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All across Japan are museums and art galleries that showcase works by renowned international and regional artists, while incorporating ele-ments of the area’s history and culture.
The Japan Cultural Expo 2.0 website features an Art Hotspots page where visitors can search for art facilities across the country that are par-ticipating in the cultural expo. The Japan Cultural Passport grants admission to about 30 participating facilities for seven, 14 or 21 consecutive days until Feb. 8, 2026.
Here, we introduce four art museums from different regions that are vital parts of their communities.

Aomori Museum of Art

The Aomori Museum of Art in the city of Aomori features a striking modern building inspired by the excavation of the adjacent San-nai-Maruyama Site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Japan’s largest archeological discoveries from approximately 5,500 to 4,000 years ago. The museum, designed by architect Jun Aoki, is composed of white cubic buildings and narrow channels that look like excavation tunnels.
At the heart of the museum is a large atrium called Aleko Hall, where backdrop paintings by Marc Chagall for the ballet “Aleko” are exhibited. This expansive space is also used for music, dance, theater and other performing arts, as well as museum events in the evenings.
The Munakata Shiko room inside the museum holds rotating exhibitions of works by Munakata four times a year. Munakata is an artist from Aomori known for his dynamic woodblock prints. Visitors can also view sculptures by contemporary artist Yoshitomo Nara.

Himeji City Museum of Art

The Himeji City Museum of Art’s building is a brick structure constructed in the late Meiji Era (1868 to 1912) that originally served as a military warehouse. This museum, located on the premises of the Himeji Castle World Heritage Site, is designated as a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property. The Nozato district east of the castle is known for its historical townscape and traditional *machiya* (townhouses), making the entire area appealing to both art lovers and history enthusiasts.
This museum holds approximately 5,000 works, including masterpieces of modern and contemporary art from Japan and abroad, ranging from paintings, sculptures, photographs, posters and crafts to swords.
The Keizo Kunitomi Collection, which Kunitomi, a local physician, donated to the museum, features modern French paintings by artists such as Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Camille Pissarro, Claude Monet, Georges Rouault, Maurice Utrillo and Henri Matisse.

Iwami Art Museum

The Iwami Art Museum stands adjacent to the Iwami Arts Theatre, separated by a courtyard. This art complex, named Grand Toit, is a hub for arts and culture and a gathering place for citizens and art lovers. The building itself is a work of art. Designed by architect Hiroshi Naito, its walls and roofs are lined with beautiful, glossy Sekishu tiles in a distinctive red-brown hue unique to the Iwami region of western Shimane.
The museum’s collection is eclectic, encompassing both Japanese and international works. The collection includes paintings, crafts, sculptures, photography and fashion.
Works by artists associated with Ogai Mori, a writer and military doctor from Shimane, are on display, along with pieces by Shimane’s Hanae Mori, the first Asian designer admitted to the prestigious Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture.
The Grand Toit also includes “Muthea” (museum and theater collaboration) programs that feature performances and workshops inspired by ongoing art exhibitions.

Nagasaki Prefectural Art Museum

The Nagasaki Prefectural Art Museum is adjacent to Nagasaki Waterfront Park, and has become an extension of the park by incorporating greenery into its buildings — including the museum rooftop, which offers a panoramic view of Nagasaki Port. The buildings, designed by Kengo Kuma and Nihon Sekkei Inc., straddle a canal.
Nagasaki is a port city with a history of active international and domestic cultural exchange, and this museum houses about 9,000 pieces, in-cluding a large collection of Spanish and Japanese art, contemporary art, photography, design and documentary materials, as well as conven-tional paintings and sculptures associated with Nagasaki, mainly from the Meiji Era (1868 to 1912) onward.
The Spanish art collection is one of the largest in East Asia. It is formed around the Suma Collection, which contains about 500 of the more than 1,760 items collected by Yakichiro Suma, a Japanese diplomat who was mesmerized by Spanish art.

Note:

Museums may close during the New Year’s holidays or between exhibitions. When a regular closing day falls on a national holiday, the museum may open on that day and close on a nearby weekday instead. The admission fees listed here are for permanent exhibitions. Special exhibitions require a separate fee, which varies by exhibition. Please check each museum’s official website for the most accurate and up-to-date infor-mation.