In a mountainous town in northern Okayama, rectangular and cylindrical buildings suddenly appear, revealing the hidden history of this mysterious museum.
In the mountains of northern Okayama Prefecture, a rectangular and cylindrical building suddenly rises in a small town. Its mysterious form draws visitors to explore the museum’s hidden history.
I visited to understand why someone built a museum—especially a contemporary art museum—in such a location. It opened in 1994, when Japan had only a few contemporary art museums. In Tokyo, the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo existed, while the Mori Art Museum and the National Art Center had not yet opened.
First, about the location—it takes about an hour and a half by car from Okayama City, following mountain roads to reach Nagi Town. The museum sits in what appears to be a carefully planned area. A mysterious building, formed by overlapping rectangular and cylindrical shapes, suddenly comes into view. I park in the lot across the road and step outside, amazed by the stunning mountains behind and the clear blue sky above.
I step inside the building. On the left, a female staff member greets me at the reception desk. Interestingly, the museum also functions as a public library. Walking further in leads to the exhibition area, while heading toward the front and up to the second floor takes me to the library.
The museum’s concept focuses on integrating architecture and artwork, featuring only three permanent installations. Each installation occupies its own exhibition room, named “Moon,” “Earth,” and “Sun.” The artworks blend space and objects.
Walking past the reception area, I first notice “Earth” on the left. The space contains neatly arranged stones and intersecting wires. The atmosphere resembles an installation along a hallway in a luxury hotel.
After passing “Earth,” I turn left at the end of the hallway and arrive at “Moon.” It is a calm, meditative space where every footstep echoes softly through the room.
From that same hallway, turning right leads to a narrow spiral staircase that only one person can climb at a time. At the top is “Sun,” an otherworldly space where objects are arranged within a cylindrical room.
Each of these spaces stretches about 15 meters, a size difficult to achieve in city museums. Also, partly because of its location, few visitors come, so after a short wait, each exhibition room can be experienced almost entirely alone. Each space also provides seating, allowing visitors to sit and fully experience it with all their senses. If a space feels especially appealing, visitors can stay as long as they like. In that sense, the museum offers a truly special experience.
When I visited, I first went to a separate building where the exhibition was located. Across the road, I viewed Leandro Erlich’s work Upside-Down Nature. I spoke with someone outside the building, who explained that the artist had participated in the Kenpoku Festival held from September to November last year, and the museum had extended the display of Erlich’s work. The piece, created on a gateball court, featured a tree suspended upside down from the ceiling, reflected on glass placed on the floor. The museum extended the exhibition because it would have been a shame to remove the work immediately.
Finally, a note was taken on information about the Nagi Museum of Contemporary Art, as shared by the person outside the building mentioned above.
- At that time, the town built the museum with a budget of 1.5 billion yen, even though the town’s annual budget was 5 billion yen—this was 30 years ago. The media criticized the decision.
- The Nagi Museum of Contemporary Art attracts about 20,000 to 30,000 visitors each year.
- Nagi Town is famous for its high birth rate, but its population has not increased.
- From the museum, three nearby mountains can be seen. The bare areas on them belong to a Self-Defense Force training ground, where live ammunition exercises take place.
Still, building a museum with this concept in 1994 must have required remarkable determination. The town created a uniquely shaped building and spaces, and installed permanent works of art. Although the museum faced criticism at the time, it seems to receive recognition today. This may indicate that the town had considerable foresight. Personally, it is a type of museum unlike any seen, even abroad, and it left a strong impression. Anyone interested should definitely visit.
The building was designed by Arata Isozaki. Some may recognize the name—he also designed the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.
Next to the museum, a building houses an Italian restaurant that resembles a stylish city restaurant. It is recommended to stop by there when leaving the museum.
Visited in 2025
Basic Information
■ Name : Nagi Museum of Contemporary Art
■ Address : 441, Toyosawa, Nagi-cho, Katsuta-gun, Okayama
■ Homepage : https://www.town.nagi.okayama.jp/moca/
