Discover Shiseido’s Legacy: Where Art Meets Science in a New Experiential Space
Shiseido invites you on an extraordinary journey through its 150-year history with the grand opening of the ‘Shiseido Art & Heritage Passage.’ Located on the second floor of the ‘Shiseido Beauty Park’ within the Shiseido Global Innovation Center, this new corporate exhibition, which opened on January 28th, transforms the exploration of beauty and knowledge into a multisensory adventure.
The ‘Shiseido Beauty Park’ itself is evolving, designed to embody the company’s foundational DNA of ‘Art & Science,’ a philosophy cherished since its establishment in 1872. While the first floor’s existing five labs offer futuristic beauty experiences rooted in Shiseido’s advanced R&D ‘Science,’ the new second-floor ‘Shiseido Art & Heritage Passage’ delves into the ‘Art’ aspect. Its core concept, “From 1872 to Today: Savoring the Journey of Beauty and Knowledge with All Five Senses,” promises to unravel Shiseido’s rich history and aesthetic sensibilities.
This passage features not only a display of precious historical documents but also an opportunity to experience Shiseido’s journey through cosmetics, proposals for beautiful lifestyles, and groundbreaking advertising that shaped trends. It’s a truly immersive dive into the company’s past, present, and future.
The ‘Origin’ Zone: A Glimpse into Shiseido’s Genesis
Kicking off this grand opening is the ‘Origin’ zone, a dedicated space conceptualized as “The Origin – An Aesthetic Consciousness Enduring from the Dawn of Time to Today.” This zone showcases the beauty philosophy and unique expressions Shiseido has cultivated since its founding. Comprising five distinct corners, it presents products and proposals that have graced various eras in a captivating window art style, alongside a wealth of historical materials detailing Shiseido’s unique lifestyle proposals and societal contributions.
One of the captivating highlights within the ‘Origin’ zone is “Shiseido Seasons,” a corner that celebrates the evolving nature of beauty rooted in Japanese culture and its four distinct seasons. Here, Shiseido’s heritage, including diverse advertisements, is curated and displayed according to spring, summer, autumn, and winter themes. Visitors can also explore and experience related contemporary products.
For instance, the exhibition theme from January to March 2026 is “Powder Snow.” It beautifully captures a Japanese aesthetic consciousness inherited from Shiseido’s heritage, reflecting the delicate elegance of a snowy landscape and the lightness of dancing powder snow in its featured products and advertisements. Imagine the serene sparkle and quiet brilliance of winter coming alive before your eyes.
Another unmissable experience is “Scent of Memory,” an interactive exhibit focusing on the pursuit of fragrance by Shiseido’s first president, Shinzo Fukuhara. It offers a unique “perfume blending experience” centered around the theme of visitors’ own memories. As you stand before the “Memory Blending Table,” you’re invited to awaken slumbering recollections and blend fragments of memory to create a fragrance uniquely born from your personal story. It’s said that the sense of smell is the most intimately connected to memory and emotion, making this a profoundly personal encounter. “It’s like crafting a scented diary, each note a whisper from the past,” one might feel, as their unique scent takes form.
Journey Through Time: Permanent Exhibitions
The ‘Origin’ zone also features several compelling permanent exhibitions:
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1872: This corner marks the year Shiseido was founded as Japan’s first Western-style private pharmacy in Ginza. It introduces the founding philosophy of Shiseido, the commitment to quality and authenticity of founder Arinobu Fukuhara, and the aesthetic philosophy of first president Shinzo Fukuhara, who further developed this spirit into the realm of design and beauty.
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Turning Products into Art: Shinzo Fukuhara held a profound belief that cosmetics must be beautiful in their entirety – from their high-quality contents to their packaging, labels, and bottle designs. This philosophy, encapsulated in phrases like “Let the product speak for itself” and “Everything must be rich,” is vividly reflected in the refined elegance and grace of Shiseido’s cosmetics.
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Enriching Everyday Life: Beyond the manufacturing and sale of cosmetics, Shiseido has historically engaged in extensive cultural activities. These include the introduction of Western cuisine through Shiseido Parlour, support for emerging artists at the Shiseido Gallery, the publication of consumer magazines introducing the latest trends from Europe and America, and vibrant show windows that added color to cityscapes. These pioneering efforts to enrich people’s lives with beauty continue to this day.
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In Step with Society: Shiseido has significantly contributed to the development of cosmetic and beauty culture, proposing advanced lifestyles through fields like cosmetology, hair styling, and children’s clothing, and pioneering Japan’s first scientific skin-type-specific beauty methods. The company has consistently sought to create trends and, valuing the spirit of “omotenashi” (wholehearted hospitality), pursued beauty for each individual. This section highlights Shiseido’s ongoing journey, driven by a desire for people’s beauty and health, and a continuous contemplation of the role of cosmetics.
