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Visiting an art museum is something I always plan to do when I go to Japan.The density of art galleries in Japan is amazing.Because of the emphasis on culture, no matter how small the city is, there will be representative art galleries.

It goes without saying that in a big city like Tokyo, there are many museums such as the Tokyo National Museum and the Nezu Museum.It would probably take a week to visit all the art museums in Tokyo!

Unsplash@MF Evelyn

In addition to these, I am even more fascinated by someTreasures hidden in the countryside, mountains, and islandsMost of these art galleries are integrated with the natural environment, and many of them are fromThe hands of famous architectsIt can be said that architecture itself is a kind of art.

The unique Japanese aesthetics incorporated into the architecture, design and curation are fascinating.Today I will introduce to you a few art galleries that I have kept privately for a long time.Really every one of them is worth going!

Unsplash@Ståle Grut

01

Miho Museum (Shiga Prefecture)

photo@Miho Museum official website

The Miho Museum is located in the mountains of Shigaraki, Koka City.It is the work of the world-renowned architect Ieoh Ming Pei.It is also regarded by many as an art museum that must be visited once in a lifetime.

When Ieoh Ming Pei visited for the first time, he was deeply attracted by the natural environment here. This mysterious art museum in the mountains is like the "Peach Blossom Spring" described by Tao Yuanming.So Ieoh Ming Pei built the current Miho Museum with inspiration from "Peach Blossom Spring".

Photo@Miho museum

He hid almost all of his buildings in the mountains and forests.It is connected to the outside world only by a tunnel surrounded by cherry trees.The light projected from the walls of the tunnel changes with the seasons. It is especially beautiful during the cherry blossom season, when the entire tunnel is dyed pink. You can see cherry blossoms in full bloom at the end. When you walk out of the tunnel, the view suddenly opens up and the main building of the art museum appears in your field of vision. It really looks like a paradise on earth.

photo@Miho Museum official website

The main body of the building is also in the "Bessie style", and the roof is his favorite triangular glass roof.The building is composed of various simple geometric shapes.The art of garden landscaping is integrated, and light is used to the extreme. Walking in the art gallery, you can overlook the scenery of the mountains and feel like you are in nature.

photo@Miho Museum official website

The founder, Ms. Miyuko Koyama, has been educated in Chinese and Japanese culture since childhood and is very interested in traditional oriental culture.The initial collections were mostly tea ceremony, Buddhism-related and some traditional Japanese artworks.Later, it gradually expanded to include ancient collections from all over the world. Currently, the museum has more than 3,000 pieces, many of which are national treasures.

photo@Miho Museum official website

There are often special exhibitions, and it's worth going there just for the architecture.The art museum is only open in spring, summer and autumn, so don’t miss it if you have the chance!

INFO

Address: 300 Tashiro Momoya, Shinraku-cho, Koka City, Shiga Prefecture

Transportation: Take bus No. 150 from JR Ishiyama Station and get off at MIHO Museum of Art. The journey takes 50 minutes.

Opening hours: 10:00-17:00 (last admission 16:00); Spring 3/3-6/9; Summer 7/6-9/1; Fall 9/28-12/15; Closed on Mondays

Admission: Adults 1,300 yen; high school and college students 1,000 yen; children free

Tips: You can buy a ticket for the museum + bus package at [Shishan Station] which is more cost-effective

02

Towada Art Museum (Aomori Prefecture)

The Towada Museum of Contemporary Art was designed by the famous architect Ryue Nishizawa. It is located in the small town of Towada in Aomori Prefecture with inconvenient transportation. It opened to the public in 2008.It would be a pity to miss such an interesting art museum due to inconvenient transportation.

If the Miho Museum is integrated with nature, then the Towada Museum of Art is integrated with the city. In addition to the permanent exhibitions in the venue and the permanent installations in the park,You can also find some interesting works of art on the nearby streets.It brought new life to the abandoned neighborhood.

Photo@JNTO

The museum displays more than 30 permanent exhibits from dozens of artists such as Yoshitomo Nara and Chiharu Shiota. Most of them were created specifically for the Towada Art Museum. There are also many large art installations outdoors.Among them are works by Yayoi Kusama, all of which are very suitable for interaction and taking photos, just like an amusement park.

