TOYAMA Masamichi is a guest on the public recording of the Osaka-Kansai Expo official YouTube channel "EXPO PLL Talks"
ARTLOGUE Inc. (Headquarters: Kita-ku, Osaka City; CEO: Suzuki Daisuke), together with the 2025 Japan World Exposition Association (Public Interest Incorporated Association), the Japan Arts Council (Japan Arts Council), and the Agency for Cultural Affairs, hosted the online talk event "EXPO PLL Talks: Art & Impact: Thinking about the world after the Expo with innovators" as part of the "Study: Osaka-Kansai International Arts Festival." The event was streamed on the official YouTube channel on Friday, February 27, 2025.
This was the 13th time the event was held, and this time the guest was Masamichi Toyama (CEO of Smiles Co., Ltd. and CEO of The Chain Museum Co., Ltd.), who explored the theme of "Toyama's artistic roots as an artist while also being active as a businessman."
You can watch the event on the official YouTube channel.
Archived video
Masamichi Toyama EXPO PLL Talks "Art & Impact: Thinking about the world after the Expo with innovators" vol.13
◼︎What is "EXPO PLL Talks Art & Impact: Thinking about the Post-Expo World with Innovators"?
EXPO PLL Talks "Art & Impact: Thinking about the Post-Expo World with Innovators" is a talk event co-hosted by Art Rogue Inc., together with the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition, the Japan Arts Council, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs, in preparation for the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo, based on the concept of realizing the theme of the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo, "Designing a Future Society Where Life Shines."
We will explore new possibilities for art and business through a dialogue between moderator Daisuke Suzuki (Study: General Producer of the Osaka Kansai International Art Festival) and guests active in a variety of genres regarding the questions posed about art at the Osaka Kansai International Art Festival.
[Osaka-Kansai Expo Official Channel: EXPO PLL Talks]
https://www.expo2025.or.jp/overview/expo_pll_talks/
■What is the Study: Osaka Kansai International Art Festival 2025?
Study: Osaka Kansai International Art Festival 2025 is an international contemporary art festival that will be held mainly in Osaka and the Kansai region from Friday, April 11th to Monday, October 13th, 2025. This year, the fourth festival will be held at the same time as the Osaka-Kansai Expo, and the venues will be symbolic locations in Osaka, such as the Osaka-Kansai Expo site (Yumeshima), Osaka Culturarium Tempozan designed by Tadao Ando, Osaka Prefectural International Conference Center (Nakanoshima) designed by Kisho Kurokawa, and the Nishinari-Senba area. Taking the Osaka-Kansai Expo as an opportunity, we will create a place for new dialogue and discovery as an "art festival that studies the relationship between art, people, and society" through domestic and international art projects.
Tickets are on sale on this page
https://osaka-kansai.art/pages/ticket
◼︎Contents of Vol.13 of "EXPO PLL Talks Art & Impact: Thinking about the Post-Expo World with Innovators"
This time, for the 13th time, we welcomed Masamichi Toyama (CEO of Smiles Co., Ltd. and CEO of The Chain Museum Co., Ltd.) as our guest and explored "the artistic roots of Mr. Toyama, who is active as a businessman but also an artist."
<Excerpts from Masamichi Toyama's comments at the event>
・On "Replacing business with art" "In the initial business plan I created for Soup Stock, I wrote that we would limit it to 50 stores. As a result, we still have around 50 stores open. I think that we can open 200 or 500 stores if necessary, but for some reason that hasn't happened. Soup Stock doesn't have the image that the more stores we have, the better. It's the same with art; one-of-a-kind items are best, and the more you have, the more the value depreciates. I started out with art, so I find it easier to explain various things if I replace various events in business with art."
・Regarding "Expectations for After the Expo," "There are many directors related to the Expo this time, so it's a chance to be exposed to their ideas up close. I want people to look at the Expo from the perspective of what it would be like if they were a director. It's also interesting to think about what you would do if you were given the amazing stage that is the Expo. Even if it's not on the scale of the Expo, even if it's small as an Expo for one person, like maybe trying to do it in your parent's backyard, I want it to be an opportunity for each and every person to come up with ideas like that. I think it's just the best way to do that."
