Maebashi Galleria is the latest in the string of revitalisation projects involving an impressive roll call of top international and Japanese architecture, design and art scene names, that are putting Maebashi in mountainous Gunma prefecture, northwest of Tokyo, firmly on the country's creative map. With this newest opening – a new complex fusing art galleries with residences – the transformation of a sleepy former silk-making city in rural Japan into a major creative hub has taken a leap forward.