In addition to the permanent exhibitions, each special exhibition is also very interesting."interesting"This may be the best word to describe the Towada Art Museum.

Photo@Towada Museum of Art official website

You can go there on the wayLake TowadaandOiraseFor sightseeing, staying at Aomori-ya or Oirase Gorge under Hoshino is a good choice.

INFO

Address: 10-9 Nishiniban-cho, Towada City, Aomori Prefecture

Transportation: Take the JR [Hachinohe Station] [Nanchihe-Towada Station] [Misawa Station] and take the Towada Sightseeing Railway and get off at [Kancho-dori] or [Towada Museum of Contemporary Art] (I can't find it on Google, but there is actually one train every hour)

Opening hours: 9:00-17:00 (last admission 16:30), closed on Mondays

Tickets: Adults: 1,000 yen for permanent exhibitions, 1,800 yen for permanent and special exhibitions; free for those 18 and under

03

Aomori Museum of Art (Aomori Prefecture)

The Aomori Prefectural Museum of Art was designed by Japanese architect Jun Aoki, who is the exclusive architect of LV. The design inspiration of the museum comes from the nearby world cultural heritage - Sannai Maruyama Jomon Archaeological Site.The simple pure white building stands on the open grass.In winter, it blends beautifully with the snow, and the underground exhibition hall is as mysterious as an archaeological excavation site.

Photo@JNTO

When talking about Aomori, we have to mention Yoshitomo Nara.Yoshitomo Nara, who is from Aomori, also created a unique work for the art museum in his hometownThe most eye-catching is the 8.5-meter-high Aomori Dog statue and the giant statue in the Octagonal Hall. There are also many other works of Yoshitomo Nara in the museum.

Photo@Aomori Prefectural Museum of Art official website

The museum also houses many works by local Aomori artists. For example, printmaker Munakata Shiko, photographer and playwright Terayama Shuji and sculptor Narita Toru, in addition to the works of foreign artists such as Chaga, Rembrandt van Rijn and Picasso, are also worth seeing.

INFO

Address: 185 Yasuda Kinno, Aomori City

Transportation: [Aomori Station] 20 minutes by bus; [Shin-Aomori Station] 10 minutes by Nebutan bus

Opening hours: 10/1～5/31 9:30-17:00, 6/1-9/30 9:00-18:00; closed on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month

Admission: Adults 900 yen; High school and college students 500 yen; Children 100 yen

Tips: The Shinkansen ticket from Tokyo to Aomori is very expensive. You can also visit the Tohoku region. Remember to buy a ticket in advance.👉JR Pass East Japan Rail Pass ¥1,320

04

Adachi Museum of Art (Shimane Prefecture)

The Adachi Museum of Art is located in Yasugi City, Shimane Prefecture, in the San'in region. It was founded by local industrialist Zenko Adachi and is the most famous private art museum in Japan. It has a 50,000 square meter Japanese garden.Voted "Japan's No. 1 Garden" for 20 consecutive years!

Before this, almost no one had heard of the name of this city. In order to express gratitude to his hometown, 71-year-old Adachi Zenkang hoped to contribute to the cultural development of Shimane Prefecture.Hence the establishment of this art gallery.

“The garden is a painting” The creative concept can be seen everywhere in the museum. Through the huge rectangular glass windows, you can see the garden scenery that looks like a painting. The window frame is used as the frame.Created a landscape painting that changes every moment.

In addition to the garden, the museum's collection also exceeded expectations, with many works by Japanese masters, including Japanese paintings, pottery, lacquerware, etc. Among them are more than 100 works by the Japanese painting master Yokoyama Taikan.The artworks on display change with the seasons, blending in with the scenery of the garden.

There is also a tea room in the museum, where you can enjoy tea while appreciating the beautiful scenery."Japanese Art Museum"。

Photo@Adachi Museum of Art official website

INFO

Address: 320 Furukawa-cho, Anrai City, Shimane Prefecture

Transportation: 20 minutes by free shuttle bus from JR Yasugi Station Opening hours: 9:00-17:30 from April to September, 9:00-17:00 from October to March

Tickets: Adults 2,300 yen;

Tips: It is inconvenient to go to Anlai, you can only transfer from Gangshan.

