A museum which brings together works of art and nature that are also included in the organic restaurant
The Miho Museum is located in the lush green mountains of Shigaraki, Shiga Prefecture famous for its Shigaraki-yaki pottery. It was built in the style of Togenkyo (Shangri-la) for which the Chinese poet Tao Yuanming had written about, and getting away from the avenue of weeping cherries, through a silver tunnel and across the suspension bridge over a valley, you finally reach the entrance to the museum. At this museum, there is a collection of more than 2000 works of art from all over the world such as Egypt, Greece, Italy, the Middle East, China and finally Japan of which up to 250 of them are on display at any one time. Many of them have been designated as Important Cultural Properties, and as a private art museum, it boasts one of the most prominent collections in Japan. Along with the permanent display, there are also special seasonal exhibitions. There is also a museum shop and a restaurant that uses ingredients with no pesticides or chemical fertilizers so that you can spend an entire day there. Also, the glass-enclosed entrance is a novel design which was provided by the renowned I.M. Pei who designed the glass pyramid at The Louvre. The museum which was designed to merge with the surrounding nature seems to have also made the landscape a part of the art. This is a place where you can truly feel Mother Nature.
Incredibly beautiful nature around the museum
A museum with the theme of getting close to nature, the surrounding area is also one of the highlights of Miho Museum. Especially in the spring, the weeping cherry blossoms beautifully color the way to the museum. Entering the silvery tunnel, the pink of the brilliant cherry blossoms is well reflected. In addition, you can also enjoy the foliage of autumn. These two periods of cherry blossoms and fall colors are especially recommended for this exhaustively calculated fusion of beautiful nature and the museum.