Toyota Municipal Museum of Art

Toyota Municipal Museum of Art stands on a small hill overlooking the city center of Toyota, Aichi. Opened in 1995, it presents a wide-ranging collection centered on art from the late 19th century to the present, along with design and crafts. Its collection includes works by international artists such as Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele, modern Japanese artists including Ryusei Kishida and Tsuguharu Foujita, postwar German and Italian art, and contemporary Japanese artists such as Yayoi Kusama, offering visitors the chance to encounter works from many periods and genres.

The building is known as one of the signature works of Yoshio Taniguchi, a master of museum architecture. Its exterior, based on milky-white glass and green slate, and its open interior spaces filled with light through the glass are especially striking. The expansive garden on the grounds was designed by American landscape architect Peter Walker. The site also includes the Takahashi Setsuro Gallery, which exhibits works by lacquer artist Setsuro Takahashi, and the tea house Dojien, designed by Yoshio Taniguchi like the museum itself, making the architecture and spaces themselves part of the experience.

The area where the museum stands is a former castle site that once housed the castle of the Koromo Domain. Near the entrance stands the restored Shichishu Castle corner turret, preserving traces of the old castle town. It is a spot where you can not only immerse yourself in art but also relax in a lush green setting.