Industrial Romanticism 2 opens at Tokyo's AXIS on October 30, with prototypes from eight companies

In-house designers normally solve problems in product development. What might a prototype become when the starting point is a personal dream? Industrial Romanticism 2 will bring previously unpublished prototypes by designers from eight companies to AXIS Gallery in Roppongi, Tokyo, from October 30 to November 8, 2026. Admission is free. Normal hours are 11:00–20:00, with an earlier 17:00 close on November 8. The press preview and reception on October 29 should not be mistaken for the public opening.

Eight companies present prototypes, rather than a retail product launch

The participating companies are SHARP, Sony Group, TOTO, Panasonic, FUJIFILM, POLA, Mitsubishi Electric and Yamaha. Following the first edition in autumn 2025, this exhibition broadens the fields represented by participating companies. Experience in imaging, sound, home appliances, musical instruments and other everyday products meets in one space. These prototypes remain exploratory proposals: familiar corporate names do not make them mass-produced products with announced prices or imminent pre-orders.

Yoshiki Matsuyama, Ryota Yokozeki and AXIS are responsible for planning and direction. The organisers use romanticism to focus on designers' personal dreams and feelings, rather than projecting the future solely from economic conditions or technological progress. Visitors can move their attention away from specification sheets and towards the questions an object poses. How does it ask someone to approach, look at or use it? What unfamiliar shapes remain when personal curiosity enters corporate design? These are ways into the exhibition, rather than assumptions about undisclosed performance.

Start with four details, then discover the full proposals in person

The official preview images begin with fragments. The Sony Group designers' image shows a dark curved form, a mesh-like surface and purple details; on the FUJIFILM side is a blue circular object with a silver-coloured outline. A second paired image presents a dark, elongated form by a Mitsubishi Electric designer and a pale wooden corner by a Yamaha designer. The captions establish corporate and designer attribution, but appearance alone does not justify calling these headphones, a camera or a particular musical instrument.

Nor are these preview images photographs of an exhibition installation that has yet to open. Compare the details with the complete forms in the gallery, noticing how material edges, proportion and points of contact change your understanding. The organisers invite visitors to look at, touch and experience the work, but that should not be stretched into permission to operate every object freely; follow the instructions on site. Haruhiko Yachi created the main visual, Satoru Utashiro and Momoka Osada are responsible for spatial design, and Takuto Morio for sound design. Visuals, space and sound therefore provide further threads to follow.

When and how to visit: separate free exhibition entry from event registration

The gallery is on the fourth floor of the AXIS Building, 5-17-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo. The official access guide lists approaches from exits 3 and 5 of Roppongi Station, exit 2 of Roppongi-itchome Station, and exit 7 of Azabu-juban Station, each approximately eight minutes on foot. These are estimated walks, rather than guaranteed arrival times. General admission is free, but plan around the 17:00 close on November 8 instead of the 20:00 closing time on other exhibition days.

Three announced events during the exhibition require separate registration. November 1, 18:00–19:30, explores questions and signs of the future through design events. Student Night on November 4, 18:00–20:00, brings students together with in-house designers. November 5, 18:30–20:00, considers how individuals and organisations open up Romanticism. Free gallery entry does not automatically reserve an event seat. Follow the registration link in the organisers' announcement to confirm content, capacity and participation conditions before combining a gallery visit with an evening discussion.