Pohang Japan Week Nov 13 2026: Free Ukiyo-e Show & Delicious Sushi Class Guide

Pohang Japan Week turns a Korean port city into a Japan culture stage? 🍣 From Nov 13–23, 2026 the ukiyo-e exhibition is free, and so is the Perfect Days film talk on a first-come basis. Here’s the full guide: 4 programs, sign-up routes and what is still unconfirmed. 🎌

※ Check the official website for the most accurate and up-to-date information.

Pohang Japan Week packs 4 programs into 11 days, from a Perfect Days screening to a sake workshop. The film talk and the exhibition are free to attend. 🍶

Pohang Japan Week is a cultural exchange event hosted by the Consulate-General of Japan in Busan, Pohang City and partners. It brings Japanese film, cooking, sake and ukiyo-e (Edo-period Japanese woodblock prints) to Pohang, a port city on Korea’s southeast coast.

The hosts are the Consulate-General of Japan in Busan, Pohang City, the Japan Foundation Seoul Cultural Center and the Busan Korea-Japan Cultural Exchange Association. The event runs from Friday, November 13 to Monday, November 23, 2026. Based on official announcements as of November 4, 2026.

The official website is in Korean only. Your browser’s translate feature (e.g., Chrome → Translate) works well for checking dates and prices.

Official Program Page (Korean)

1. Pohang Japan Week Programs: 4 Events, Dates and Venues

Perfect Days Screening and Cinema Talk

This runs on Saturday, November 14, from 2:00 PM to 5:30 PM at Hyoja Art Hall. After the film, screenwriter Kim Se-yoon hosts a talk with broadcaster Kim Young-chul. Admission is free on a first-come basis, and the seating capacity is not confirmed.

Both hosts are Korean broadcasters. English interpretation was not mentioned, so language support may be limited.

Japanese Cooking (Sushi) Workshop

The workshop is on Friday, November 13, in the Emerald Hall on the 4th floor of Lahan Hotel Pohang. Session 1 runs 2:30 PM–4:00 PM and Session 2 runs 4:30 PM–6:00 PM. The instructor is Satoshi Kimura of Nakamura Academy, the Seoul branch of a Japanese culinary school founded in 1949.

Sign-up is in advance through the Consulate’s Instagram account, @japan.busan.

Sake Workshop

The sake workshop is on Saturday, November 21, from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM in Lily Hall on the 6th floor of Lahan Hotel Pohang. It marks 30 years of exchange between Pohang and Joetsu in Japan’s Niigata Prefecture. Takahiro Yagi, head of the Kubiki Shuzo brewery in Joetsu, leads the talk.

Ukiyo-e Exhibition

The exhibition runs from November 13 to 23, 9:00 AM–6:00 PM, at Kumdam Gallery on the 2nd floor of the Pohang Lifelong Learning Center. It is closed on Sundays (November 15 and 22) and free to view. According to the official page, the works center on Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Hiroshige, showing Edo-period scenery and daily life.

2. Sushi Workshop vs Sake Workshop at a Glance

Both workshops are held at Lahan Hotel Pohang, but the dates, floors and hosts differ. The sign-up routes also differ.

💡 Compare Pohang rooms by date on Agoda or Booking.com.

Both workshops run in the afternoon and end fairly late, so some visitors will think about staying a night. Since the event spans 11 days, you can also split the film, workshops and exhibition across different days. The venues are all inside Pohang, so pick a hotel by location first. Room rates and availability differ by platform, so check them yourself.

3. Hosts, Supporters and Background

Hosts, Supporters and Contact

The hosts are the Consulate-General of Japan in Busan, Pohang City, the Japan Foundation Seoul Cultural Center and the Busan Korea-Japan Cultural Exchange Association. Supporters include the Pohang Cultural Foundation, POSCO, Nakamura Academy, Dongwoo Fine-Chem and Sumitomo Chemical.

For questions, call the Consulate-General at 051-410-6126 (+82-51-410-6126 from abroad) or write to cultural@pz.mofa.go.jp. The Consulate is a Japanese diplomatic office, so asking in English may work, but this is not confirmed.

