An interactive installation is a physical space or object that responds to people in real time — via cameras, depth sensors, touch, or sound — rendered with projection, LED, and real-time 3D. Japan's scene grew out of media art, which is why its best-known names sit between art and commercial production. This guide compares 10 Japan-based studios, what each does best, what projects cost, and what to ask before hiring.
Who this is for: Brand and marketing leads, museum and exhibition teams, and agencies that need a Japan-based partner for an interactive or immersive installation, in Japan or abroad.
Key Takeaways
- 10 studios, from art collectives (teamLab) and R&D teams (Rhizomatiks) to technical directors (BASSDRUM) and a full-service exhibit builder (NOMURA).
- Budgets: a single-screen interactive piece starts around $20K, room-scale builds run $100K–$200K, and flagships $200K+.
- Timelines:4–8 weeks for a pilot or single-touchpoint pop-up, 8–16 weeks for a custom multi-screen pop-up, and 3–6+ months for a permanent room.
- Maintenance: budget 10–15% of project value per year.
- English support varies: some studios have offices abroad, others publish only in Japanese. Confirm who your day-to-day contact will be.
- Japanese rules apply: the Fire Service Act, PSE marking for electrical products, radio certification for wireless devices, and APPI for camera data.
1. What Is an Interactive Installation?
An interactive installation senses the people in front of it and responds. It has three layers:
- Input: cameras, depth sensors (LiDAR, Kinect), touch, microphones, or RFID.
- Real-time software: TouchDesigner, Unity, Unreal Engine, or WebGPU with Three.js.
- Output: projection, LED walls, lighting, spatial sound, and sometimes mechanics such as fountains.
Related terms include immersive installation, interactive exhibit, and digital art installation. Japanese studios often use メディアアート (media art), 体験型展示 (hands-on exhibit), and 空間演出 (spatial production). Use these terms when you search Japanese-language sites.
Still choosing a format? Compare the options in our installation vs projection mapping guide, or see the art-world side in our interactive art guide.
2. How We Evaluated
We checked each studio in September 2026 against five criteria:
- Active and verifiable: a live website and at least one 2024–2026 project confirmed on the studio's site or in a press release.
- Physical work: installations, exhibitions, or events, not only video or web.
- Based in Japan: headquarters or a main studio in Japan.
- English access: an English-language website or offices abroad. This does not guarantee an English-speaking project manager.
- Buyer fit: the project type each studio suits best.
Each entry lists the headquarters, a signature project with its source, the English workflow, and the best fit.
3. The 10 Studios
3-1. Utsubo — Osaka
Utsubo is an Osaka-based interactive studio, founded in 2021, that designs and builds real-time 3D installations and the websites around them for brands, museums, and exhibitions in Japan and abroad.
HQ: Chuo-ku, Osaka; foreign-founded in 2021. · Osaka studio page
Signature project:Waves of Connection, an original artwork at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai (August 12–18, 2025). Up to six visitors move Hokusai's Great Wave with their bodies, rendered as up to about 1,000,000 WebGPU particles. More than 10,000 visitors interacted with it in seven days (case study).
English workflow: English, Japanese, or French, with requirements, risks, and progress documented in writing.
Best for: Real-time 3D installations (WebGPU, Three.js) where the on-site piece and its website come from one team. On the web side, our IVRESS brand site, made with Laugh Mind, was FWA of the Month in May 2026.
3-2. teamLab — Tokyo
HQ: Tokyo; an international art collective founded in 2001. · teamlab.art
Signature project:teamLab Biovortex Kyoto, a permanent museum that opened on October 7, 2025. It passed 1 million visitors in nine months, about 42% of them from outside Japan.
English workflow: English-language website; permanent venues in Abu Dhabi and Jeddah.
Best for: Landmark destinations that want an art-led, permanent experience.
3-3. Rhizomatiks — Tokyo
HQ: Tokyo (Shibuya); founded in 2006. · rhizomatiks.com
Company status: On January 1, 2026, Abstract Engine Co., Ltd. brought Rhizomatiks, Panoramatiks, and Flowplateaux together under one structure. Daito Manabe and Motoi Ishibashi still lead Rhizomatiks.
Signature project: The exhibition experience for the NTT Pavilion at Expo 2025. In one zone, AI analyzed footage of visitors, and the results drove the wall projections and ambient music.
English workflow: English-language website.
