Mon takanawa: The Museum of Narratives, a new cultural hub within Takanawa Gateway City, will launch its new season themed "Sound as Culture" on Oct 1. The new season theme explores sound as a force connecting people and generating new cultural expressions, with the museum inviting visitors to immerse themselves in sound through experimental programmes combining music, art and technology.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the season will be defined by two flagship programmes, namely "Animmersive Live: LAYRA inspired by BELLE" and the immersive exhibition "Feel the Sound". Running from Oct 10 until Nov 15, the "Animmersive Live: LAYRA inspired by BELLE" programme is based on acclaimed animated film BELLE by director Mamoru Hosoda, blending animation, music, and internet culture into a new form of performance. Set five years after the film's story, "Hiro-chan", the producer behind the iconic singer Belle, returns to create a new diva within the vast virtual world of U, while MoN Takanawa recreates the universe through an immersive environment.

Meanwhile, the "Feel the Sound" exhibition will be held from late November 2026 to late March 2027. In co-production with the Barbican Centre, the museum will present the immersive exhibition featuring a diverse range of installations that bring together sound, vibration, music and technology. The museum said the season will also feature an international music and audiovisual festival, experimental DJ performances, Japan's ancient gagaku concerts, theatrical works, and hybrid programmes that merge live performance with audiovisual experimentation.

Opened on March 28, MoN Takanawa is an experimental museum dedicated to "transporting culture for the next hundred years" and is operated by the East Japan Railway Foundation for Cultural Innovations.