Kanagawa: Where Nature Meets Art
Kanagawa Prefecture, Tokyo’s southern neighbor, is blessed with an abundance of natural beauty, from its grand mountains and forests to its scenic coastlines. In addition to outdoor activities, these natural getaways serve as perfect backdrops for Kanagawa’s museums—melding the introspective power of nature with the allurement of art.
In these spacious settings, you can appreciate Kanagawa’s nature alongside artists’ wondrous creations. The leisure exercise coupled with the museums’ stimulating sceneries make them engaging destinations for people of all ages. They are also unique spots to enjoy seasonal foliage.
Listed below are some of Kanagawa’s most popular museums that fuse nature with art!
Hakone Venetian Glass Museum
Situated in the exceptionally popular town of Hakone, the Hakone Venetian Glass Museum is an enchanting destination where colorful glassware harmonizes with nature. The museum’s impressive collection includes Venetian glassware from the 16th to 19th centuries, 2,000-year old glassware and modern 20th century glass art. The museum exhibits 100 pieces at a time through year-round exhibitions.
Inside the museum, you can admire various glassware techniques across a range of esteemed Venetian pieces. The intricacy and coloring of the artworks are exceptional. The museum also showcases modern glass art from renowned artists like Livio Seguso and Dale Chihuly.
Outside, the glass spectacle continues with the Hakone Glass Forest Garden. The beautifully landscaped garden intertwines seasonal flowers with crystal glass installations. The green space is encircled by Italian-inspired buildings and forest-adorned mountains, which lend a melody of rustling leaves and birdsong to the area. Admire delicate glass roses, crystal hydrangeas, crystal pampas grass, and more. There is even a crystal archway, called the Corridor of Light, where you can encounter sparkling and refracted sun rays as you pass through.
If you get hungry, stop by Caffe Terrazza Ukai, and enjoy luxurious Italian cuisine in an elegant space bathed in natural light. For a parting souvenir, be sure to visit the museum shop, which features Japanese glass products and items imported from around the world.
Hakone Venetian Glass Museum: https://trip.pref.kanagawa.jp/destination/hakone-venetian-glass-museum/384
The Hakone Open-Air Museum
Also located in Hakone, the Hakone Open-Air Museum is one of the town’s most popular attractions, featuring both outdoor and indoor exhibitions.
The museum’s outdoor exhibition has approximately 120 sculptures by modern and contemporary artists from Japan and around the world. The outdoor exhibition area is surrounded by Hakone’s picturesque mountains, enclosing you in an eclectic realm separate from the world beyond. Admire humanesque, abstract, and thought-provoking sculptures as you meander through the naturally lush area.
One of the museum’s most popular pieces is the “Symphonic Sculpture.” The interior of the cylindrical tower is entirely covered in stained glass, illuminating the space in a kaleidoscopic of colors. This sculpture is free to enter and has an observation point at the top with panoramas of the mountains. Another interactive artwork is the “Woods of Net,” which invites children inside to play and explore.
On the museum’s southern side is the Picasso Pavilion, a two-storied building dedicated to rotating works by Pablo Picasso, including paintings, sculptures, and ceramics. The museum also has a Main Gallery and Art Hall with temporary exhibitions and an indoor exhibition hall called the Multi Hall.
The museum has two restaurants and a museum shop, making it an all-encompassing destination to casually spend the day. Please note that the restaurants and cafes have different opening hours than the museum. Refer to the below site for details.
The Hakone Open-Air Museum: https://trip.pref.kanagawa.jp/destination/hakone-open-air-museum/726
Pola Museum of Art
The Pola Museum of Art was designed to seamlessly blend into Hakone’s forests and mountains, merging untouched nature with artists’ unrestrained creativity. This private museum houses a wide variety of works, including western paintings by Monet and Renoir, Japanese paintings, glass works, and contemporary art.
The building itself is a work of art. For minimal environmental impact, the museum does not rise above the trees—being only eight meters high—and is primarily underground. Its design integrates a lot of glass, allowing you to admire nature even while you are indoors. The museum’s premises also extends into the forest with its Nature Trail. This one-kilometer path showcases sculptures against the forest’s beauty with the soft chirpings of birds in the background.
The museum has five galleries where you can leisurely enjoy artworks.
The museum’s restaurant and cafe serve European-style dishes and fully display the forest through massive floor to ceiling windows. Please note that both eateries open slightly later than the museum. Please check the official site for more details about their opening hours and offerings. At the museum shop, you can peruse original goods for a souvenir that embodies your enchanting visit.
Pola Museum of Art: https://trip.pref.kanagawa.jp/destination/pola-museum-of-art/382
Japan Open Air Folk House Museum
Situated in Kawasaki City, just 40 minutes from Shinjuku, the Japan Open Air Folk House Museum is a massive outdoor facility that displays traditional Japanese structures amid the nature of Tama Hills. The structures—all of which are designated as cultural properties—are grouped into five areas based on their original locations. Most of the structures were relocated from eastern Japan.
Follow the museum’s rustic path through architecture built between the 17th and 20th century, and observe merchant homes, farmhouses with meticulous thatched roofs, a kabuki stage, and more! The different architectural designs showcase stories of eras past, and some buildings even house items that were once used in daily life, such as Folk tools. The buildings exhibited in serene nature will make you feel as though you are walking in a village from Japan’s past.
In addition to viewing the buildings, you can also join a traditional indigo dyeing experience held at the traditional craft museum, which also serves as the west gate of the garden. One of the activity’s highlights is its range of items to dye, including handkerchiefs, bandanas, tenugui (Japanese hand towels), and bags. Please note that advance reservations are required.
If you get hungry after all that time traveling, grab a meal at the soba restaurant, Shirakawago. This eatery is located in the Yamashita House, which is a Designated cultural property.
Japan Open Air Folk House Museum: https://trip.pref.kanagawa.jp/destination/japan-open-air-folk-house-museum/80