Best for: R&D-heavy concepts in live performance, AI, sensing, and data-driven visuals.
3-4. NAKED, Inc. — Tokyo
HQ: Tokyo (Shibuya); founded in 1997, with recurring projects in Kyoto. · naked.co.jp
Signature project:NAKED meets Nijo Castle 2026, an experiential art exhibition at the World Heritage castle in Kyoto (October 23 – December 5, 2026).
English workflow: Japanese-only website; this show has a Japanese and English audio guide. Plan for a bilingual producer.
Best for: Heritage sites, tourist venues, and seasonal night events built on projection mapping.
3-5. WOW inc. — Tokyo / Sendai / London
HQ: Tokyo (Shibuya), with studios in Sendai and London. · w0w.co.jp
Signature project:Two immersive installations at Miraikan, Tokyo's National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, opened April 25, 2026. In Sky: Cloud Journey, 4K video covers an approximately 8-meter-high space on all sides and underfoot, with 12.2-channel audio, mist, and wind.
English workflow: English-language website and a London office.
Best for: Museums and brands that need cinematic visuals and a strong narrative.
3-6. Dentsu Lab Tokyo — Tokyo
HQ: Tokyo (Ginza); the creative R&D unit of Dentsu Inc. · dentsulab.tokyo
Signature project:Overall production of the ISUZU / UD Trucks booth at Japan Mobility Show 2025 (Tokyo Big Sight), including a station where AI turned visitor photos into custom stickers and a stage show extended with AR.
English workflow: English and Japanese website.
Best for: Trade-show booths and launches that need a prototype-driven idea with press value.
3-7. Whatever Co. — Tokyo / New York / Taipei / Berlin
HQ: Tokyo, with offices in New York, Taipei, and Berlin. · whatever.co
Signature project:The First Room and Next Room of Wonder Museum, Mrs. GREEN APPLE's 10th-anniversary exhibition at TOKYO NODE (December 2025 – January 2026), which then toured to Fukuoka and Osaka.
English workflow: Offices on three continents and a stated focus on cross-border projects.
Best for: Entertainment and brand campaigns that mix installation, content, and technology across markets.
3-8. 1→10 (One to Ten) — Kyoto / Tokyo
HQ: Kyoto, with a Tokyo branch. · 1-10.com
Signature project:Staircase Orchestra at Tokyo Opera City (September 11–25, 2026). Instrument parts build up as visitors climb the Galleria's grand staircase and fade as they walk down, synced with projection and lighting.
English workflow: English and Chinese websites; earlier overseas work includes a permanent interactive installation on Siloso Beach, Singapore.
Best for: Night events in gardens and public spaces, outdoor projection with smartphone AR, and exhibitions built on entertainment IP.
3-9. BASSDRUM — Tokyo HQ, Kyoto base
HQ: Tokyo (Roppongi), with a Kyoto base and studios in New York and Taipei; founded in 2018 as a collective of technical directors. · bassdrum.org
Signature project: Gesture design and technical direction for Magical Dance of Water and Air at Expo 2025, where visitors' gestures controlled about 300 fountains. Guinness World Records recognized it as the world's largest interactive fountain experience controlled by the public.
English workflow: Japanese, English, and Chinese website; studios in New York and Taipei.
Best for: Multi-vendor builds that need one senior technical lead, or a feasibility check before you commit a budget.
3-10. NOMURA Co., Ltd. — Tokyo / Osaka
HQ: Tokyo (Daiba), with an Osaka office and bases in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, and Singapore; listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market. · nomurakougei.co.jp
Signature project: Planning, design, and construction of the interactive performance space in the Sumitomo Pavilion at Expo 2025, where visitors carried lanterns through an "UNKNOWN FOREST."
English workflow: English-language website and offices across Asia.
Best for: Museums, pavilions, and showrooms that want interior design, fabrication, and digital exhibits under one contract.
Why it is on this list: Display companies such as NOMURA build many of Japan's museums and pavilions, and creative-tech studios often work inside their projects. WOW's credits for the Expo 2025 null² pavilion, for example, list NOMURA for interior design (WOW).
