English version
Japan's Culture of Life and Death Comes to New York: "Memento Mori in NYC" Announces Full Program and Tickets for Nov. 5-6
Coffin experience, memorial portraits, art and talks at RESOBOX East Village
TOKYO - October 1, 2026 - YOMI International today announced the full program forMemento Mori in NYC: The Art of Japanese Life and Death, a two-day festival on Thursday, November 5, and Friday, November 6, 2026, at RESOBOX East Village (91 E 3rd St, New York). The festival is co-hosted by YOMI International, Death Fes and IVORY, and expects about 300 visitors.
Just days after Halloween and Dia de los Muertos, the festival shares Japanese traditions such as Obon, memorial rites and the aesthetics of impermanence through art, dialogue and hands-on experiences.
Program highlights
Opening, "The Art of Living with Death"(Nov. 5, 10:00 a.m.): a live nokan encoffining ceremony and a calligraphy performance.
Coffin Experience: visitors lie in a Japanese coffin for a few quiet minutes and reflect on the life they want to live.
Iei Portraits: a memorial portrait session that celebrates who you are today. Time slots by reservation, both days.
Art on Life & Death: works by more than 20 artists, including calligraphers, ceramicists, floral artists, photographers and jewelry makers, plus a marketplace.
Snack Memento Mori: a New York edition of Tokyo's end-of-life "snack bar," where guests talk about life and death over sake.
Talks and workshops: speakers include Masumi Murata, Death Fes co-founders Nozomi Ichikawa and Lina Ono, Giun of NY Zen Center, anthropologist Marcela Tovar-Restrepo and death doula Viji Boloico. A mizuhiki cord-art workshop runs Nov. 5 at 5:00 p.m. (reservation required).
Zazen meditation(Nov. 6, 10:00 a.m.): sit in silence with Giun of NY Zen Center. Included with admission.
Darkness workshop(Nov. 6, 6:00 p.m.): guided by death doula and darkness guide Viji Boloico, participants spend time in darkness reflecting on life and death. Included with admission.
"For 20 years I have worked in the world of funerals and seen many deaths," said Masumi Murata, founder of YOMI International. "It taught me that how we die reflects how we live. Through our end-of-life snack bar and Death Fes, I have learned about living from the many ways people think about death. Last year a Tokyo Metropolitan Government program brought me to New York, and I wanted to discover the many views of life and death in this city, an even greater melting pot than Tokyo. We want to share our culture while thinking together with New Yorkers about the questions of life and death that all people share."
Event details
- Dates: Thu., Nov. 5 and Fri., Nov. 6, 2026. Doors 9:30 a.m., program 10:00 a.m., closes 7:00 p.m.
- Venue: RESOBOX, 91 E 3rd St, New York, NY 10003
- Tickets: Early Bird ＄20 (first 100), General Admission ＄30, valid both days, plus NY sales tax. General Admission also sold at the door.
