[Limited mural] Narita Airport — "Cranes and the Rising Sun"
Limited-time temporary mural at Narita International Airport Painted by infinity artist NAO
Limited-time temporary mural On view
⚫︎ WorkExhibition period
October 3, 2025 the mural comes down when the new shop opens. If you’d like to see it, please come soon.
● Work On viewLocation Narita International Airport, Chiba, JapanTerminal 2, 4F — restaurants and shops Temporary wall on the former Pokémon Center site in front of hobby shop POP MART
It is on the temporary wall where the Pokémon Store used to be, right in front of the hobby shop “POP MART”.
What each motif means
▼ The crane, and good fortune
❖ The crane, Japan’s classic auspicious bird long a symbol of longevity, peace, and happiness.
❖ It also means a happy marriage, bonds, and trust. because cranes stay with one partner for life.
❖ A symbol of dreams realized, of leaping forward, of success from the way it rises into the sky.
▼ The rising-sun flag and cherry blossoms
❖ The rising-sun flag Long an auspicious motif of life, renewal, hope, and prosperity.
❖ Hope for the future, a new departure, light that reaches the world The sun (the rising-sun flag) lights every life and announces a new day — a symbol of forward-looking energy.
❖ Japan as the Land of the Rising Sun Painted as a symbol of welcome, of Japan-ness, and of a prayer for peace to the world.
❖ “Cherry blossoms” Cherry blossoms stand for Japanese spring, new beginnings, renewal, and hope, Blooming and falling all at once, they also hold transience and the preciousness of life.
❖ Cherry-blossom lore petals on the wind mean luck arriving, and good connections spreading
▼ The maneki-neko (beckoning cat)
❖ The maneki-neko’s hands the right invites wealth、the left invites people and connection A long-loved Japanese charm for thriving business and happiness.
The maneki-neko has long been said to invite good fortune; cherry blossoms stand for Japanese spring. I layered the two so you can feel something of Japan. If you found them, you may already be lucky.
Ideas behind the mural
▼ Color scheme
I mixed the palette with Japanese color in mind. It may look black, but the hues are tuned.
The making of the work
“SOAR”
“SOAR”
❖ Production period October 2, 2025, 11:00 p.m. – October 3, 2025, 6:00 a.m. Oct. 2, 2025 (11:00 p.m.) – Oct. 3, 2025 (6:00 a.m.)
❖ Actual painting time approx. 6.5 hours approx. 6.5 hours
❖ Medium Acrylic (NEO Color / Liquitex) Acrylic paint (NEO Color / Liquitex)
❖ Technique Roller finish with brushes This mural was created using a roller painting technique.
“Into a vivid space, marked by a crane in flight.”
A bare construction wall became a vivid space, marked by a crane in flight. By treating a wall that exists only for the construction period as a canvas,
that fleeting, special beauty can be expressed —
and you embodied that idea beautifully. I hope this art, for the many visitors from overseas who come here, I hope it helps people feel Japan’s charm and the spirit of harmony.
J-Plan Director, Fence & Art Division Kentaro Suzuki
『Japan’s great international gateway (Narita International Airport） imagery worthy of.』
I wanted art that said “This is Japan!” — clear to anyone, regardless of nationality, gender, or age. (It may be on the nose, I know.)
The rising-sun flag, crane, and cherry blossoms speak to the Japanese spirit — and I painted with a prayer that visitors from overseas would feel the beauty of the culture and the spirit of harmony at a glance. As an international gateway, I hope people from around the world enjoy it.
infinity artist NAO
About mural and live-paint commissions
infinity artist NAO, We accept mural commissions for hotels, cafés, restaurants, shops, commercial spaces, and construction walls.
We listen carefully to the concept and brand, then propose original art that draws out what is special about that place.
From design proposals to hand-painted murals, we shape each project to fit.
“We want a space people remember.” “We want the brand’s world expressed in art.”
Conversations that start there are more than welcome.
First, tell us what you have in mind — even loosely.
After visiting Taipei in the summer of 2024, I was staying in Chiang Mai, Thailand, when I was in a traffic accident — the day before I was due to fly home.
Back in Japan I had two surgeries right away and began rehab. About a year and three months later I recovered, and I’m making work again. I’m deeply grateful to everyone who looked out for me in that quiet stretch.
Luckily the main injury was my left shoulder, so painting wasn’t badly affected. I was still in rehab then, but I was able to finish.
I’m grateful again that, with so many meetings and so much support, I can face making work once more. For me, this piece is also a symbol of renewal and thanks.
“Infinity” NAO takes her name from her birth month, August — the number 8 and the infinity mark. A Leo, she uses the lion as her emblem. In Hawaiian, leo means “voice” or “message.” She paints to deliver a message from the soul.
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