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.

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

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