NY Weekly · Nov 2–8

NY Weekly, Nov 2–8, 2026: Nara's Big Return and Akari at 75

With the marathon and Halloween behind us, New York turns to gallery season. This week Yoshitomo Nara returns to Chelsea with his first major solo here in nearly a decade, and the Noguchi Museum opens its Akari show in Long Island City. We've also flagged two small shows closing soon, a new Ludlow Street restaurant, the Rockefeller tree's arrival, and a few drops worth knowing. Japan-connected picks come first.

Opening This Week: Japanese Artists

  1. Yoshitomo Nara

    Yoshitomo Nara

    David Zwirner, Chelsea · 2026-11-05–2026-12-12

    Yoshitomo Nara's first show with David Zwirner is also his first major New York solo in nearly a decade. New paintings and oil-stick drawings fill 20th Street; thirteen white bronze heads sit on 19th. Opening reception Nov 5, 6–8 PM.

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  2. No Ordinary Light: Akari at 75

    No Ordinary Light: Akari at 75

    The Noguchi Museum, Long Island City · 2026-11-04–2027-09-05

    Isamu Noguchi's paper-and-bamboo Akari lights turn 75. The show traces how he presented them, beside his stone, metal and clay work, with displays echoing the 1951 Eames House tea ceremony and Venice 1986. Runs to September 2027.

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  3. Exploring the Unseen: The Sculptures of Tanaka Yū

    Exploring the Unseen: The Sculptures of Tanaka Yū

    Joan B. Mirviss, Upper East Side · 2026-11-05–2026-12-18

    Kyoto sculptor Tanaka Yū, born 1989, makes ceramics that look like cloth wrapped around hidden boxes, every fold fired clay. A quiet Upper East Side show about what a container really holds. Through December 18.

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  4. As a moment and as an accumulation

    As a moment and as an accumulation

    Bortolami, Tribeca · 2026-10-30–2026-12-19

    Curated by Richard Aldrich at Bortolami, this pairing shows Maki Katayama, who applies Sanzo Wada's 1930s color pairings to pressed canvases, and Hikari Ono, who folds raw Japanese clay into wall works. Tribeca, through December 19.

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Japan on View, and Closing Soon

  1. Leaves of Words: Satoshi Nemoto, Tsuneo Nakazawa, Shinya Yamamura

    Leaves of Words: Satoshi Nemoto, Tsuneo Nakazawa, Shinya Yamamura

    Ippodo Gallery, Tribeca · 2026-10-30–2026-12-05

    Ippodo's Tribeca show follows kana, born in the ninth century, through ink on washi, cast iron and mother-of-pearl lacquer. Seeing one script move across three materials is the draw. Through December 5.

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  2. I'm So Happy You Are Here: Japanese Women Photographers from the 1950s to Now

    I'm So Happy You Are Here: Japanese Women Photographers from the 1950s to Now

    International Center of Photography, Lower East Side · 2026-10-15–2027-01-11

    Twenty-eight Japanese women photographers, 1950s to now, shown through prints, installations and photobooks. Organized with Aperture, it began in Arles and makes its first US stop at ICP. Through January 11, 2027.

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  3. Hun Chung Lee: Home

    Hun Chung Lee: Home

    R & Company, Tribeca · 2026-09-10–2026-11-06

    Hun Chung Lee's new ceramic and concrete works treat home as a place of return. It closes Friday, Nov 6, at R & Company in Tribeca, so go this week.

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  4. At 47 Canal in Chelsea, NYC, Cici Wu Turns Auld Lang Syne Into Paper Lanterns

    At 47 Canal in Chelsea, NYC, Cici Wu Turns Auld Lang Syne Into Paper Lanterns

    47 Canal, Chelsea · 2026-10-01–2026-11-07

    Cici Wu's Auld Lang Syne (prelude) ends Nov 7 at 47 Canal: eleven lantern sculptures of bamboo, willow and mulberry paper, a 16mm projector, and ink works touching on Korean and Japanese histories.

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Eating Out and the Weekend

  1. Mili Opens Permanently on NYC's Lower East Side on November 4

    Mili, Lower East Side · 2026-11-04

    Mili, the roving pop-up from Alexis White and chef Jorge Luis Pabón, becomes a permanent restaurant at 123 Ludlow Street on Nov 4. Seasonal, market-driven menu; dinner Wednesday through Sunday.

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  2. At Brookfield Place in Lower Manhattan, NYC: Canstruction Returns With 22 Food-Can Sculptures

    At Brookfield Place in Lower Manhattan, NYC: Canstruction Returns With 22 Food-Can Sculptures

    Brookfield Place, Battery Park City · 2026-10-30–2026-11-09

    Twenty-two sculptures built from unopened food cans fill Brookfield Place. Free, with public voting and tours, and every can goes to City Harvest afterward. Runs through November 9.

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  3. Rockefeller Center's 2026 Christmas Tree in Midtown, NYC: Arrives Nov. 7, Lit Dec. 2

    Rockefeller Center's 2026 Christmas Tree in Midtown, NYC: Arrives Nov. 7, Lit Dec. 2

    Rockefeller Center, Midtown · 2026-11-07–2026-12-02

    Rockefeller Center's 76-foot Norway spruce from West Edmeston arrives Saturday, Nov 7, with a free Meet the Tree Day that afternoon. The lighting ceremony follows on December 2.

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This Week's Drops

  1. Kith for TUMI 2026 Lands at Kith Shops in NYC With Ombré Carry-Ons

    Kith for TUMI 2026 Lands at Kith Shops in NYC With Ombré Carry-Ons

    Kith shops (NYC) and Kith.com · 2026-11-02

    Kith's third TUMI collaboration landed Nov 2: three ombré 19 Degree Aluminum Carry-Ons with matching cases for cigars, sunglasses and watches. Sold at Kith shops and online.

  2. Nepenthes New York Adds Vernacolo's Avventure and Pantano Boots

    Nepenthes New York Adds Vernacolo's Avventure and Pantano Boots

    Nepenthes New York · 2026-11-01

    Nepenthes New York now carries Vernacolo, made in Tuscany. The Avventure moccasin boot and Pantano camp moc use vegetable-tanned Vacchetta leather, stitchdown construction and Vibram soles.

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  3. Japan-Only adidas Tobacco in All Black, a Find for NYC Sneakerheads

    Japan-Only adidas Tobacco in All Black, a Find for NYC Sneakerheads

    Japanese retailers (e.g., Mita Sneakers), Japan-exclusive · 2026-11-06

    adidas brings back its 1970s Tobacco in an all-black suede, Japan-only edition. Mita Sneakers lists it at ¥15,400 (about $97) for Nov 6, and its checkout accepts US shipping addresses.