Impact : ★★☆☆☆
Space : ★★★☆☆
Originality : ★★☆☆☆
Near Tokyo, in the nature-rich area of Hakone, I enter a museum that appears in the mountains, look down at the escalator going down, marvel at the excellent architecture, and admire the contemporary art displayed in the galleries.
A museum in the mountains of Hakone. More precisely, it is located in Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. When I drive there, I take National Route 1 from Odawara and go up into the mountains of Hakone. Along the way, I turn off the main road and drive a little farther to reach the museum. It is deep in the mountains, but it does not feel deserted. The museum opened in 2002. It was built to display the art collection of the Pola family, the founders of Pola Cosmetics. In other words, it is a private museum.
I had heard of this museum, but I had never visited it. I had never seen a special exhibition there that caught my attention. In 2021, however, the museum held a special exhibition of Roni Horn, so I decided to visit. At Punta della Dogana in Venice, Italy, I had seen an installation of objects based on the form of crystals. It had left a strong impression on me. I later learned that the work was by this artist, Roni Horn. That is what led me to visit the museum.
There is nothing around this museum. I assume they cleared the mountain to build it. When I drive there, the museum suddenly appears in the middle of nowhere. Even so, it is difficult to see the whole museum from the road. This may be because the building follows the slope from the level of the road. I park my car in the parking lot next to the museum and walk around to the front. The area in front of the entrance has a modern feel to it, and I am somewhat surprised by it.
When I enter the building through the main entrance, I see an escalator going down. In other words, the entrance is at the highest point of the building. One floor down by the escalator is the first floor, where the reception desk and ticket counter are located. The galleries are further down, on the first and second basement floors.
The building makes good use of the mountain slope and is well designed. The view down to the first basement floor from beside the escalator on the first floor is wonderful. I stand there for a while and look down through an object that looks like it is made of glass. It is a kind of space that I do not find in museums in the city.
The museum’s collection includes works by foreign artists such as Picasso, Modigliani, Monet, and Cézanne. However, looking at its special exhibitions, the museum mainly presents works by Japanese artists.
Regarding the special exhibition of Roni Horn, the museum explained, “Since the museum opened in 2002, this was the first large-scale special exhibition to focus on a contemporary artist alone.” Given the atmosphere of the museum, I would say it is a place that suits contemporary art.
Roni Horn is American, but she seems to be fascinated by Iceland. As I looked at the works in the exhibition, I felt that she was a passionate person. This was very different from the image of the artist I had imagined when I saw her crystal-like objects.
I visited the museum again in 2025 and 2026. On both visits, I chose special exhibitions that focused mainly on contemporary art. They included works by well-known artists such as Hiroshi Sugimoto, Kohei Nawa, Anselm Kiefer, Gerhard Richter, and Donald Judd.
It may depend on the time of day, but the museum was not crowded when I visited. I was able to take my time and enjoy the exhibitions in a calm atmosphere. This must be because the museum is not easy to access. For those looking for a quiet space, this may be a museum that feels just right.
The exhibition rooms are on the first and second basement floors. Exhibition Room 1 is on the first basement floor, while Exhibition Rooms 2–5 are on the second basement floor. Normally, Exhibition Rooms 1, 2, and 3 are used for special exhibitions, while Exhibition Rooms 4 and 5 are used for collection exhibitions. There is also a walking path around the museum, with sculptures and objects scattered along the way. It would be nice to take a walk there after visiting the museum.
Hakone is one of Japan’s major tourist destinations. About 20 million people visit Hakone each year. Hakone has many museums. The Hakone Open-Air Museum, Hakone Museum of Art, Okada Museum of Art, and Narukawa Art Museum are some of the most well-known. But from the viewpoint of modern and contemporary art, I think the Pola Museum of Art is the one that feels most right. If you have a chance to visit Hakone, I hope you will make a visit to the museum.
Visited in 2021, 2025, 2026
Basic Information
■ Name : Pola Museum of Art
■ Address : 1285 Kozukayama, Sengokuhara, Hakone, Kanagawa, 250-0631 Japan
■ Homepage：https://www.polamuseum.or.jp/
■ Others：
・When accessing the museum from Odawara via National Route 1, you should expect traffic jams, especially around Hakone-Yumoto.
・A free shuttle bus runs from Gora Station, the final stop of the Hakone Tozan Railway.
・Photography was generally allowed, although it depended on the artwork.