Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd. is taking on the challenge of new urban development that involves visitors and workers in Marunouchi Bloomway (the passageway connecting Marunouchi 2-chome Bldg. and Mitsubishi Bldg.), a corridor in a building that connects Tokyo Station and Marunouchi-Nakadori Ave. Street.
We are pleased to announce that a photo exhibition entitled "The World Seen Through Tropical Plants" (planned and supported by Doctors Without Borders) will be held at Marunouchi Bloomway Period Thu, April 10th to Wed May 7th!
This is a limited-time collaborative exhibition that combines a photo exhibition of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire, hereafter referred to as "Congo") taken by photographers from Magnum Photos, a renowned photography group selected by Doctors Without Borders, with a flowerbed of African tropical plants, made with special cooperation from Sora Botanical Garden, which is in charge of the planting of Period Bloomway!
During the event, on Sun there will also be a special joint talk Events featuring staff from Doctors Without Borders who worked in the area, Marunouchi Bloomway, and Sora Botanical Garden.
Venue, Marunouchi Bloomway, is located in the heart of Marunouchi Area. In this exhibition, you can see Magnum Photos peeking through African tropical plants in the corridors of buildings in Marunouchi, which is connected to the world in various fields such as art, business, and conventions. We hope that this will provide a new connection to the world for visitors and workers in Marunouchi, and provide an opportunity to think about social issues.
01. Overview of the photo exhibition "The World Seen Through Tropical Plants"
Event overview
Period: April 10, 2025 Thu– May 7, 2025 Wed
Opening hours: 7:00-21:00 (weekdays) / 8:00-20:00 (Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays)
Venue: Marunouchi Bloomway (Marunouchi 2-chome Bldg. / Mitsubishi Bldg. passageway)
2-5-1, 2-5, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Admission fee: Free
Official Website: https://www.msf.or.jp/event/detail/20250410.html
Organizers: Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd. Marunouchi Bloomway
Planning and cooperation: NPO Doctors Without Borders Japan
Special cooperation: Sora Botanical Garden Co., Ltd.
Contact: Doctors Without Borders Japan event@tokyo.msf.org
Photo exhibition concept, exhibit contents, and comments from each company
Exhibition Contents
A total of 33 photographs of the Democratic Republic of Congo by Magnum Photos and other photographers
● Photo explanation panels: 35 items in total
Tropical plants that live in Africa
Photo exhibition concept
If you could see the world through the eyes of plants, what kind of scenery would you see?
Warp in front of the photograph and experience different sounds, lights, humidity and smells.
What you see, what the people on the other side of the photo see - is there something that separates the two worlds?
Why not ponder on the future as it unfolds before our eyes, as we all live together on the same planet, at the same moment?
The power to think about others connects with free thinking to create a different future.
■ Message from the companies involved in this collaborative exhibition project
Comment from Doctors Without Borders
Congo is the second largest country in Africa. Historical ethnic conflicts, conflicts over natural resources, and intervention by neighboring countries have caused instability for decades, especially in the eastern part of the country. Fighting between multiple armed groups and the Congolese army has intensified, and as of November 2024, the number of internally displaced persons reached 6.7 million. There is a high need for medical assistance, such as combat injuries, malnutrition in children, and sexual violence, and Doctors Without Borders provides the largest amount of assistance in Congo out of all the countries and regions in which it operates. To date, staff dispatched from Japan have also participated in activities there. We hope that this photo exhibition and African tropical plants will help many people learn about the current state of the humanitarian crisis in Congo, think about the people living there, and think about new forms of humanitarian assistance that each of us can provide.
Comment from plant hunter Seijun Nishihata
The plants that live in the harsh arid regions of Africa are still waiting for rain today, just like people waiting for a doctor every day. On the other hand, the plants that live in the lush tropical rainforests create communities and compete/coexist, just like our society. In addition to its unimaginable size of 7,000 km from east to west and north to south, the African continent also includes the scale of the time axis in which plants originating from the ancient continent of Gondwana have thrived and are still alive today. This is why African plants are so fascinating.
02. Special Events during the event
Part 1: Talk Events "The world seen through tropical plants"
Plant hunter Seijun Nishihata, MSF logistician Yurika Ishiyama who worked in Congo in 2024, and Kei Makino of Mitsubishi Estate, which produced Marunouchi Bloomway, will be on stage to talk about the background and thoughts behind this project, as well as the current situation in Congo.
Date and time: Sun April 20th, 13:30-14:30
Venue: Conference Square M Plus "Success" (1F Mitsubishi Bldg. 2-5-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo)
Participation fee: Free
Number of participants: First 120 applicants
For details/applications, please visit the exhibition website: Website Please refer to
Part 1 Application Form: https://form.run/@nettai1
Application deadline: Fri April 18th, 13:00 *Applications will close once capacity is reached.
■Speaker Profile
Kei Makino
Born in Tokyo in 1989. Since 2012, he has been involved in asset management and development projects at Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd., and is currently responsible for asset management in the Marunouchi and Yurakucho Area.
Seijun Nishihata
Born in Hyogo Prefecture in 1980. A plant hunter who travels around the world to collect plants and deliver them for various projects. Established Sora Botanical Garden in 2012, he is involved in numerous international plant transactions and projects, including landscape projects for real estate development, greening projects such as forest creation, and corporate projects. In recent years, he founded office N seijun, and his activities are diverse, including consulting work related to nature and the environment and launching venture companies.
Yurika Ishiyama
Born in Saitama Prefecture in 1997. After graduating from university, he got a job at an IT company. He took volunteer leave from his workplace and joined Doctors Without Borders for the first time in 2024, working in Congo as a logistician (supply activity manager).
Part 2: "The world seen through tropical plants" interactive photo appreciation session
This is an experiential program in the form of a Shops where you can appreciate photographs in a different way while interacting with other participants. Anyone who likes photography or art, or is interested in interactive appreciation sessions, is welcome to participate.
Date and time: Sun April 20th, 15:00-16:00
Venue: Conference Square M Plus "Success" (1F Mitsubishi Bldg. 2-5-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo)
Participation fee: Free
Number of participants: First 30 applicants
For details/applications, please visit the exhibition website: Website Please refer to
Part 2 Application Form: https://form.run/@nettai2
Application deadline: Fri April 18th, 13:00 *Applications will close once capacity is reached.
About Marunouchi Bloomway
A new corridor renewal project implemented in 2024 based on the concept of bringing the seasons to the town and the building. Flower beds and benches will be installed in the corridor and exterior areas on the first floor of Mitsubishi Bldg. and Marunouchi 2-chome Bldg. Building, and decorated with seasonal plants. As a gateway connecting Tokyo Station and Marunouchi-Nakadori Ave., a park-like space that makes you want to walk through will be created. Promoting "participatory urban development" that involves workers and visitors, the project will present the plants that decorated the corridors to visitors, and hold seasonal Events.
About Doctors Without Borders
A private, non-profit medical and humanitarian aid organization. It provides emergency medical aid to people in crisis in conflict zones, areas affected by natural disasters, and poor areas from an independent, neutral and impartial standpoint. Currently, 52,000 staff members, including doctors and nurses, are active in 74 countries and regions around the world (2023 results). Founded in France in 1971, it was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999. In 1992, the Japan office was established, and in Japan, it recruits and dispatches personnel to participate in aid activities, conducts testimonials and public relations activities to convey humanitarian crises and medical needs, and raises funds to support local medical activities.