Viewing URL
https://youtu.be/6NkNaZsTCNk?si=8fJkz18yWr3TENaq
Event Overview
https://osaka-kansai.art/pages/expo-pll-talks-vol-13
■Speaker Profile
TOYAMA Masamichi
Representative Director of Smiles Co., Ltd. / Representative Director of The Chain Museum Co., Ltd.
Born in Tokyo in 1962. After graduating from Keio University, he worked for Mitsubishi Corporation before founding Smiles Co., Ltd. in 2000.
She has launched many unique projects, including "Soup Stock Tokyo" and "PASS THE BATON," and is promoting new values that combine art and business. She is also active as an artist, and is working to connect art to society and business through projects such as "The Chain Museum" and "ArtSticker." She is active in many areas, including her educational activities as a professor at Joshibi University of Art and Design and her participation in the Tokyo Biennale.
Study: SUZUKI Daisuke, Founder and General Producer of the Osaka Kansai International Art Festival
Born on Culture Day, November 3, 1977. After participating in a research project at the Global COE of the Urban Research Plaza of Osaka City University, he started his own company. He won the Good Design Award in 2014, was a finalist in the 2015 Kyoto University GTEP Program (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology), and won the OIH Award for global innovation at the 2016 Miraino Pitch (business contest: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Kinki Regional Bureau of Telecommunications).
On July 7, 2017, he founded ARTLOGUE Inc. with the vision of "Arts for Human and Planet" and became its CEO.
"Study: Osaka Kansai International Art Festival" will be held in January and February 2022, with the aim of establishing the world's largest "Osaka Kansai International Arts Festival" to coincide with the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo.
An art innovator who aims to create a better society through the use of art.
■ List of past speakers
"EXPO PLL Talks" has invited guests active in a variety of fields, as listed below, to explore new possibilities in art and business from their respective perspectives.
1st Award: Nanjo Fumio (Special Advisor, Mori Art Museum), Hirata Oriza (Playwright and Director)
https://youtu.be/x_wEYV-IxI0?si=CGhcl1N4aShJhyym
・2nd Award: Takeo Obayashi (Chairman and CEO of Obayashi Corporation)
https://youtu.be/wea0OXPJ08g?si=R5tyq_ympoeruSb1
3rd Prize: Michiko Ogawa (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
https://youtu.be/QU3NyL9Uamo?si=vM33Rr53YUE0Gau0
4th: Yoichi Ochiai (media artist)
https://youtu.be/ayO0dY1g37Y?si=-kAsXCUf4KCcSSBM
5th: Tomoko Ukishima (Member of the House of Representatives)
https://youtu.be/a_rLbcL9qWw?si=HsZm4Bli2dID-K2g
・6th: Hirohisa Sato (CEO of Balnivani Co., Ltd.)
https://youtu.be/5nUynWR9K70?si=fasNPjBacXGxWWLV
・7th Akira Tatehata (art critic/poet)
https://youtu.be/7leuPdCO624?si=g4sUfLtdo7dzfKpM
・8th Guest Speaker: Oussouby SACKO (President of Kyoto Seika University)
https://youtu.be/jmMSwKfaKVM?si=4s3CGITYeDTgHIHJ
9th Award: Naomi Kawase (Film Director)
https://youtu.be/Oe4YS5hnHN8?si=pwfHVsBAbhga4ehr
10th Award: Yuko Hasegawa (Director of the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art)
(※Preparation for release in progress)
11th Award: Oussouby SACKO (President of Kyoto Seika University, Vice Chairman of the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo), Takayuki Sakakida (Chairman of the Kyoto Shinkin Bank)
https://youtu.be/h12z7X9kR2E?si=4Z4SnDSJ0YrX6efg
・No. 12 Takahiro Miura (CEO of The Breakthrough Company GO)
https://youtu.be/nkNZMCzAjyg?si=THY0MuAxfTckJKRE
We will continue to hold talk events with a variety of guests to build momentum for the Expo.
■Company Profile
"Study: Osaka Kansai International Art Festival 2025"
Official website: https://osaka-kansai.art/
ARTLOGUE Inc.
・Representative: ARTLOGUE Inc. CEO Daisuke Suzuki ・Head office location: Kita-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture
・Established: July 7, 2017
・Business operations: Planning and management of "Study: Osaka Kansai International Art Festival" / Planning and management of web media "ARTLOGUE" and "Art Tourism"
■ Contact Information
Study: Osaka Kansai International Art Festival Public Relations Office
study-pr@artlogue.org