You can buy one👉JR Sanyo & Sanin Area Pass ¥1,099

or👉JR West Kansai San'in Area Pass ¥876

05

21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa (Ishikawa Prefecture)

photo@21st Century Museum of Art official website

The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa is one of the most famous art museums in Japan. More than 2 million people visit the museum every year. In addition to the most famous swimming pool, the museum's architecture is also worth a visit. The main building was designed by the famous design firm SANAA and won the best Golden Lion Award at the 2004 Venice Architecture Biennale.

The most famous is this transparent swimming pool!People can go into the pool and visit it as if they were underwater.

Photo@ Visit Kanazawa

Photo@Yuki

The museum is divided into paid areas and free areas. The free area is on the grass outside the exhibition hall and has many large art installations. The exhibition theme of the paid area changes from time to time and you need to make an appointment in advance on the official website.The most popular work, "Swimming Pool" by Leandro Erlich, is also within the paid area.

INFO

Address: 1-2-1 Hirosaka, Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture

Transportation: Take the bus from JR [Kanazawa Station] and get off at "Hirozaka 21st Century Museum of Art". It takes 15 minutes to get there.

Opening hours: 10:00-18:00 in paid area (until 20:00 on Friday and Saturday), closed on Mondays

The free exhibition area is open from 9:00 to 22:00 and is open even on closed Mondays

Tickets: Fees vary according to the exhibition

06

MonET Satoyama Museum of Art (Niigata)

Echigo-Tsumari Satoyama Museum of ArtIt's like a hidden gem in the Satoyama area., which is one of the main stages of the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale every year.

As soon as you enter the door, you will be attracted by the square pool on the square.The pure and clean architectural shape and its reflection on the water form a perfect work of art.The scenery of the courtyard will be completely different depending on the weather, perfectly reflecting the harmonious relationship between nature and art in the Echigo-Tsumari region.

The overall style of the art museum is simple, and there are many permanent exhibits in the museum.There are also many new limited-time exhibits during the art festival, and most of them are super photogenic!There is also a cafe and public hot spring in the museum, so you can spend an entire afternoon there.

Photo@Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale official website

INFO

Address: 6-1-71-2 Honmachi, Tokamachi City, Niigata Prefecture

Transportation: [Tokamachi Station] 10 minutes walk

Opening hours: 10:00-17:00; 9:30-18:00 on weekdays during the Art Land Festival (last admission 17:30), 9:30-20:00 on weekends and holidays; closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays

Tickets: Permanent exhibition 1,000 yen for adults, 1,500 yen during the art festival, pass available

Tips: This year's Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale is being held, and there will be many special exhibits on display

07

Otsuka Museum of Art (Tokushima Prefecture)

The Otsuka Museum of Art is located in Tokushima, Shikoku. It is a very special art museum.Because the collections in the museum are all "fake paintings"!

Unlike other art museums in Japan, the Otsuka Museum of Art has a purely European architectural style.More than 1,000 famous paintings from all over the world have been reproduced in 1:1 scale in the form of ceramic replicas.Including well-known painters such as Van Gogh, Leonardo da Vinci, and Monet, many of which have lost their original paintings.

Pottery prints can be preserved for more than 2,000 years. Although they are different from the originals and the brushstrokes are not visible, they are shocking enough for visitors.And all works can be photographed!The art gallery is very large and it takes most of the day to explore it carefully. It is highly recommended to rent an audio guide.

