Skip to main content

Miho Museum

Image
By

Our good friends from CO are leaving Japan (in a few days now), and for their last big weekend hurrah they wanted to go see the Miho Museum.  Located deep in the woods at the top of a mountain, this magnificent structure was designed by the famous I.M. Pei.  Mihoko Koyama, a very wealthy and some say eccentric woman, commissioned the building to house her personal art collection as well as a lot else acquired by the Shumei organization before the museum opened in 1997.  The Shumei organization, for those who are confused as to what this might be, is a religious movement founded in 1970 by Mihoko Koyama.  I.M. Pei had previously designed the bell tower located at the religion's headquarters, which can be seen from the museum.  So you can see it's all in the family.

Religion aside, the museum is an incredible piece of artwork on its own.  The two pictures above show clearly the impressive nature of the structure.  On the left is the view of the main entrance, and on the right the view from inside looking out the main entrance.  The ceiling is made of glass and steel, and the inner stone is limestone from France.  The effect is a lot of angles softened by the cream of the limestone and migrating shadows, which makes for a fairy-tale environment.  Pei called this style Shangri-la, which referred to its situation in the mountainous, forested landscape.  About 3/4 of the building is actually underground, which is why it looks so small from the main entrance.  Inside, the structure breaks open for room upon room of wonderfully displayed treasures.   

The impressive unity of architecture and art.
Inside the main entrance.













The grounds outside were given just as much attention to detail as the main building itself.  To the left is a picture of the immaculate gardens that lead up to the main entrance, peppered with stone lanterns.  On our way to the museum, we waited for the little golf carts that ferry people to-and-from the waiting station to the museum's front doors.  This turned out to be a really funny affair, because the trip on foot is no more than 10 minutes walking very slowly.  We didn't know when we climbed on the cart or we would've walked, I swear!  Although it was very hot and sunny, we decided to walk back, in order to enjoy the architecture of the tunnel that leads to the museum.       



This is what you see when you exit the tunnel going toward the museum.  Krista took this picture to showcase the all-encompassing feeling created by the iron bars coming down on all sides to support the bridge.  The tunnel is necessary because, as has been stated, this museum is built deep in the mountains.  That tunnel goes through a mountain, allowing the museum to be accessed by visitors coming up from the park that is the rest of the adjoining mountain.


This is the exit on the other side, in our case this is what we saw as we returned to the visitor's center before catching our bus down the mountain to the train station.  We visited in July, the heart of summer, so we were treated to superb greenery.  If you visit in spring, you can see colorful blossoms, and in fall bright autumn leaves.  The gardens are designed to offer beautiful views in every season.
Labels:
Location: Miho Museum

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gamagori Fireworks Festival

By
Takeshima, at low tide. Every year, on the last day of July, a big fireworks festival is held in Gamagori, Japan.  Fireworks are very big in Japan, with each major city priding itself on its particular display, and swearing up and down to anyone who will listen that their fireworks are the best in the nation.  Gifu's displays were canceled this year because of the earthquake, so we took the opportunity to travel a little more than an hour by express train to Gamagori.  It's a cute little town, not far from Okazaki, with a famous island that is entirely shrine space (seen in the picture to the right). It was a wonderful, if long, day.  Four of us set out from Gifu and picked two more friends up on the way to the island.  We arrived early, perhaps too early, but we did miss the worst of the afternoon sun as we wandered around the island.  Even though I was very diligent about my SPF 50 sunblock, I still managed to get burned on both shoulders before the morning was over.  I
1 comment
Read more

Combatting Casual Bigotry and Racism in Ourselves and in the World

By
This post will deal with contentious issues of the way race is perceived  and how that perception directly impacts the treatment of various ethnic groups, specifically as I have experienced it in Japan.  Please understand that the following is my way of looking at such topics, and I understand it is not the way of everyone.  My education is comprised primarily of evolutionary biology, behavior studies, and neurobiology, so I am in no way able to look through a sociological or anthropological lens.  If you are qualified (like one of my sisters), please feel free to comment for the benefit of everyone reading this blog. First, I think it's necessary to state that I believe bigotry and racism exist everywhere, in everyone, to greater or lesser degrees.  According to The American Heritage Dictionary online at answers.com, a bigot is someone "who is strongly partial to one's own group, religion, race, or politics and is intolerant of those who differ," and racism is &quo
3 comments
Read more

To Live in the Moment Without Fear

By
To Live in the Moment Without Fear  is a work by Yuko Shinoda from Gifu, Japan.  Danced by six women, the dance investigates what it means to be a part of a community threatened by a disaster that takes a life.  Premiered June 5th 2011 in Nagoya, Japan, the dance features a strong movement aesthetic that draws from traditional Japanese dance as well as contemporary styles and contact improvisation.  Shinoda's use of space and timing, as her dancers flow in-and-out of solos, duets, trios, and unison, creates a sense that the dancers are unified and alone at the same time.  In the end, Shinoda's view of life is clear: we must tend to the fallen, but we must never surrender ourselves to fear while we are still alive.
3 comments
Read more