Tripophobia warning: the promotional poster shared in this article and posted throughout the exhibit & the exhibit’s website may cause discomfort for those who are sensitive to seeing certain textures and patterns. For consideration, we have made the promotional image smaller.
The anime adaptation of the horror manga masterpiece The Summer Hikaru Died was a highlight of 2025 for many. With its tense, moody atmosphere and surreal visuals, the anime expertly depicted the highly-acclaimed manga and has already been renewed for a second season.
To celebrate the anime’s release, Kadokawa launched a Japanese exhibition that ran from November 14 to December 7, 2025 at the Sunshine 60 Tenbou Park Observatory in Ikebukuro, Japan. Then, on December 7, 2025, Kadokawa announced additional locations coming in 2026: Osaka and Fukuoka. I happened to be in Tokyo while the exhibition was running, so I made a trip up the 60-floor Sunshine 60 tower on November 26 to check out what the The Summer Hikaru Died anime exhibition had to offer.
Tickets for the exhibition were available online for purchase during two presale periods: a lottery selection period that ran from late September to early October, and general bookings from mid-October to November 13. These online tickets were a slightly discounted rate (1,800 yen, or approximately $11.75 as of the January 2026 exchange rate). Tickets at the door were 2,000 yen, or approximately $13.05, and both presale tickets and tickets bought at the door had an option to be upgraded to 3,000 yen (~$19.60) to receive a poster featuring the exclusive The Summer Hikaru Died exhibition illustration.
Into the Nightmare
Since I had limited luggage space, I opted for the standard 2,000 yen ticket at the door. All tickets came with one of three random stickers featuring different versions of the exhibition illustration, so I didn’t feel like I was missing out by not getting the poster. Tickets also came with admission to the Tenbou Park Observatory, an indoor park space with panoramic views of Tokyo that you could walk through after exiting the exhibition.
I was surprised at how quiet the entrance to the exhibition was when I arrived after taking the impressive elevator ride up to the 60th floor of Sunshine 60 at 1:30 pm. I assumed there would be more people around due to the anime’s popularity and the banners all around Ikebukuro promoting the exhibition, but there was no line to purchase a ticket at the door. My partner and I were able to walk through the exhibition with little contact with others, though there were a few people around once we got inside. But I appreciated the opportunity to take my time and not feel like I was obstructing anyone’s view, and the lack of attendees added to the overall atmosphere of the exhibition.
The exhibition was structured in eight different rooms featuring locations and scenes from the anime in chronological order. Sprinkled throughout each room were comments and interviews with the anime staff, reproductions of animation drawings, replica props from scenes in the anime, photo ops, and printed stills along with animation playing on screens.
Wherever you turned, there were quotes from relevant scenes on the walls. At one point there was even cicada sound effect text over a window. It created a really neat visual effect with the view of the city, even though a city backdrop isn’t really fitting for the narrative since it takes place in the Japanese countryside. It should be noted that the entire exhibition was in Japanese, but there is plenty of visual content that fans of the manga and anime can appreciate without Japanese language knowledge.
Hikaru and Yoshiki’s World
There were clear signs throughout the exhibition indicating what could be photographed and what couldn’t. I was surprised by the amount of content you weren’t allowed to take pictures of. While it’s understandable, it’s a shame that I couldn’t take pictures of the anime production images. There were so many things that you weren’t allowed to photograph that it wasn’t possible to take any general pictures of the exhibition space to provide a sense of the ambience or scale.
Perhaps to compensate for the lack of photographable elements, the exhibition included multiple photo ops. These depicted different scenes from the anime that you could have your photograph taken in. The first photo spot, which features the shop used as the backdrop in the iconic opening scene, was extremely similar to the setup I saw at Anime Expo 2025 promoting the anime.
Other photo spots included a café, complete with elaborate parfait, a bench with Mincemeat the cat, and a beach scene with a goofy floaty that you could pick up and pose between Hikaru and Yoshiki with.
There was an additional interactive element that has gotten quite the buzz. A scene is depicted from the show that includes the “opportunity” to stick your hand inside Hikaru, just like Yoshiki did. This is achieved through a cutout of Hikaru’s face and chest pasted onto one of the exhibition walls with a covered black slit in his stomach for you to slide your hand into if you’re feeling adventurous. Yes, it’s very creepy. But it’s also extremely imaginative, and probably the sole reason some folks might want to attend this exhibition.
Aside from the photo ops and the opportunity to stick your hand inside Hikaru, other highlights included a replica of Hikaru’s room and a very cool set piece where you step into Hikaru and Yoshiki’s classroom. The room is set up to look exactly like a classroom, complete with desks and chairs. A scene from the anime that takes place in the classroom plays on a large screen on the wall directly in front of you. At a certain point, the scene extends beyond the screen to cover the walls of the “classroom” using what appear to be projectors at each corner of the room. It was such a cool effect, I stayed to watch it play through again.
Unsettling Details
There were also many small touches throughout the exhibition that really brought the world of The Summer Hikaru Died to life, such as a replica ice cream covered in ants. As you passed from one room to the next, different sounds and scenes from the anime would fill your eyes and ears, creating a really immersive experience. I especially enjoyed the cicada sounds, which really brought the summer countryside setting to life, even though I was visiting the exhibition in the middle of a city in winter.
After the final room, which featured an oceanside photo op and corresponding scenes from the anime, there was a poster of the new key visual revealed for season 2 of the anime signed by members of the team. Following that was, of course, a pop-up shop featuring exclusive merchandise. Here you could buy everything from exclusive acrylic stands and keychains to a t-shirt featuring Mincemeat ascending after eating a Churu. I honestly kind of regret not buying that.
Verdict
I’m really glad that this exhibition will be going on tour to Osaka and Fukuoka in 2026, because it definitely deserves to be enjoyed by more people. It would be great if Kadokawa also offered an English version in the United States at some point—perhaps coinciding with a large 2026 anime convention?
While I wouldn’t suggest making a special trip to Japan just for the exhibition, if you have plans in your future that coincide with any of the tour locations and dates, it is definitely worth a visit for fans of the manga and/or anime. Whether you’re brave enough to stick your hand inside Hikaru is up to you.
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