Special Exhibition: “Akiko & Masako Takada Perspectives: How We Perceive This World”
To commemorate the opening of the ‘Shiseido Art & Heritage Passage,’ a special exhibition, “Akiko & Masako Takada Perspectives: How We Perceive This World,” is being held from January 28th to March 15th, 2026. This exhibition is a reconfigured version of a highly acclaimed show previously held at the Shiseido Gallery in Ginza.
Artists Akiko and Masako Takada, identical twin sisters known for their unique blend of Art and Science, resonate deeply with Shiseido’s manufacturing DNA. Their work explores the origins of life, its evolution, and the vast time-space continuum connecting natural laws to the universe, visualized through macroscopic and microscopic perspectives. The exhibition’s centerpiece, Strata, is a new work that stacks approximately 500 books to resemble geological layers, interspersed with minerals and fossils. Inspired by the idea of strata as “history books” inscribed with ecological and environmental information, this piece traces the continuum of time and knowledge from the birth of life to the Anthropocene, rising from floor to ceiling within the ‘Shiseido Beauty Park’s’ second floor.
Other notable works include Timepiece, composed of sand, stones, and rocks spilling from a broken hourglass, prompting reflection on the concept of time and the cycles of life and demise. Can’t see the forest for the leaves addresses the relationship between the “individual” and the “whole” using fractal forms found in nature, while Spectrum explores light as the source of all life. This special exhibition extends the ‘Shiseido Art & Heritage Passage’s’ theme of “savoring the journey of beauty and knowledge with all five senses” into an engaging art world.
The artists’ work, much like Shiseido’s own philosophy, echoes the ancient Chinese classic I Ching, which inspired Shiseido’s name: “至哉坤元 万物資生” (Shisai Kon’gen Banbutsu Shōzu), meaning “How wonderful is the virtue of the Earth; all things are born from it.” This phrase is a hymn to nature, celebrating the origin of all existence. The exhibition encourages visitors to reconsider our world from various perspectives, seeking hope beyond pessimistic predictions for the future, and fostering thoughts on coexistence, symbiosis, and sustainability for all humanity and the natural world.
Akiko and Masako Takada, born in Tokyo in 1978, are artists who create works themed around the “scale” of space and time using everyday materials. Their creations, backed by mathematical and physical ideas, are brought to life through delicate craftsmanship and intricate compositions, expressing a unique sensibility that fuses art and science.
A Taste of History: Limited-Time Sweets
In celebration of the ‘Origin’ zone’s debut, the ‘Shiseido Kitchen Lab’ is offering a special limited-time dessert: the “Future Arabesque Berry Cheese Mousse.” This exquisite treat reimagines Shiseido’s long-cherished “arabesque” motif, symbolizing life extending into the future. Priced at 1,200 yen (tax included), this smooth cheese mousse is delicately encased in chocolate and adorned with tart berries. Its vibrant red hue, contrasted with the white revealed upon cutting, creates a striking visual impression.
The Shiseido Kitchen Lab applies the advanced science of the Shiseido Group, which unravels the connections between “skin, body, and mind,” to analyze the causes of seasonal beauty concerns. It offers new dietary experiences that foster “beauty” and “health” for the skin, body, and mind, featuring both year-round and seasonal menus tailored to specific beauty needs.
Shiseido Beauty Park Facility Overview
The ‘Shiseido Beauty Park’ continues to evolve as a place where visitors can enjoy a beauty journey of “Art & Science” that spans the past, present, and future, delivering new possibilities of beauty to a wider audience.
Contents of Shiseido Beauty Park:
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Shiseido Beauty Diagnosis Lab
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Shiseido Kitchen Lab
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Shiseido Art & Science Lab (Beauty Retreat Theater)
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fibona Lab
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Shiseido People Lab (Note: This lab focuses on supporting researchers and fostering innovation, and does not offer experiential content for visitors.)
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Shiseido Art & Heritage Passage (The newly opened section)
For specific operating hours of each area, please check the official website.
Address: 1-2-11 Takashima, Nishi-ku, Yokohama City
Access: Immediately outside Exits 1 and 2 of Shin-Takashima Station (Minatomirai Line); 10-minute walk from the East Exit of Yokohama Station (JR/Municipal Subway)
Admission: Free
Official Links:
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Shiseido Beauty Park Official Website: https://shiseidobeautypark.shiseido.com/
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Official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shiseidobeautypark/
This renewed ‘Shiseido Beauty Park’ promises to be a vibrant hub where visitors can connect with the essence of Japanese beauty innovation, understanding how tradition and cutting-edge science intertwine to create a future of allure. It’s a step forward in sharing the unique ‘kawaii’ spirit of Japanese beauty, not just as a trend, but as a deeply rooted philosophy of art, culture, and innovation with the global community.
