From Okinawa to Hokkaido — Five Regional Art Gems of Japan

At a Glance

Japan's regional museums—where architecture and landscape become the subject—often make for a traveller's most memorable day. This is a south-to-north pick from Okinawa to Hokkaido.

Five Destinations

• Okinawa — OPMA (Naha), opened 2007, combining Ryukyu history, crafts, and contemporary Okinawan art.
• Naoshima — Chichū Art Museum, Tadao Ando's underground gallery showing Monet's Water Lilies, James Turrell, and Walter De Maria under natural light. The whole island is a Benesse art project.
• Hakone — Hakone Open-Air Museum (1969), Japan's first outdoor sculpture park with Moore, Calder, Bourdelle, and a Picasso pavilion.
• Kanazawa — 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art (2004) by SANAA, home of Leandro Erlich's Swimming Pool.
• Hokkaido — Moerenuma Park (Sapporo), a 188-hectare sculptural landscape designed by Isamu Noguchi and opened in 2005 on a reclaimed landfill.

Getting Around

It's rare to do all five in a single trip—expect two or three days per region. Stay overnight on Naoshima. Hakone is 90 minutes from Shinjuku on the Romance Car; Kanazawa is 2.5 hours by Shinkansen; Moerenuma is 40 minutes from Sapporo Station. Most regional museums close on Monday or Tuesday and reduce winter hours—confirm on the official sites. A JR Pass works especially well for this itinerary.