Background: The Film and the Workshops

Perfect Days was directed by Wim Wenders. Koji Yakusho won Best Actor for it at the 76th Cannes Film Festival. The film follows Hirayama, a man who cleans public toilets and lives a quiet daily routine.

The sushi instructor, Satoshi Kimura, is described as having 19 years of experience at a Michelin-starred kaiseki restaurant. Kaiseki is a traditional Japanese multi-course meal.

4. How to Join: 4 Steps for Foreign Visitors

Step 1: Film and Cinema Talk Are First-Come

The Perfect Days screening and cinema talk are free on a first-come basis. No separate sign-up method was confirmed in the official announcement. Useful Korean: 선착순 (seonchaksun) means “first come, first served.”

Step 2: Sign Up for the Sushi Workshop on Instagram

The Japanese cooking workshop recruits in advance on the Consulate’s Instagram, @japan.busan. Whether you can choose between Session 1 and Session 2 is not confirmed. The word for advance sign-up is 사전 모집 (sajeon mojip).

Step 3: Confirm How to Join the Sake Workshop

The sake workshop’s sign-up method was not confirmed in the official announcement. Fees and capacity are also unknown. The Consulate’s contact details are the safest place to ask.

Step 4: Visit the Ukiyo-e Exhibition in Person

The exhibition is free, and no separate sign-up was mentioned. It is closed on Sundays, so only the day of the week needs checking. 무료 관람 (muryo gwanram) means “free admission.”

The official website is in Korean only. Your browser’s translate feature (e.g., Chrome → Translate) works well for checking dates and prices.

Workshop Sign-Up Info (Korean)

5. 5 Tips for Foreign Visitors

Tip 1: Check the Instagram Call for Participants First

The sushi workshop uses advance sign-up, so open the Consulate’s Instagram before anything else. The recruitment method may change with each announcement.

Tip 2: Arrive Early for the Film

The cinema talk is first-come and free, so arrive at Hyoja Art Hall well before the 2:00 PM start. Capacity is not confirmed. The talk is hosted by Korean broadcasters, and English support may be limited.

Tip 3: Split Your Visit Across Days

The sushi workshop is on the 13th, the film on the 14th and the sake workshop on the 21st. The exhibition runs the whole period, so fit it in around a workshop. Pohang Japan Week is spread over 11 days, which makes a two-trip plan realistic.

Tip 4: Check Which Floor You Need

The sushi workshop is in the 4th-floor Emerald Hall, and the sake workshop is in the 6th-floor Lily Hall. Both are in the same hotel, so confirm the floor before you arrive.

Tip 5: Confirm Changes with the Consulate

Schedules and sign-up methods may change. You can reach the Consulate-General of Japan in Busan at +82-51-410-6126.

6. Where to Eat & Stay Nearby

Finding a Place Near the Venues

The workshops take place at Lahan Hotel Pohang. No other restaurants or hotels were confirmed, so none are named here. Agoda, Booking.com and Trip.com let you compare nearby hotels by date.

KTX trains link Seoul and Pohang, which is my own general knowledge and not from the announcement. Travel times and the route to each venue are not confirmed here.

Planning Meals and Routes

Because the workshops run in the afternoon, you can eat before or after them. No individual restaurant details were confirmed. Check opening hours on a map app before you go.

💡 Browse Pohang stays and local activities on Klook or Trazy.

Your travel dates decide your hotel dates. If you combine a workshop, the film and the exhibition over 2 or more days, look at hotel location and travel time together. Rates and conditions change by date, so compare options.

Frequently Asked Questions

More to Explore

If you are planning a trip to Pohang, lock in lodging and transport first. Booking.com and Agoda let you compare hotels by date. Then line up the film, workshops and exhibition side by side and pick your visit days.

Heading to Pohang by express bus? Check the timetable in advance — note that this page is in Korean, so your browser’s translate feature will help.

Source: Consulate-General of Japan in Busan official website, Daegu Ilbo (as of November 2026)