Yokosuka Museum of Art

A place I had longed to visit, and now recommend to you, is the Yokosuka Museum of Art. I first saw the architectural beauty of this museum in a magazine. When I came here, it took my breath away at first sight. It holistically combined itself with the sky and the ocean and was also complemented by the greenery in back of it.

I have to admit that this museum is not located in a convenient area or a famous tourist area, but it is worth traveling to, even taking a bus or stopping in during a drive. The time I went there, I found many visitors. This proves that the museum draws a lot of interest from tourists despite its slightly inconvenient location!

If you come here during lunchtime on holidays, I recommend that you write your name on the waiting list for the crowded in-house restaurant. Because there aren’t many restaurants in the area, and because the restaurant housed in this museum serves authentic Italian cuisine and provides a beautiful ocean view you might find yourself waiting a long time if you don’t. The restaurant “Acquamare” is managed by Yoshimi Hidaka who owns the famous restaurant “ AcquaPazza” in Hiroo, Tokyo. I enjoyed the delicious cuisine at a reasonable price, watching the water shimmer in the ocean. By the way, you can also go to the Keikyu Kannnonzaki Hotel across the street for lunch.

After we put our name on the list, we then went to see the exhibitions. The exhibitions consist of the Collection Gallery, Special Exhibitions and the Taniuchi Rokuro Pavilion. Taniuchi Rokuro is well-known for his nostalgic and old Japanese illustrations and also famous for illustrating the covers of the weekly magazine “ Shukan Shincho” (週刊新潮). You might feel a sense of healing when you see his portrayals of the old but beautiful postwar era in Japan.

Then I went to see the special exhibition and collection gallery. I am sure you will find some great pieces there but I recommend you check the schedule of the special exhibition beforehand on their website. While I was browsing inside the exhibition hall, I thought I was floating and wandering somewhere in space because this architecture consists of a lot of glass panels, and some bridges in the neo-futuristic style.

After I enjoyed all the exhibitions, I took a walk outside. There is a walking path and rooftop garden. From there you can enjoy a beautiful view of Tokyo Bay, where cargo and freight ships slowly pass back and forth. It seemed like time had stopped here, and I was completely enchanted!