoshi Nomachi: Sahara — SAHARA THE ETERNAL |
|---|---|
| Dates | October 30–November 26, 2026 |
| Opening hours | 10:00–19:00; closes at 14:00 on November 26. Admission ends 10 minutes before closing. |
| Temporary closure | November 21–23, all day |
| Venue | FUJIFILM PHOTO SALON Tokyo (富士フイルムフォトサロン 東京), Spaces 1 and 2 and the Mini Gallery, inside FUJIFILM SQUARE |
| Address | Tokyo Midtown, Midtown West 1F, 9-7-3 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0052 |
| Admission | Free |
| Organizer | FUJIFILM Corporation (富士フイルム株式会社) |
| Support and planning | Supported by the Minato City Board of Education and HIPA; planned by Crevis Co., Ltd. |
| Enquiries | 03-6271-3350, 10:00–18:00 |
Check the FUJIFILM SQUARE website for visitor information and exhibition updates before travelling. The exhibition may be changed or cancelled.
What you will see: landscapes, daily life and traces of a greener Sahara
Nomachi first travelled to the Sahara in 1972. By 2018, he had returned for 14 reporting trips, spending a total of 900 days there. That long engagement is the foundation of this exhibition: photographs of the desert’s physical scale alongside the lives of people who make their homes in its demanding environment.
The planned selection contains 54 black-and-white photographs and nine colour works. Subjects include nomadic communities, oasis settlements and people living in Morocco’s mountains. Ancient rock paintings add another perspective, recording traces of a time when the Sahara supported a wetter, greener landscape.
The prints are part of the appeal. Black-and-white works use silver-gelatin photographic paper, while the colour works are printed using Fujifilm materials. With the selection weighted towards monochrome, the exhibition puts particular emphasis on light, shadow and the shapes of the land.
The exhibition also celebrates Nomachi receiving the 2026 HIPA international photography award for lifetime achievement. He is the first Japanese photographer to receive that honour. Born in Kochi in 1946, he became a freelance photographer in 1971 and has documented people’s lives and beliefs across regions including Africa, Tibet and the Andes. More about his work is available on Kazuyoshi Nomachi’s official website.
For another art-focused outing, see our Musashino Art University Festival guide. Readers comparing exhibitions beyond photography can also explore the Ghibli Park Exhibition guide for Osaka, Yokosuka and Kyoto; check each event’s dates separately when making plans.
Free gallery talks: dates and what to expect
Nomachi will give talks inside the exhibition space on the following dates. No advance registration is required, participation is free, and no capacity limit is specified. There are no seats, so plan for a standing talk.
| Date in 2026 | Start | Guest |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday, October 31 | 13:00 | Editor 佐伯剛 |
| Sunday, November 1 | 13:00 | No guest announced |
| Tuesday, November 3, public holiday | 13:00 | Photographer Takayuki Maekawa (前川貴行) |
| Tuesday, November 24 | 17:00 | No guest announced |
| Wednesday, November 25 | 17:00 | No guest announced |
English interpretation has not been specified in the announcement. If language support is important to your visit, ask the venue before choosing a talk date. Talk duration is also unspecified, and the programme may change or be cancelled.
If you are planning a longer day out and want to understand a phone-charging option beforehand, our d VALUE PASS and ChargeSPOT guide explains that service separately. Charger availability at this exhibition venue is not confirmed.
An accompanying photo book is planned
A photo book titled Sahara: SAHARA THE ETERNAL is scheduled for release to coincide with the exhibition. Its planned price is ¥6,600 including tax. This is a separate purchase; exhibition admission remains free.
For release and availability details, consult Crevis’s official website. The announcement gives a planned release rather than confirming that the book is already on sale.
Frequently asked questions
- Is the Sahara exhibition free?
- Yes. Admission to the exhibition is free. The gallery talks are also free and require no advance registration.
- When is the exhibition closed?
- It is closed all day from November 21 to 23, 2026, for building disaster-response improvement work. On the final day, November 26, it closes at 14:00.
- Are the gallery talks seated or offered in English?
- The talks have no seating. English interpretation is not specified in the announcement; contact FUJIFILM SQUARE if you need language support.
- How late can I enter?
- Admission ends 10 minutes before closing. Regular opening hours are 10:00–19:00, with an earlier 14:00 closing time on November 26.
Information is based on the organizer’s October 13, 2026 announcement. Before visiting, confirm any changes through the official venue website, especially if you are attending a gallery talk.