A small gallery located on the winding Yatozaka slope in Yokohama Yamate
Enter an artistic space!
YOKOHAMA ART SPOT FILE
A quiet and cozy space that makes you want to stop by halfway up the slope
Art Gallery Yamate
Yatozaka leads to the hills of Yamate in Yokohama, where Minato Mirai Park and exotic Western-style buildings stand side by side. Away from the hustle and bustle of the city bustling with tourists, in this quiet and relaxed place, you'll find Art Gallery Yamate, with windows overlooking the slope. The gallery occupies a room in a renovated building that was formerly a weekly apartment for foreigners.
On the day of the interview, a two-person exhibition of metalwork and woodworking was being held.
On the stairs leading to the gallery entrance, we were greeted by the adorable Nora-chan (nicknamed Suzuki-san), who lives in the area. (Although she ran away immediately...it was good timing!)
As soon as you step inside the gallery, you'll find a small, cozy white space that is not too large and gives visitors a sense of comfort.
Soft natural light pours in through the large windows facing the slope, breathing life into each of the exhibited works. It's as if you've been invited into the artist's own room.
You can see greenery outside the window, which is especially pleasant on sunny days!
Now, we asked the two artists who were participating in the "Two-person Metalwork and Woodwork Exhibition" that was being held at the time of our interview about the appeal of this gallery! The two artists are currently graduate students working on metalwork and woodwork, respectively. They had previously said that they wanted to "create an opportunity to exhibit our work together in the Kanto region someday," and this summer vacation finally made that two-person exhibition a reality. Congratulations!!
"This was my first time using Art Gallery Yamate, but it's in a really great location. It's a space that really stands out, so I'm very happy that it's easy to exhibit my works," said metalwork artist Tajima Atsushi (pictured right). Woodwork artist Todoroki Soma also expressed his satisfaction, saying, "The things we both create are completely different. We use different materials and everything, but I think we were able to bring it all together well because of the white-based space."
Atsushi Tajima
Todoroki Souma
This gallery exhibits a wide variety of works across categories, including sculpture, painting, photography, pottery, and textiles. The artists who visit the gallery range in age from men and women of all ages, from people over 80 to university students, as in this case. We spoke to the owner and gallerist, Furuichi Kayoko.
"If you go up this Yatozaka slope, you will find many cultural facilities, including the Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Modern Literature, as well as tourist spots such as the Foreigners' Cemetery and Yamate Western-style Houses. We have placed gallery flyers in various places, so many people who enjoy these places will suddenly drop by our gallery after realizing, 'I didn't know there was a gallery over here.' Our gallery is home to a wide range of artists, but we also strive to nurture young artists, as in this case, and hope to be of some help. We hope everyone will stop by and take a look."
If you look downhill from the gallery window, you can see Yokohama Marine Tower. Art Gallery Yamate is surrounded by the beautiful scenery of Yokohama. When you're strolling around Yokohama Yamate, a place everyone dreams of visiting, be sure to stop by this small gallery halfway up the hill.
