10 unique museums in Nara.
Yamato Culture and Art Museum
The establishment and construction of the Yamato Culture and Art Museum (Yamato Bunka-kan) was one of the first efforts in re-establishing Japan’s national culture after the ravages of World War II. The President of the Kintetsu Railway Company, Oita Torao, collaborated with art historian Tashiro Yukio to collect around 2,000 artworks from Japan, China and Korea. The collection includes paintings, sculptures, ceramics, lacquerware, metalwork, textiles, glasswork and more. Many of the pieces are designated as National Treasures or Important Cultural Properties. The Yamato Culture and Art Museum is situated atop a small hill overlooking the Sugawara Pond amidst a large stand of red pine trees. The meandering path up to the museum through the trees and the presence of the trees, seasonal flowers, a bamboo garden in the center of exhibition hall and the view over the pond are all meant to be part of the art viewing experience.
The Yamato Culture and Art Museum is just a 7-minute walk from the south exit of Gakkuenmae Station. It’s open from 10am-5pm (last entry at 4pm) Tuesday-Sunday. The museum is closed on Mondays or on the Tuesday following a Monday holiday. Admission for adults is ¥620, college and high school students are ¥410, and children junior high school aged and younger are admitted free.
Website: http://www.kintetsu-g-hd.co.jp/culture/yamato/foreign/english.html
Nara National Museum
The Nara National Museum is one of just 3 national museums in Japan. It’s noted for its incredible collection of Buddhist artwork. Many of the pieces in the museum’s permanent collection are registered as National Treasures or as Important Cultural Assets. The museum also holds special exhibitions throughout the year. The annual Shosoin-den Exhibition, which takes place from the end of October to the beginning of November, is especially popular as it showcases the collected treasures of Todaiji Temple and Japan’s 8th century Emperors.
The Nara National Museum is also home to an underground restaurant, the hip and modern “Cafe Halftime,” and is located in the middle of Nara Park walking distance from both Todaiji Temple and Kasuga Shrine.
Admission to the Nara National Museum is ¥520 for adults, ¥260 for college students and free for children high school aged and younger. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30am-5pm (last admission at 4:30pm) except on Fridays and Saturdays when it is open until 8pm (last admission at 7:30pm). The Museum is closed on Mondays. If a national holiday falls on a Monday the museum will be closed the Tuesday after the holiday.
Website: http://www.narahaku.go.jp/english/index.html
Nara Prefectural Museum of Art
The Nara Prefectural Museum of Art is just a short walk to the north of Kofukuji Temple in Nara Park. It’s home to a collection of around 4,100 pieces of Japanese and east-Asian art that include Edo-era and earlier ukiyo-e block prints and paintings, and modern paint, sculpture and other works. The museum also hosts a number of special exhibitions thought the year.
The Nara Prefectural Museum of Art is open Tuesday-Sunday 9am-5pm except on Fridays and Saturdays when it is open until 7pm. Free admission is granted to the holders of overseas passports.
Website (Japanese): http://www.pref.nara.jp/11842.htm
Todaiji Museum
The Todaiji Museum was built in 2011 to give Todaiji Temple a space in which to exhibit its many treasures on a rotational basis. The museum also hosts a number of special lectures and events, and is home to a comfortable cafe serving tea, coffee and Japanese sweets.
The Todaiji Museum is open from 9:30am to the closing time of the Great Buddha Hall (4:30pm November-February, 5pm in March and October, and 5:30pm April-September). Admission to the museum is ¥500 for adults and ¥300 for children elementary school aged and younger. The “Great Buddha Hall/Todaiji Museum joint pass” is ¥800 for adults and ¥400 for children elementary school aged and younger.
Website: http://www.todaiji.or.jp/english/museum.html
Former Residence of Naoya Shiga
Naoya Shiga was Japanese novelist and short story writer in the early to mid-20th century. From 1925-1938 the fairly nomadic Shiga (who moved about 26 times over the course of his life) called Nara his home. He finished his one and only novel, “A Dark Night’s Passing” (“Anya Koro” in Japanese) within the home he had custom made for himself and his family, and hosted “salons” for numerous contemporary artists. Shiga's home and its grounds are now owned and operated by the Nara Gakuen Academy as both a museum and a seminar space. The house is a fine example of traditional Japanese architecture and a pleasant place to explore.
The Former Residence of Naoya Shiga is open everyday 9:30am-5:30pm March-November and 9:30am-4:30pm December-February. Admission is ¥350 for people high school aged and up, ¥200 for junior high school students and ¥100 for elementary school students.
Website (Japanese): http://www.naragakuen.jp/sgnoy/about/index.html
Irie Taikichi Memorial Museum of Photography
Taikichi Irie was a Nara born photographer renowned for photographing the landscapes and Buddhist artworks of Nara. After his death in 1992 the entirety of Irie’s photographic collection, around 80,000 individual shots, was donated to Nara City and the Irie Taikichi Memorial Museum of Photograph, which was set up to display them. 1,025 Meiji era (1868-1912) and Taisho era (1912-1926) glass plate photographs created by Kudo Risaburo (all of which are “Registered Tangible Cultural Properties”), and several more photographs taken by Yoho Tsuda (another well regarded 20th century Japanese photographer) are included in the museum’s displays.
