Otaru City Museum of Art
Blessed with an excellent natural harbor near central Hokkaido, Otaru thrived from early on as a base for the development of Hokkaido. From the Meiji to the Taisho to early Showa eras (from the late 19th century to the 20th century), in particular, Otaru prospered as Hokkaido’s leading commercial center, with robust economic activities centered on the port, including coal shipment. As if in response to that economic robustness, Otaru saw art and culture achieve a rich and distinctive development.
This museum has collections of more than 3,000 works associated with Otaru, chiefly works by Zensaku Nakamura, a leading landscape painter in Japan, and Arinori Ichihara, who has been called “a genius of modern printmaking.”
This facility also enables visitors to enjoy distinctive arts and culture in Otaru because the building houses not only the Otaru Literary Museum, but also a citizens’ gallery (where local residents release their works) and spaces available for training programs, meetings, workshops and the like.
| Arinori Ichihara Memorial Hall | 3F | This hall features works by and materials about Arinori Ichihara, who has been called “a genius of modern printmaking.” |
|---|---|---|
| Themed exhibition room | 2F | This room displays mainly works by artists associated with Otaru and masterpieces of Japanese art. |
| Zensaku Nakamura Memorial Hall | 1F | This hall features works by and materials about landscape painter Zensaku Nakamura, who deeply loved the scenery of Otaru and painted landscapes all over Japan. |
| Citizens’ gallery and multipurpose gallery | 1F | These galleries are used for art exhibitions and other events held by local residents. |
| Training room and meeting room | 1F | These rooms are used for video screenings, training programs, workshops, and other events. They are also available to local residents for training and meetings related to art and culture. |
Facility information
- Address
- Ironai 1-chome 9-5, Otaru, Hokkaido
- Phone
- 0134-34-0035
- Hours
9:30 – 17:00 (last admission: 16:30)
- Closed
Mondays, the day following national holidays (or the next business day if the day is Saturday, Sunday or a national holiday), the year-end and New Year’s holidays (December 29 – January 3), and unscheduled closed days
– Also see the museum calendar on the website.- Admission
Themed exhibitions only (outside special exhibition periods)
■Joint ticket to the Otaru City Museum of Art and the Otaru Literary Museum (valid only when you visit the facilities on the same day)
- Adults: ¥500 (¥400)
- High school students: ¥250 (¥200)
- Seniors 70+ living in Otaru: ¥250 (¥200)
■Ticket to the Otaru City Museum of Art
- Adults: ¥300 (¥240)
- High school students: ¥150 (¥120)
- Seniors 70+ living in Otaru: ¥150 (¥120)
– Fees in parentheses indicate discount fees for groups of 20 or more.
– Admission is free for junior high school students or younger.
– Admission is free for holders of a physical disability certificate, a mental disability certificate, or a medical rehabilitation handbook and for one accompanying person per holder.Special exhibitions
Fees vary. For details, see the Exhibition Information page on the museum website.
- Parking
- Available
- Official website
- https://www.city.otaru.lg.jp/docs/2020111300095/