Miho Museum, Shiga-ken, Japan 12 September 2008

While in Kyoto, we decided to do a day trip to the Shiga-ken countryside to visit the Miho Museum. It’s a bit of a hike out of Kyoto by train and then bus but it is well worth the effort. The museum was privately funded, took six years and $225 million to build and, architecturally, is stunning and was the main reasons we were interested in seeing it in person. Its designed by renowned architect, Pei, who also designed the Louvre in Paris. The museum houses a private collection of items from Iran, Greece, China, Thailand and a few other countries and at times we were left wondering how on earth these items came to be in a private collection. The museum itself is 80% underground and the mountain/hill it is build into was partly removed for the building then replaced.

The approach to the museum is up a 500m road, through a tunnel under a hill and across a bridge. These electric carts ferry people back and forth. The trees lining the road in the below are cherry trees and the pictures of the approach when they’re in blossom are very beautiful.



The tunnel is like something out of a sci-fi museum and the inside looked like galvanised steel



The exit from the tunnel was pretty cool



and led onto a bridge over a 120m deep ravine



Across the bridge was the museum entrance, and the museum itself stretches off to the left and right under the hill.



and I took a picture through the round window in the sliding door of the entrance to show the approach to the museum



This is the entrance foyer



and, when Euan (who is OVER my photo taking!) wasn't looking, I took a quick photo of the nifty locking umbrella stand – Japan really is gadget-land!



This was a bridge that we saw on the drive in



The museum collection isn't huge but is obviously priceless and impressive in that its a private collection. The museum structure itself as as good a reason to visit as the exhibits and is clearly unique in its design and location.