Top Ten: Contemporary Art Museums

Edit 15 October 2019: Updated prices to reflect the increase in Japan's national sales tax.

Edit 25 June 2020: Replaced entry #3 and the Wildcard.

Previously on Sekai Ichi, I visited the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa.  Whilst I very much enjoyed my time there, Japan has so many more places to experience cutting-edge modern art.  These museums, ten of which I have selected and listed below, bring together the works of avant-garde artists from within and beyond Japan alike.

In the interest of fairness, and because I have not yet experienced many of these places in person, this list is ordered not by quality, but by geographic location, going from north/east to south/west.

1) Aomori Museum of Art

The entrance of the museum, designed by Jun Aoki.
yisris / Yuichi / CC BY-SA

Aomori, the city at the far-northern tip of Honshu, is the site of our first museum.  The Aomori Museum of Art stands across from the Sannai Maruyama Archaeological Site, a park of reconstructed Jomon-era (13000-300 BC) structures, and the museum reflects its neighbour in several distinct fashions.  For example, certain outdoor works are displayed in deep concrete trenches to evoke the excavation trenches dug in the Jomon site.  This museum's signature piece is "Aomori-ken" by Yoshitomo Nara (奈良 美智, b. 1959), a giant, stark-white statue of a stylised dog.

185 Chikano, Yasuta, Aomori-shi, Aomori-ken 〒038-0021.  Open from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM, or from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM between June and September.  Closed on the 2nd and 4th Monday each month, and on 28-31 December.  Costs ¥510.  Website: (English) (Japanese)

Elsewhere in Aomori, I also recommend the Aomori Contemporary Art Centre.  Part of the Aomori Public College and surrounded by nature, this museum and workshop hosts different artists-in-residence every so often.  Open from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM.  Free to enter.  Website: (English) (Japanese)

2) Towada Art Centre, Aomori Prefecture

"Flower Horse" by Jung-hwa Choi.
Angaurits / CC0

Not that far from Aomori and the popular Lake Towada, the city of Towada host its own art museum.  The museum campus is a scattered collection of multiple white, cube-like buildings connected by glass-lined halls.  Many rooms incorporate giant windows that allow some works to be seen from outside.  Additional works, cleverly-designed benches called "Street Furniture", are placed at spots along the roads outside.  This museum's signature work is "Flower Horse", by Jeong-hwa Choi (b. 1961), a five-and-a-half metre (18 feet) tall horse statue covered in colourful floral shapes.

10-9 Nishi 2-ban-chō, Towada-shi Aomori-ken 〒034-0082.  Open from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, closed Mondays.  Costs ¥520, or ¥1,200 for special exhibits.  Website: (English) (Japanese)

3) Echigo-Tsumari Satoyama Museum of Contemporary Art - KINARE, Niigata Prefecture

The main building of the Satoyama Museum of Contemporary Art.
Abasaa / Public domain

The Satoyama Museum of Contemporary Art, or "KINARE", is the unofficial headquarters of the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale, an art festival held across the area every three years.  The Echigo-Tsumari region, part of Niigata Prefecture, is surrounded by neatly-terraced rice fields, and is often besieged by heavy snowfalls in the winter.  This region is known for "satoyama", the concept of living in harmony with nature, a term which was borrowed for the name of the museum.  Even though the Triennale is held only every three years around August (next scheduled for 2021), many of its artworks have become permanent installations, both around the countryside and in this museum.

71-2 6-1 Hon-chō, Tōkamachi-shi, Niigata-ken, 〒948-0003.  Open from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, closed Wednesdays.  Costs ¥800.  Website: (English) (Japanese)

4) Mori Art Museum, Tokyo

The entrance to the Mori Art Museum, from within the Mori Tower building.
Wing1990hk / CC BY

The Mori Museum is located near the top of the iconic Mori Tower in Roppongi.  It holds no artworks on a permanent basis, but instead hosts multiple periodic exhibitions from Japanese and international artists alike.  For example, one of their current (June-October 2019) exhibitions, called "The Soul Trembles" by Chiharu Shiota (塩田千春, b. 1972), features works involving dense networks of red or black thread connecting chairs, boat frames, and other objects, nearly filling their entire rooms.  The Mori Museum's entry price is a little steep compared to the rest of this list, but also includes admission to the Tokyo City View, an observatory with open-air decks.

