Discovering the Miho Museum: A Hidden Architectural Gem in Japan
If you are a devotee of the architectural design work of internationally-renowned architect I.M. Pei, it’s a challenge to find it in Japan. The stunning Miho Museum buried deep in the mountains of Shiga Prefecture southeast of Kyoto near the town of Shiaraki, along with its companion piece, the striking Misono belltower located high on a hilltop several miles away (and visible from the museum), is the only Pei design in Japan.
Commissioned by philanthropist Mihoko Koyama, founder of the Shinji Shumenkai religious organization and opened in 1997, Miho Museum represents Pei’s endeavor to break new ground, both aesthetically and in its construction techniques, while honoring Koyama's reverence for nature.
The Journey: An Adventure in Itself
And getting there is certainly no walk in the park. Rather, it’s a convoluted journey starting in Kyoto that requires a train leg to Koka, followed by a bus trip filled with twists, turns and switchbacks that wends through deep valleys and gorges until depositing you in the most beautiful middle of nowhere you have ever seen. You arrive at an attractive but unremarkable visitor’s center and then enter a large, striking tunnel for a short trip through the mountains―by foot or golf cart, as you choose―to the museum itself. Inside the tunnel was unlike anything I’ve encountered before. The curving walls glowed a warm silver and the exit only revealed itself as we drew around a slight bend.
Entering Shangri-La
Exiting the tunnel, you cross an astonishing cantilevered bridge soaring high in the air, leading you into the heart of a magnificent vista that Pei himself called "Shangri-La." Inspired by the utopia described in the ancient Chinese poem Taohua Yuan Ji (The Peach Blossom Spring) by Tao Yuanming, the reveal captures the essence of an idyllic village hidden from the world. This vision resonated deeply with Pei as he worked to bring Mihoko Koyama’s dream of a space promoting beauty, peace, and joy through art to life.
The Museum: A Marvel of Design and Art
The 17,400 square meter museum, three-quarters of which is underground, is perched on a hilly forested landscape and is entered by climbing a steep stairway toward an imposing glass-fronted façade that conjures the kind of traditional Japanese thatched-roof houses that have existed for 5,000 years.
The museum’s interior is a wonderful maze of galleries and walkways that both house a remarkable collection Koyama’s collection of Japanese art, along with pieces from Egypt, Greece, Rome, China, Western and Southern Asia, and offer sweeping views out over the mountains.
The use of soaring pyramidal walls, shapes and ceilings will remind many visitors of Pei’s famed pyramid in front of the Louvre, but the art on display is unique, esoteric and historical. Of the museum’s collection of 3,000 important pieces (which includes six designated by the Japanese Government as “Important Cultural Properties”), only 250 to 300 are displayed at any one time in a permanent collection in the South Wing and a rotating exhibition in the North Wing.
An Unforgettable Experience
At the Miho Museum, you are constantly bathed in light, beauty and history, and you feel you have been transported to some distant mystical kingdom. This transcendental experience is well worth the effort to get there.
Address: 300 Momodani, Tashiro Shigaraki Koka, Shiga 529-1814
Hours:
Open: 10 am to 5 pm
Closed: Mondays and during exhibit changes (check the schedule before planning your visit).
Make sure to add the Miho Museum to your itinerary for an unforgettable blend of architectural brilliance and cultural richness.