A quiet and spacious museum located inside a department store.
Infiltrating an artistic space!
YOKOHAMA ART SPOT FILE
You might have a moving encounter with art while you're shopping!
Sogo Museum
Did you know that there's a quiet and peaceful art museum on the 6th floor of the Sogo Yokohama department store, located at the east exit of Yokohama Station? The Sogo Museum of Art opened in September 1985, simultaneously with the department store's opening, as a full-fledged art museum of unprecedented scale, aiming to be a cultural facility that serves as a hub for lifestyle, culture, and information. It is also known for housing approximately 160 oil paintings and watercolors by Shintaro Suzuki, a painter who was active in the Western-style painting world of the Showa era. The museum holds a wide range of exhibitions, from exhibitions of Western-style paintings, Japanese-style paintings, sculptures, and prints, to unique special exhibitions themed on science fiction movies and girls' manga. Its appeal lies in the fact that you can casually drop by while shopping and experience the world of art in an easy way.
The ticket office is located next to the museum entrance. Admission fees vary depending on the exhibition. Opening hours are generally the same as Sogo Yokohama's operating hours, from 10:00 to 20:00 (last entry 30 minutes before closing).
*Please note that closing times may be earlier on the final day of special exhibitions, etc.
After purchasing your ticket, please first leave your belongings, such as your coat, in these lockers. These are coin-operated lockers (100 yen), typical of museums, so you'll get your 100 yen back when you retrieve your belongings after viewing the exhibits. Of course, there are also umbrella stands available across from you.
I showed my ticket and found this sign before entering the building.
If you want to take notes on what you felt and learned while appreciating art, please feel free to use this service. It's a free rental service for simple pencils called "Pegcils." Normally, in museums and art galleries that handle valuable works of art, it is considered good manners to avoid using pencils or mechanical pencils that pose a risk of lead breakage, or ballpoint pens and fountain pens that may cause ink to splatter. Please feel free to ask a staff member and borrow one.
When I visited for this interview, the exhibition "Showa to Meiji Era Japanese and Western Painting: Trends in Painting" (March 4th (Sat) - April 9th (Sun), 2017) was being held. I was given special permission to take a few photos of the interior. As soon as you step inside, a quiet space unfolds, a world away from the hustle and bustle of the department store you were just in.
Some special exhibitions even include a video corner where visitors can sit and watch.
Now, after enjoying plenty of wonderful art, head to the museum shop located within the museum grounds. You'll find original goods featuring motifs from the current exhibition, as well as a wide variety of art and design merchandise. Browsing the museum shop after viewing the art is definitely one of the highlights of a visit.
In one corner of the museum shop, you'll find original museum goods designed by Naoko Fukuoka, featuring motifs from the works of the aforementioned painter, Shintaro Suzuki! There are plenty of stylish and cute designs that are perfect for today's mood.
We have a wide selection of items, including the currently popular masking tape, as well as mugs, tote bags, pins, clear files, stickers, postcards, and much more. Of course, you can purchase these items even if you don't use the museum, so please stop by and take a look.
Sogo Museum
[Location] Sogo Yokohama
[TEL] 045-465-5515 (Direct line to the museum)
