Yotsuba&! Art Expo & Shop

Have you ever heard of よつばと！ (Yotsuba &!)? If not, buckle up, because this tiny green-haired whirlwind of joy is one of manga’s most beloved everyday-magic characters. She’s a little girl with an unquenchable curiosity, big eyes wide open to the world, and a boundless sense of wonder. Created by あずまきよひこ (Kiyohiko Azuma), Yotsuba has a knack for making ordinary things feel extraordinary: catching cicadas, learning about garbage trucks, meeting new people, or just skipping across puddles. Her adventures are simple, gentle, and full of heart, and that’s exactly why people fall in love with her.

So when you hear that there is a Yotsuba mini original art exhibition & shop (よつばと！ミニ原画展＆ショップ) running from October 4 to October 26 at the E-SPACE 4F in Ati Koriyama, you should get excited. Because this is not just another event. It’s a celebration of what makes Yotsuba magical. As part of celebrating her new volume release, around 20 original pages from the manga (生原稿) are on display. These are the real deal, inked by Azuma himself, pages that once lived inside manga volumes, now breathing in gallery light. Entry is free, so you don’t need to worry a bit about tickets. 

For manga lovers in Japan, original art exhibitions are almost sacred. Seeing a manuscript up close lets you catch every line weight, every little margin scribble, every little eraser trace. It connects you to the creator’s hand, and in Yotsuba’s case, gives you glimpses of the love and laughter poured into everyday scenes. Plus, this event is a pop-up shop, where you can buy new and limited edition Yotsuba goods. But be careful: some items sell out fast. The event lasts only until October 26 (with closing time at 18:00 on the final day) so if you’re going to indulge your Yotsuba heart, don’t wait. 

Imagine walking into the exhibition. Bright, clean walls. Panels of Yotsuba in mid-leap or peering into a glass jar. You lean closer, see the texture of the paper and the delicate shading. Next to that: displays of plush toys, postcards, keychains, maybe a limited art book or two. Everyone who loves Yotsuba knows that her charm lies not in plot twists or epic battles, but in how she sees the world with wonder. So here, surrounded by silent pages, you feel a kind of calm excitement, like you’re sharing a secret with someone you love.

Beyond the immediate fan joy, this kind of exhibition matters culturally. It shows how manga is not just entertainment but art. It reminds people that manga artists’ tools, pens, erasers, paper, are as important as any brush in a gallery. In a country where manga is woven into daily life, events like this help preserve that reverence. They train us, especially younger fans, to look more closely, to appreciate line flow, panel pacing, and silent gesture moments. They make manga galleries part of the cultural landscape.

If you’re even a little curious about Yotsuba, this is your chance. The atmosphere will likely be gentle, joyful, and forgiving to first-timers. You don’t have to know every detail of her adventures to feel moved by seeing her drawn on real paper. Maybe you’ll walk out with a little souvenir, maybe a new favorite page or two. Maybe you’ll find yourself rethinking how you see everyday life.

But like all good things, it doesn’t last forever. October 26 is your deadline. After that, the art will be packed away, the life of that pop-up corner gone. So if you ever wanted to see Yotsuba’s world in person, this is your moment. Catch it before it quietly slips away, like her shadow chasing sunlight across the floor.