DEEPTOKYO
magazine
EN
DEEPTOKYO
magazine
EN
2025.12.04
BEAMS, one of Japan’s pioneering select shops, has long shaped its own cultural landscape. Its latest project, BEAMS CULTUART, aims to take that accumulated culture to a more global stage. With art, entertainment, and other culture closely intertwined with fashion at its core, the project presents new perspectives and values. As BEAMS approaches its 50th anniversary in 2026, we explore the future it envisions through the lens of BEAMS CULTUART.
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To learn more about the background of BEAMS CULTUART and what the project hopes to communicate, we visited BEAMS CULTUART TAKANAWA, which opened in September 2025, and spoke with its shop manager, Takuya Kusaka. The store also carries items from existing culture-related labels such as BEAMS T, TOKYO CULTUART by BEAMS, MANGART BEAMS, and bPr BEAMS.
“BEAMS CULTUART aims to globally expand BEAMS’s culture-centric businesses and activities, centered around art while branching into design and entertainment. We are also responsible for broadening the genres we handle and participating in new cultural initiatives. Ultimately, we hope to create more opportunities for customers to engage with the art and culture BEAMS has always valued,” Kusaka explains.
Shop manager Takuya Kusaka at BEAMS CULTUART TAKANAWA.
Since its founding in 1976, BEAMS has gone beyond fashion to curate an entire lifestyle—making this project a natural extension of its identity. Japanese culture has grown through a unique mix of diverse influences, and it is exciting to imagine how BEAMS CULTUART will continue to evolve from here.
BEAMS CULTUART has provided content and products for various art-related events and hosted month-long pop-up stores in Taiwan featuring culture-focused BEAMS labels. In September 2025, it opened its first standalone store, BEAMS CULTUART TAKANAWA, within NEWoMan TAKANAWA—an area envisioned as a “future experimental city” connected to Takanawa Gateway City. The shop features a gallery space and a selection of records, books, and other items drawn from across cultural scenes.
At the TOKYO ART BOOK FAIR 2024 held at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, BEAMS CULTUART hosted a booth featuring collaboration items and art books from artists associated with its culture-related labels. Graphic designer Heijiro Yagi also contributed a free poster that attracted significant attention.
A look at the overseas pop-up store held for six months until spring 2023 in the TSUTAYA BOOKSTORE at Taoyuan Arts Center in Taiwan. The pop-up featured a rotating monthly theme, offering a diverse range of products from various BEAMS labels—from art and creativity rooted in Japanese culture to lifestyle items that enrich everyday living.
“Our goal with this new shop is to create a welcoming entry point into the world of art. That’s why we combine a range of cultural elements—art, music, lifestyle goods—through the unique perspective of BEAMS CULTUART. Near the entrance, for example, we’ve created an Art Digging section where customers can casually choose their favorite artworks, as well as a corner dedicated to digging through used records. We also carry items uniquely selected by BEAMS CULTUART. Ultimately, we hope visitors will be inspired by art and encounter new layers of culture,” says Kusaka.
Opened inside NEWoMan TAKANAWA as an “entry space for culture communities,” BEAMS CULTUART TAKANAWA offers a fresh experience distinct from previous BEAMS locations.
Through BEAMS CULTUART—a project that focuses on art while delving into a wide range of cultural expressions—BEAMS is uncovering uniquely Japanese cultural perspectives while simultaneously cultivating entirely new ones. As the company approaches its 50th anniversary in 2026, what lies ahead?
“Going forward, our gallery space will regularly host art exhibitions and pop-ups, allowing us to develop an even stronger artistic identity. BEAMS CULTUART is made up of staff from various labels with deep interests in culture, and we’re preparing new projects that highlight their individual strengths. Fashion will always be close to us, but we want to propose more of the culture that surrounds it. By encountering unfamiliar cultures and ideas, we hope customers can discover something new to love. We hope you look forward to what BEAMS will offer as we head toward our 50th year,” says Kusaka.
BEAMS CULTUART TAKANAWA is preparing a lineup of art- and culture-focused events and products. For updates, check their social media.
Official site:https://www.beams.co.jp/special/beams_cultuart/
BEAMS began in February 1976 with a compact 6.5-tsubo space—just over 21 square meters—in Harajuku. From there, it has grown alongside its users, sharing its distinct take on lifestyle-rooted fashion and culture. Today, its influence has expanded from Tokyo across Japan and into the world, earning strong support from a wide audience. As BEAMS approaches its 50th anniversary in 2026, its commitment to delivering exciting new ideas and cultural experiences shows no sign of slowing down.
