From Tuesday, November 3 (a national holiday) to Monday, November 23 (a national holiday), 2026, the international outdoor art exhibition Trolls in the Park 2026 (トロールの森2026) is held in Tokyo Metropolitan Zenpukuji Park in Suginami Ward, Tokyo. Temahima Fudosan (てまひま不動産), a one-stop renovation brand based in Suginami Ward, is exhibiting there for the sixth straight year.
Temahima Fudosan has taken part in Trolls in the Park since 2021, and this year Uchida of its Architecture Division is creating the work again. The work is titled "Chashitsu of Water" (水の茶室). It projects a water surface, which changes its look moment by moment with the sunlight and the wind, onto a mirrored ceiling, creating a space where visitors can experience the relationship between nature and people.
As part of its efforts to build ties with the local community, Temahima Fudosan is also planning a workshop for elementary schools in nearby Suginami Ward.
About Trolls in the Park
Trolls in the Park is an international outdoor art exhibition that began in 2002 and is set in Tokyo Metropolitan Zenpukuji Park and the surrounding area in Suginami Ward, Tokyo. Under the theme "Encountering art in everyday life," it presents a wide range of expressions, including outdoor installations and performances, as well as projects at shops and galleries around town.
This year marks its 25th anniversary, and the theme is "空目空耳" (Sorame Soramimi). It focuses on misseeings, mishearings, and sudden misapprehensions, such as a stain on a wall that looks like a map of a faraway country or the rustling of trees that sounds like someone whispering. Through the wavering of the senses and the imagination that spreads from it, the exhibition offers a chance to see familiar everyday scenery from a new perspective.
The Exhibit "Chashitsu of Water"
In a space enclosed by wood, the work creates a scene in which the pond's surface, the sky above it, and the water patterns reflected in the mirrored ceiling merge into one. A water surface that appears still at first glance is in fact constantly changing with the light and the wind. The work is a device for sensing that shifting, noticing the movement that exists in nature, and realizing that we ourselves are also a part of nature.
It is also a space that ties in with the theme of the whole event, "空目空耳," where visitors can find new ways of seeing and feeling within a familiar landscape.
Comment from Uchida, the Creator
Even when we look at the same thing, each of us actually perceives a different world through our own senses.
For "Chashitsu of Water," I thought of a space where you can feel the connection between nature and yourself by experiencing the patterns that the sun and the air draw on the water's surface. I hope that, using all five senses in a park that looks just like it always does, you will find your own fresh "ordinary scenery" (凡景).
Why Temahima Fudosan Keeps Taking Part in Trolls in the Park
Trolls in the Park is an event in which local people encounter art in their daily lives, with the whole town around Nishi-Ogikubo as its stage, not just Zenpukuji Park.
Temahima Fudosan has a store in Nishi-Ogikubo and has worked on renovations rooted in the local community. It believes that a rich way of living comes not only from building homes but also from the people who live in a place feeling connected to the community, its culture, and its nature.
For that reason, through Trolls in the Park, it has valued opportunities to connect with local people, to have conversations sparked by the works, and to feel the town and nature from a different perspective than usual. Its participation since 2021 is also one of the activities meant to keep nurturing these local ties rather than letting them end after a single occasion.
A Work Created with Local Children from Their Impressions
This year, a workshop is planned for elementary schools in nearby Suginami Ward.
The children experience "Chashitsu of Water" and express what they felt through pictures and words. The individual expressions are then combined into a single piece, and the finished piece is scheduled to be installed on the exterior wall.
Even when people experience the same work, how they feel and express it differs from person to person. While valuing the expressions that emerge when each person brings their own senses together, the workshop creates an opportunity for local children to become familiar with nature and art and to express their own way of feeling.
Event Details
- Event name: Outdoors x Art x Town: Trolls in the Park 2026 (野外×アート×まちなか「トロールの森2026」)
- Dates: November 3 (Tue., holiday) to November 23 (Mon., holiday), 2026
- Venue: Tokyo Metropolitan Zenpukuji Park (都立善福寺公園)
- Exhibited work: "Chashitsu of Water" (水の茶室)
- Creator: Uchida (Temahima Fudosan)
- Official website: Trolls in the Park official website https://www.trollsinthepark.com/
