Memento Mori in NYC: The Art of Japanese Life and Death

Two days of Japanese art, talks, and rituals that look at death as a way to live well. Nov 5–6 at RESOBOX, East Village.
About this Event

Death is not merely an end. In Japan, it is a reminder to live.

For two days, RESOBOX in the East Village 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 · Doors open 9:30 am · Program starts 10:00 am · Closes 7:00 pm

Your ticket: One ticket covers both days. Early Bird tickets are limited to the first 100 and on sale through November 4.

Also during the festival (booked separately on resobox.com):
Mizuhiki Workshop: Memento Mori Jewelry — November 5, 5:00 pm (admission ticket required)
Iei: A Portrait of the Life You Are Living — November 5 & 6, book a time slot (two-day admission included)

For the full program, speakers, and artists, please visit the official website: mementomori-nyc.com

Please note: Cancellations made within 72 hours of the event are nonrefundable.