"MOON: Museum Connecting the Sea" is a comprehensive marine museum that aims to deepen understanding of the connection between the sea and people, and to discover that relationship and its value.
The ocean is a vast and boundless natural world, yet at the same time, it is our living space, a source of culture, memories, livelihoods, and other aspects of our lives. MOON is a museum that re-examines the diverse facets of the ocean and creates a space that connects the past, present, and future.
At MOON, we digitally archive and make accessible to everyone culture, materials, expressions, and records related to the ocean, with the aim of creating a future society where we can coexist with the sea. We also serve as a platform for exhibitions, projects, and learning opportunities, creating chances for people of all ages to think about, feel, and enjoy the ocean.
MOON aims to be a museum that shares the knowledge and joy of the sea with everyone, and paints a picture of a future where we live in harmony with the ocean.
MOON is a museum that connects the sea and people. This "connection" means re-examining the sea as an entity to which our lives, memories, and feelings have intertwined.
From ancient times, humanity has learned from the sea; to what we, living in the present, feel; and to what we want to leave for the unseen future. By collecting, recording, and sharing each of these things, we can reconnect with the sea across time and generations. To understand the sea is also to reflect on our own way of life.
"Connecting" means taking a fresh look at the "in-between" spaces where relationships that should inherently exist have become invisible.
Although the sea is deeply intertwined with our lives and society, this connection is often overlooked and sometimes forgotten. Nature and daily life, past memories and present choices, the distant sea and our everyday lives. We must ask questions, learn, create, and share between things that seem separate and disconnected.
Re-establishing relationships in this way is an endeavor that opens up the future, and it is also a joy to rediscover the world.
MOON's exhibitions each focus on a single theme, delving deeply into questions surrounding the sea. Depending on the theme, they combine various materials, expressions, and perspectives, exploring the concept of "the sea" across fields such as architecture, art, film, and manga.
The first event, themed "The Future of the Ocean," will be held in the spring of 2026. After that, a new theme will be set every six months, continuously re-examining the ocean. Rather than offering a single answer, we value the process of accumulating questions and tracing the trajectory of thought within that accumulation of questions.
Our aim is to create a space where visitors can experience and take home their own personal connection to the ocean.
MOON's permanent exhibition traces the relationship between the sea and people across time and region. Seascapes, tools, words, and memories—by re-examining the sea, which is familiar yet often overlooked, the exhibition aims to reaffirm the deep connection between everyday life and the sea. A variety of works, materials, and initiatives are collected and displayed, including music, movies, manga, books, folk tools, and school projects related to the sea.
MOON's research is an endeavor to record and interpret the culture, expressions, and wisdom of life surrounding the sea. While valuing an academic perspective, we publish research projects conducted primarily by MOON, starting from a sense of purpose and individual interests. We will continuously update the site with content that can serve as "seeds" for special and permanent exhibitions, such as the development of beverages and products utilizing marine debris, and research into content for enjoying the sea in collaboration with research institutions and companies.
MOON's museum shop is a place to bring your connection to the sea into your everyday life. Through products, artworks, books, and more, we aim to provide opportunities to think about the ocean and the joy of holding something in your hands. Please feel free to bring a little bit of the ocean into your living room or on your desk.
MOON's studio is an open space for learning, creating, and experimenting. Through workshops, creative activities, and dialogues, children and adults alike can freely engage with the ocean. It's a place where thinking and enjoying are inseparable, fostering a new relationship with the sea.