Roppongi Hills Mori Tower 53F, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo-to 〒106-6108.  Open from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM (Tuesdays to 5:00 PM).  Costs ¥1,800, including entry to Tokyo City View.  Website: (English) (Japanese)

Elsewhere in Tokyo, I also recommend:

• National Art Centre.  Part of the "Roppongi Art Triangle" which also includes the Mori Museum.  Open from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM (Fridays/Saturdays to 8:00 PM), closed Tuesdays.  Costs vary by exhibition, typically ¥1,000.  Website: (English) (Japanese)
• Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo.  Located at Kiba Park in Tokyo's eastern wards.  Open from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, closed Mondays.  Costs ¥500, additional exhibition costs vary.  Website: (English)
• Yayoi Kusama Museum.  The first museum dedicated to the stylish works of this prolific Japanese artist.  Open from 11:00 AM to 5:30 PM; timed tickets required.  Costs ¥1,000.  Website: (English) (Japanese)

5) Hakone Open-Air Museum

"Spheric Theme" by Naum Gabo.
leon&mae / CC BY

Hakone has no shortage of art museums, some of which I visited the last time I was there, and perhaps the most striking is the Hakone Open-Air Museum.  Comprising much of the grounds is the Sculpture Garden, where many twisting, imaginative works are set amidst the rolling landscape. Some installations, such as "Woods of Net" and the towering "Symphonic Sculpture", also double as play-places for children.  Another highlight is the Picasso Pavilion, a separate building dedicated to sketches and paintings by the famous Spanish artist Pablo Picasso.

1121 Ninotaira, Hakone, Ashigarashimo-gun, Kanagawa-ken 〒250-0407.  Open from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.  Costs ¥1,600.  Website: (English) (Japanese)

6) Matsumoto City Art Museum

The main building of the museum, with flower sculptures by Yayoi Kusama to the left.
663highland / CC BY-SA

Note: The Matsumoto City Art Museum is set to close for renovations, starting in 2021 and lasting for about a year's time.

The Matsumoto City Art Museum pays a special focus to artists born in the city and surrounding prefecture.  Chief among them is Yayoi Kusama (草間彌生), born in Matsumoto in 1929 and still active into her 90s.  She is one of Japan's most prolific living artists (as of this post) due in large part to her distinctive style, commonly involving lots of bright colours and polka-dots.  This museum's other permanent exhibitions are more on the traditional side, including sculptures by Munehide Hosokawa (細川宗英, 1930-1994), calligraphy by Kamijo Shinzan (上條信山, 1907-1997), and landscape paintings by Kazuo Tamura (田村一男, 1904-1997).

4-2-20 Chuo, Matsumoto-shi, Nagano-ken 〒390-0811.  Open from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.  Closed Mondays and from 29 December to 2 January.  Costs ¥410.  Website: (English) (Japanese)

7) Kanazawa 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art

The main building of the museum, with "Colour Activity House" by Olafur Eliasson in front.
Taken by the author on Thursday, 17 May 2018.

Kanazawa's 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art was established to collect and share "works produced since 1980 that propose new values", as per its mission statement.  Said works are shown  in rotating paid exhibitions, and as free permanent installations inside and outside the museum building.  Speaking of which, the circular-shaped building was designed with multiple entrances to encourage discovering its art from more than one angle, and also features a library and public spaces to integrate itself with the community.  Its most famous work is "The Swimming Pool" by Leandro Erlich, which does indeed look like a swimming pool from above, but...  Well, you should just see it for yourself.  Or read my report here.

1-2-1 Hirosaka, Kanazawa-shi, Ishikawa-ken 〒920-8509.  Open from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, or to 8:00 PM on Fridays and Saturdays.  Costs ¥1,200.  Website: (English) (Japanese)

8) Inujima Seirensho Art Museum

The refinery ruins outside the Seirensho Art Museum.
KimonBerlin / CC BY-SA

Inujima (犬島, lit. "dog island") is a small island in the Seto Inland Sea, just off the coast of Honshu.  It used to be known for exporting granite during the feudal era, and copper during the early 20th century.  Unfortunately, within a mere decade of the copper refinery's establishment, the price of copper plummeted, and the refinery was no longer able to make a profit and had to shut down.  Its buildings were left standing, however, and in 2008 their ruins were incorporated into the Seirensho Art Museum (犬島精錬所美術館, lit. "Inujima Refinery Art Museum").  Also part of the island's art initiative is the Art House Project, a collection of five artistically-redesigned houses scatted about the main village.