The museum plays host to events and exhibitions, and its unique and beautiful architecture and grounds add to its appeal.
The Irie Taikichi Memorial Museum of Photography is open Tuesday through Sunday 9:30am-5:00pm (last entry at 4:30pm) unless a national holiday falls on a Monday in which case the museum will be closed the following day. Admission is ¥500 for adults, ¥200 for college and high school students, and ¥100 for elementary and junior high school students.
Website (Japanese): http://irietaikichi.jp/index.html
Nara Prefectural Museum of Folklore and Yamato Folklore Park
Situated within the 26.6 hectare Yamato Folklore Park at the foot of the Yamato Hills, the Nara Prefectural Museum of Folklore displays artifacts detailing what life was like in Nara during the Edo (1603-1868), Meiji (1868-1912), Taisho (1912-1926) and early to mid Showa (1926-1989) eras. 1,908 pieces from the ~42,000 piece collection are designated as important cultural properties. The park surrounding the museum is an open air museum sporting 15 authentic Edo era countryside farm houses, several gardens, open spaces and ponds and a hiking trail linking them all together.
The Nara Prefectural Museum of Folklore is accessible by bus from Kintetsu Koriyama Station. The museum is open Tuesday-Sunday from 9am-5pm. The museum is closed on Mondays unless a national holiday falls on Monday in which case the museum will be closed the following day. Free admission is offered to overseas passport holders.
Website: http://www.pref.nara.jp/1508.htm
Tenri University Sankokan Museum
The Tenri University Sankokan Museum was established as “The Overseas Reference Materials Room” in 1930 to “broaden knowledge of the lifestyles and histories of people from various regions of the world” by collecting, preserving and displaying ethnographical, archeological and transportation related artifacts. The museum’s permanent exhibition is spread across 3 floors and 3,000 items from the museum’s extensive collection (it has ~280,000 artifacts) are on display. Seasonal and special exhibitions are held 3-4 times a year.
The Tenri University Sankokan Museum is located a 20-minute walk to the southeast of Tenri Station. It’s open from 9:30am-4:30pm Wednesday-Monday. The museum is closed on Tuesdays. Admission is ¥400 for adults (high school students and up), and ¥200 for elementary and junior high school students.
Website: http://www.sankokan.jp/english
Katsuragi City Sumo Museum Kehayaza
Japan’s national sport of sumo wresting started around 2,000 years ago in present day Katsuragi City. The city has built a small museum to recognize and honor this fact. The museum is home to a collection of unique and historical sumo paraphernalia, and a regulation size sumo ring or “dohyo”. Under Japan’s Shinto religious traditions a real dohyo is a sacred space that only men are permitted to enter. As the Katsuragi City Sumo Museum’s dohyo is for display and educational purposes, it is under no such restrictions and provides a truly one of a kind opportunity for anyone and everyone to enter the ring and take part in a sumo match for themselves with their friends or family. There are even sumo body suits and mawashi sumo belts that one can wear for the occasion.
The Katsuragi City Sumo Museum is open from 8:30am to 5pm Thursday through Monday. It is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Admission is free for overseas visitors. Present your passport at the ticket window.
Website: http://www.pref.nara.jp/9617.htm
Kashihara City Insect Museum 橿原市昆虫館
See, hear, touch and experience the world of bugs at the Kashihara City Insect Museum! As its name suggests this museum has exhibits and information detailing the life and evolution of insects and how they came to be the most prevalent species on earth. A number of interactive exhibits and activities allow visitors to see the world from an insect’s perspective, encounter exotic insect species from around the world, and get hands on with a number of friendly creepy crawlies. The butterfly greenhouse simulates the environment of a tropical rainforest and provides visitors the chance to see the free flying butterflies and tropical plants up close. Special events and activities are also slated to be held in the museum’s new building.
The Kashihara City Insect Museum is 2.8km south of JR Kaguyama Station and 4km east of Kintetsu Kashihara Jingumae Station (which has bike rental services). From April to September the museum is open from 9:30am-5pm (last entry at 4:30pm) and from 9:30am-4:30pm (last entry at 4pm) October through March. The Museum is closed on Mondays or on the Tuesday following a Monday holiday. Admission is ¥510 for adults, ¥410 for elementary through high school aged children, and ¥100 for young children.
Website: http://www.city.kashihara.nara.jp/
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wD_FYxdh84k
Works consulted:
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Photo credits:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:150912_Nara_Prefectural_Folk_Museum_Yamatokoriyama_Nara_pref_Japan01s3.jpg under the creative commons cc-by-sa 3.0 license.
“天理大学附属天理参考館、天理参考館.” This Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons image is from the user KENPEI and is freely available at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tenri_UNIVERSITY_SANKOKAN_MUSEUM.jpg under the creative commons cc-by-sa 3.0 license.
“Kashihara City Insect Museum.” This Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons image is from the user Hiyotchi and is freely available at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kashihara-City_Insectarium.JPG under the creative commons cc-by-sa 3.0 license.
This Flickr Creative Commons image is from the user John Fowler and is freely available at https://www.flickr.com/photos/snowpeak/6041857571/ under the creative commons cc-by-sa 2.0 license.