On February 27, I attended the grand opening of the Japanese Indie Games exhibit at The Strong National Museum of Play, organized in collaboration with the Ritsumeikan Center for Game Studies and the ars●bit project. Prior to the public opening, a special symposium convened leading scholars, developers, and studio representatives to reflect on the history and future trajectories of Japanese indie games. The exhibit discussion, led by Daichi Nakagawa (Deputy Editor of Planets and PhD candidate at Ritsumeikan University), situated contemporary indie innovation within a much longer genealogy of Japanese experimental game culture. His remarks underscored how deeply embedded indie practices are within Japan’s media ecology. The exhibition itself, curated by Lindsay Kurano, Curator of Electronic Games at The Strong, beautifully brings this history to life through a careful balance of archival materials and playable works. Officially opened on February 27, 2026, the exhibit will run for 3 years, with featured games rotating annually from nominees of the prestigious Japanese Indie Game Awards.