327-5 Inujima, Higashi-ku, Okayama-ken 〒704-8153.  Open from 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM.  Closed Tuesdays, or Tuesdays to Thursdays between December and February.  Costs ¥2,100, including entry to Inujima Art House Project and Inujima Life Garden.  Website: (English) (Japanese)

9) Benesse Art Site, Naoshima

The exterior of the Benesse House Museum.
663highland / CC BY-SA

Benesse is a Japan-based education company which funded the creation of art museums on Naoshima, another island in the Seto Inland Sea.  They are all characterised by their architecture, courtesy of Tadao Ando (安藤 忠雄, b. 1941).  The design of these museums are brutalist, employing large slabs of bare concrete in simple geometric shapes, but are harmoniously incorporated into the surrounding nature.  The grounds of the Benesse Museum include a public park, dotted with works like the aforementioned Yayoi Kusama's iconic "Yellow Pumpkin", and even a small hotel, whose guests have the privilege of visiting the museum after-hours.

Gotanchi, Naoshima, Kagawa-gun, Kagawa-ken 〒761-3110.  Open from 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM.  Costs ¥1,050.  Website: (English) (Japanese)

Elsewhere on Naoshima, I recommend:

• Art House Project.  A collection of houses in the port town, re-purposed for art installations.  Open from 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM; closed Mondays.  Costs ¥420 per site, or ¥1,050 for all six.  Website: (English) (Japanese)
• Lee Ufan Museum.  Zen-like works from the Korean-born artist, set among stark concrete surroundings.  Open from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM (October-February to 5:00 PM); closed Mondays.  Costs ¥1,050.  Website: (English) (Japanese)
• Chichu Art Museum.  Monet paintings and full-room installations in naturally-lit settings.  Open from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM (October-February to 5:00 PM); closed Mondays; reservations required.  Costs ¥2,100.  Website: (English) (Japanese)

10) Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art

The main building of the museum.
Taisyo at Japanese Wikipedia / CC BY

The Hiroshima MOCA was established in 1989, which makes it, depending on your definition, "the first public art museum in Japan devoted exclusively to contemporary art".  Its regular collection includes copies of Andy Warhol's (1928-1987) "Marilyn" screen-print, and Henry Moore's (1898-1986) "The Arch" and "Atom Piece" sculptures.  It is situated in the middle of Hijiyama Park, a hilltop park which also boasts additional outdoor sculptures, a manga library, and plenty of cherry blossoms for springtime.

1-1 Hijiyama-koen, Minami-ku, Hiroshima-shi, Hiroshima-ken 〒732-0815.  Open from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM.  Closed Mondays and from 27 December to 1 January.   Costs ¥300 for regular exhibitions, ¥1,030 for special exhibitions.  Website: (English) (Japanese)

Elsewhere in Hiroshima, I also recommend the Peace Memorial Park.  This area below the epicentre of the atomic bomb detonation was cleaned up afterwards and preserved as a public park.  It is decorated all over by sculptures designed to represent the emotions of its survivors.  You may read my report from the park here.

Wildcard) Setouchi Trienalle

"Yellow Pumpkin" by Yayoi Kusama, looking out in the direction of Takamatsu.
KimonBerlin / CC BY-SA

For my Wildcard slot, I once again present a recurring event in lieu of another museum.  The Setouchi Triennale is a festival, held every three years, intended to draw artists and tourists alike to one of Japan's poorer dwindling-population regions, much in the vein of the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale mentioned above.  Even though the Setouchi Trienalle occurs only every so often, most of the installations presented each year are left standing afterwards, and can be visited year-round.  This festival is held across numerous islands in the Seto Inland Sea, accessible by ferries from Takamatsu (on Shikoku) or Uno (on Honshu), and is held every three years in three sessions during the Spring, Summer, and Autumn.  The main sites such as Naoshima, Inujima (both listed above), Teshima, and Shodoshima participate in all three sessions.  Additional sites, mainly west of the Seto Ohashi bridge, are active only during the Spring or Autumn sessions.  As of this post, the Setouchi Trienalle was last held in 2019, with the next occurence taking place in 2022.  More information: (English) (Japanese)