4. Comparison Table
| Studio | Base | Known for | Recent verified work | English access |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utsubo | Osaka | Real-time 3D, WebGPU | Expo 2025 installation (2025) | English, Japanese, French |
| teamLab | Tokyo | Immersive art museums | Biovortex Kyoto (2025) | English site, venues abroad |
| Rhizomatiks | Tokyo | R&D, AI, performance | Expo 2025 NTT Pavilion (2025) | English site |
| NAKED | Tokyo | Projection mapping, heritage nights | Nijo Castle exhibition (2026) | Japanese-only site |
| WOW | Tokyo, Sendai, London | Cinematic immersive rooms | Miraikan installations (2026) | English site, London office |
| Dentsu Lab Tokyo | Tokyo | Prototypes, brand technology | Japan Mobility Show booth (2025) | English site |
| Whatever | Tokyo, New York, Taipei, Berlin | Entertainment and brand campaigns | Wonder Museum (2025–2026) | Offices on 3 continents |
| 1→10 | Kyoto, Tokyo | Night events, AR, IP exhibitions | Staircase Orchestra (2026) | English and Chinese sites |
| BASSDRUM | Tokyo, Kyoto, New York, Taipei | Technical direction | Expo 2025 fountains (2025) | English site, studios abroad |
| NOMURA | Tokyo, Osaka | Design, fabrication, digital exhibits | Sumitomo Pavilion (2025) | English site, Asia offices |
Looking for a web studio instead? See our Tokyo creative web studios guide.
5. Budgets & Timelines
These are the ranges Utsubo uses when scoping projects. Other studios price differently, so treat them as a planning baseline.
| Tier | Budget (USD) | Approx. JPY | Timeline | Typical scope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter / pop-up | $15K–$30K | ¥2M–¥5M | 4–8 weeks | One touchpoint, standard hardware; the low end applies to pop-up or temporary pieces |
| Standard | $40K–$80K | ¥6M–¥12M | 8–16 weeks | Custom design, several sensors or screens, site survey |
| Premium | $100K–$200K | ¥15M–¥30M | 3–6 months | Room-scale, projection or real-time 3D, system integration, first-year maintenance |
| Enterprise | $200K+ | ¥30M+ | 6–12 months | Flagship, multi-room or multi-site, custom hardware |
A true single-screen interactive piece starts at about $20K; below that, you are usually buying digital signage. Plan 10–15% of project value per year for maintenance. JPY figures use ¥150 = $1, rounded.
For line-item detail, see our interactive installation cost guide. For short-term activations, see our pop-up and event installation guide.
6. Why Commission in Japan
- Teams tested at Expo scale. At least six of the ten studios here delivered work for Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai: Utsubo, Rhizomatiks, WOW, BASSDRUM, NOMURA, and Dentsu Lab Tokyo, whose Naoki Tanaka was creative director of the nightly water show (Dentsu Lab Tokyo).
- Artists and engineers in one team. Rhizomatiks was founded by four people from architecture, advertising, media art, web, and visual programming (Abstract Engine). teamLab's members include artists, programmers, engineers, CG animators, mathematicians, and architects (teamLab).
- A local supply chain. Creative studios, AV companies, and display builders often share one project. At Japan Mobility Show 2023, BASSDRUM built two interactive spaces for Nissan with a video-equipment team led by HIBINO and a construction team led by NOMURA (BASSDRUM).
7. Permits, Safety & Data in Japan
Ask your studio and the venue to confirm each item before fabrication starts. This is a planning checklist, not legal advice.
| Area | Rule | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Fire safety | Fire Service Act, Article 8-3 | In high-rise buildings, underground malls, theaters, hotels, hospitals, and other designated properties, curtains, display plywood, and similar goods must be flame-retardant. Confirm the venue's rules on materials and exits. |
| Electrical products | PSE Law (Electrical Appliances and Materials Safety Act) | Covered electrical products sold in Japan need PSE marking, and importers must notify METI first. Check power supplies and custom electronics you plan to ship in. |
| Wireless devices | Radio Act (MIC) | Radio equipment used in Japan must meet Japanese technical standards, shown by the technical conformity mark. The 90-day exemption for devices that visitors bring in covers limited uses, such as phones and Wi-Fi or Bluetooth accessories. |
| Camera data | APPI (PPC guidance, Japanese) | Camera images that can identify a person are personal information. Define the purpose, make the cameras easy to notice (for example, with signage), and use the images only for that purpose. A July 2026 amendment adds rules for facial feature data (PPC, Japanese). |
| Accessibility | Act for Eliminating Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (Cabinet Office) | Since April 1, 2024, companies must provide reasonable accommodation. Plan seated reach heights, captions, and alternatives to gesture input. |
For design details, see our accessible museum installations guide.