Photo@Otsuka Museum of Art official website

INFO

Address: 65-1 Tosadomari Fukuike, Naruto-cho, Naruto City, Tokushima Prefecture

Transportation: Take the Naruto Line bus from JR Tokushima Station to Otsuka Museum of Art, which takes 1 hour. Alternatively, take a bus from Naruto Station for 15 minutes. There are also direct express buses to Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, etc. You can check the official website at https://o-museum.or.jp/

Opening hours: 9:30-17:00 (last admission 16:00), closed on Mondays

Tickets: Adults 3,300 yen

Tips: Next to it is the famous Tokushima attraction "Naruto Whirlpool", so you can arrange to visit it on the same day

08

Chichu Art Museum (Kagawa Prefecture)

Photo@Setouchi Art Festival official website

The Chichu Art Museum is one of Tadao Ando's representative works, located on Naoshima Island in the Seto Inland Sea.In order not to damage the natural landscape of Naoshima, the entire building is built underground.It is entirely made of concrete and only uses simple geometric space design. The museum almost entirely utilizes natural light, integrating nature, art and architecture.

Photo@Dizhong Art Museum official website

Before entering the door, you can see Monet's water lily pond on the roadside. The entire museum has only three exhibition halls, which permanently collect the works of three writers: Claude Monet, James Turrell, and Walter De Maria, but it still takes a long time to appreciate them carefully.

The most impressive thing is Monet's water lily exhibition hall. As soon as you enter, you can see the huge water lily.Quiet and powerful.

There are only five works on display in the pure white exhibition hall, with sunlight shining in from the skylight above.All works can only be viewed with natural light.Against the backdrop of pure white walls, the paintings are completely integrated with the space and nature. Never before have I seen space have such magical power.

And the Seto Inland Sea is so beautiful! It's worth it just to see the sea.

INFO

Address: 3449-1 Naoshima-cho, Kagawa-gun, Kagawa Prefecture

Transportation: 1 hour by boat from Takamatsu Port to Naoshima

Opening hours: 3/1-9/30 10:00-18:00 (last admission 17:00); 10/1-end of February 10:00-17:00 (last admission 16:00), closed on Mondays

Admission: 2,100 yen

Tips: Art galleries require advance reservations. If you go island hopping in the Seto Inland Sea, don't miss the Seto Inland Sea Art Festival held every three years.

09

Teshima Art Museum (Kagawa Prefecture)

photo@Yuki

Designed by architect Ryue Nishizawa, the teardrop-shaped building is very unique. After entering through the small entrance,It is a huge pure white space.All I could see was white.

There is nothing in the museum except the water droplets on the ground, the sunshine, the breeze in my ears, and the fragrance of flowers and plants in the air.Something that we see every day has become part of art.

Sitting on the ground, watching the water drops pouring out little by little, flowing, sometimes big and small, sometimes gathering, sometimes separating. The water drops seem to have life. It seems to be a cycle that repeats itself, but in fact, each one is different.

Teshima Art Museum is the most touching art museum I have ever visited, it is perfect for NF people!

Photo@Teshima Art Museum official website

Even the coffee shop and the store have maintained the same design. It is a real pleasure to sit here and have afternoon tea. There are many things to buy inside.The pure white design makes you want to take it all home.

INFO

Address: No. 607 Toshima Tosho, Tosocho, Shodo-gun, Kagawa Prefecture

Transportation: Take a half-hour boat ride from Takamatsu Port to Toshima

Opening hours: 3/1-9/30 10:00-17:00 (last admission 16:30); 10/1-end of February 10:00-16:00 (last admission 15:30), closed on Tuesdays

Tickets: 1570 yen

Tips: Reservations are required. Transportation on Fengdao Island is inconvenient. It is best to rent a power-assisted bicycle to travel around the island.

10

MOA Museum of Art (Shizuoka Prefecture)

Ins@yuto_sgt_jpn

MOA Museum of Art is located on a hillside in Atami.This is an art museum with a view of the sea.The building itself is like a work of art, created by contemporary artist Hiroshi Sugimoto and architect Toshiyuki Sakakida, and houses more than 3,500 exhibits.

The sea view floor-to-ceiling windows and the huge kaleidoscope on the ceiling of the main hall are the two most beautiful places.The cafe and tea room in the hotel are also very nice. Don't miss it if you go to Atami~

INFO

Address: 26-2 Momoyama-cho, Atami City, Shizuoka Prefecture

Transportation: 7 minutes by bus from JR [Atami Station] Bus Stop No. 8

Opening hours: 9:30-16:30 (last admission 16:00), closed on Thursdays

Tickets: Adults 1760 yen

Ins@beautiful_izu_japan