8. What to Ask Before You Hire
Send the same brief to three to five studios and compare the answers. Our guide to briefing an installation studio includes a template.
- Content pipeline: Who owns the interactive content, and how are updates shipped after launch?
- Sensors: Which sensors (LiDAR, depth cameras, touch, RFID), and what happens if one fails?
- Real-time stack: Why this engine (TouchDesigner, Unity, Unreal, or WebGPU with Three.js) for this project?
- Safety and visitor flow: How many visitors per hour, and how are fire rules and evacuation routes covered?
- Operations: Who monitors the system, who staffs it on site, and how fast is the response to a failure?
- Data and privacy: What camera or sensor data is stored, for how long, and what signage does APPI require?
- English and handover: Who is your day-to-day English-speaking contact, and what do you receive at the end (source files, drawings, manuals, training)?
9. How Utsubo Works With International Clients
Utsubo builds interactive installations and real-time 3D web experiences from Osaka. Published work includes:
- JR West: a digital installation for the headquarters renewal in Osaka that turns messages into a real-time 3D city.
- SMRJ:Voyage to the Future, which animates 1,800 messages across three projection screens, curated live on iPads.
- Expo 2025:Waves of Connection, with 10,000+ visitors in seven days.
How we work with teams outside Japan:
- Clear communication: English, Japanese, or French, with requirements, risks, and progress documented in writing.
- Prototype before build: hosted demos that your team can review online.
- Hardware and AV: we design the system and content, and coordinate procurement and installation with your AV integrator or our partners.
- After launch: remote monitoring, health checks, content updates, and incident response.
See services and project videos on our Osaka interactive installation studio page.
10. Let's Talk
Planning an interactive installation in Japan, or looking for a Japan-based team to build one abroad? We work with brands, museums, and agencies on interactive installations, real-time 3D experiences, and immersive brand projects.
If you're exploring a partnership, let's discuss your project:
- What you're building and the constraints you're working with
- Which technical approach makes sense for your goals
- Whether we're the right fit to help you execute
Summary
Japan has interactive installation studios for most briefs: art collectives such as teamLab, R&D teams such as Rhizomatiks, technical directors such as BASSDRUM, and full-service builders such as NOMURA. Match the studio to the project type first. Plan on about $20K for a single-screen interactive piece and $100K–$200K for room-scale work, allow 4–8 weeks for a pilot and 3–6+ months for a permanent room, and confirm fire, electrical, radio, and privacy rules early. Before you sign, ask who your day-to-day English-speaking contact will be.
FAQs
How far in advance should I start?
Allow 4–8 weeks for a single-touchpoint pilot, 8–16 weeks for a custom pop-up (8–12 weeks can work if approvals are fast), and 3–6+ months for a permanent room. Leave extra time for venue approvals and hardware delivery.
Can you localize for Japan and still present globally?
Yes. Plan bilingual screens, audio, and signage from the start instead of translating at the end, and have a native speaker review all on-screen text in place. Utsubo works in English, Japanese, and French.
What venues work best?
Museums, science centers, brand flagships, trade shows, heritage sites, and event halls all host interactive work in Japan. Involve the venue early, because power, ceiling height, daylight, fire rules, and opening hours shape the design.
What about maintenance?
Budget 10–15% of the project value per year. That usually covers remote monitoring, software updates, content refreshes, and spare parts. Permanent installations also need scheduled on-site checks.
How much does an interactive installation cost in Japan?
Most projects fall into four tiers: $15K–$30K for a starter or pop-up piece, $40K–$80K for a custom multi-sensor build, $100K–$200K for room-scale work, and $200K+ for flagship or multi-site programs. A true single-screen interactive piece starts at about $20K.
Do Japanese installation studios work in English?
Many do, but it varies by studio and by team. Whatever, BASSDRUM, and WOW have offices outside Japan, while some studios publish only in Japanese. Before you sign, ask who your day-to-day contact will be and whether reports and change requests will be in English.
What permits and rules apply to installations in Japan?
Check four areas early: flame-retardant materials and exits under the Fire Service Act, PSE marking for electrical products, Japanese radio certification for wireless devices, and APPI if cameras can identify visitors. Since April 2024, companies must also provide reasonable accommodation for visitors with disabilities.
Osaka Interactive Installation Studio
