Restaurant and travel website TripAdvisor® has released its lists for the Top 20 Best Museums in Japan 2018 and Top 20 Best Art Museums in Japan 2018 as ranked by its users.
Taking the number one spot for art museums is Teshima Art Museum in Kagawa Prefecture and for museums the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum in Nagasaki Prefecture.
The Teshima Art Museum is located on the island of Teshima in the Seto Inland Sea just a 30-minute ferry ride from Takamatsu. It’s home to a single piece of artwork – a concrete shell structure devoid of pillars that’s made in the image of a water droplet just as it’s about to land. The structure takes in natural light, sounds and wind from the surrounding area, combining man-made artwork with nature.
The Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum is based in the city of Nagasaki and was built in remembrance of the Nagasaki atomic bombing which occurred on August 9, 1945. It houses permanent exhibitions as well as occasional temporary exhibitions all giving historical background to the atomic bombing and postwar nuclear weapons. The museum also has a library with books and picture books relating to peace, nuclear weapons and other relevant topics, as well as a museum shop.
There are twenty each of museums and art museums ranked on TripAdvisor’s list, all must-visits celebrated for their individual and unique exhibits. The art museums are also not only revelled for what they have on show but for their architecture and gardens where one can enjoy nature through all four seasons; many users commented on how they lose track of time and find themselves healed from visiting. A number of facilities related to the disasters of the war ranked in the lists, including the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.
Top 20 Best Art Museums in Japan 2018
1. Teshima Art Museum (Kagawa)
2. Fujishiro Seiji Museum (Tochigi)
3. Nezu Museum (Tokyo)
4. Otsuka Museum of Art (Tokushima)
5. Ghibli Museum Mitaka (Tokyo)
6. Adachi Museum of Art (Shimane)
7. Okada Museum of Art (Kanagawa)
8. Pola Museum of Art (Kanagawa)
9. Hiroshi Senju Museum Karuizawa (Nagano)
10. The National Museum of Modern Art (Tokyo)
Top 20 Best Museums in Japan 2018
1. Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum (Nagasaki)
2. Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum (Hiroshima)
3. Tokyo National Museum (Tokyo)
4. Motorcar Museum of Japan (Ishikawa)
5. Kitakyushu Museum of Natural History & Human History (Fukuoka)
6. Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum (Fukui)
7. The Museum Meiji-mura (Aichi)
8. Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology (Aichi)
9. National Museum of Ethnology (Osaka)
10. Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo (Shimane)
If you’re looking to visit a museum while you’re in Japan then be sure to check out TripAdvisor for reference.
Travel and restaurant website TripAdvisor® has unveiled the most popular landmarks around the world of 2018 for its Travellers’ Choice Awards.
This is the sixth edition of this ranking. 759 famous locations throughout the world with cultural and historical backgrounds were selected. Taking the top spot this year once again was Angkor Wat in Cambodia. From Japan, Fushimi Inari-Taisha ranked in at number one for the fourth year in a row for the Japanese selections. It also placed 24th worldwide and 5th in Asia.
Seven brand new locations made it into the ranking, including Old City (Switzerland) and London Bridge (UK). In the Asia category, Gurudwara Bangla Sahib (India) and Supertree Grove (Singapore) appeared for the first time. Itsukushima Shrine in Hiroshima Prefecture made its debut in the list for Japan.
Let’s take a closer look at the most popular tourist landmarks that ranked from Japan.
Top 10 Landmarks in Japan
(*Numbers in brackets denote their position last year.)
TripAdvisor® is the world's biggest travel website for locating the best places to stay, eat and have fun. The rankings for each location are determined by the public who rate and review the places they visit.
The website has just published its 2018 ranking for the best castles to visit in Japan.
This marks the 6th run for best castles in the country. Included this year are 11 castles and 9 castle ruins.
Coming in top place for the 3rd year in a row is Himeji Castle in Hyogo Prefecture. It boasts as the first castle in Japan to be registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The castle underwent significant renovation from 2009 to 2015. Known for its distinct white walls, the castle has been attracting much popularity in recent years.
In 2nd place is Nijo in Kyoto which has gone up three places from last year.
Ranking at 3rd place is Matsuyama Castle located in Matsuyama, the capital of Ehime Prefecture. This castle came in 3rd place last year too.
Matsumoto Castle was chosen for 4th place. It also goes by the name "Crow Castle" due to its black exterior - quite the opposite of the white walls of Himeji Castle.
Oka Castle came in 5th place, the highest ranking of the castle ruins. All that's left of it now are stone walls, but it is known as the castle which served as a model in pianist Rentaro Taki's song Kojo no Tsuki ('The Moon Over the Ruined Castle'). This is noted in the Japanese comments on TripAdvisor, with people describing the contrast between the moon and castle as breathtaking as mentioned in the song.
Inuyama Castle in Ehime Prefecture came in at 7th place, moving up the list significantly. It's one of the 12 original castles of Japan and known for its castle tower being designated as a national treasure.
Castles are an important part of Japanese culture and an incredible immersive experience of the country's history. Make use of this list to visit at least one during your trip!
TripAdvisor have announced the top 30 best attractions across Japan in 2018 as voted by international travelers. The list features the regular line-up of famous spots like shrines, temples and castles to more niche locations that even Japanese people aren't familiar with.
This marks the 10th time this ranking has taken place. Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine in Kyoto has clocked in at number one for the 5th year in a row. As of June 2018, the TripAdvisor page for the shrine has over 20,000 reviews, 70% of which are in languages other than Japanese. More than 25 languages have been recorded on the page, proving the shrine's popularity overseas as a representative spots in Japan. Moving from 3rd place to 2nd place this year is Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, and in 3rd place is Miyajima (Itsukushima Shrine).
There are several newcomers to the list this year, including Byodoin Temple which people may recognise as being printed on the back of 10 yen coins.
Sanzen-in Temple has a gorgeous garden that is beautiful throughout all four seasons.
Nezu Museum in Tokyo also made the list this year which is home to many national treasures and cultural assets. It first ranked last year for its entertainment facilities, but this year it's earned popularity amongst foreign tourists for its greenery and tranquillity.
7 places ranked in Kyoto, as well as 6 in Tokyo, and 2 each in Hiroshima, Nara and Kanagawa. 1 place ranked in each Ishikawa, Wakayama, Hyogo, Chiba, Kagoshima, Tochigi, Kagawa, Aichi, Gifu, Toyama, and Nagano.
Check the list for yourself, and why not use it for reference when you come to Japan?
Top 30 Attractions in Japan by International Travelers 2018
Numbers in brackets denote the location's ranking last year. Asterisks denote newcomers to the list.
1st Place (1) - Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine (Kyoto)
2nd Place (3) - Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum (Hiroshima)
3rd Place (4) - Miyajima (Itsukushima Shrine) (Hiroshima)
4th Place (5) - Todai-ji Temple (Nara)
5th Place (7) - Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden (Tokyo)
6th Place (14) - Kenrokuen Garden (Ishikawa)
7th Place (10) - Koyasan Okunoin (Wakayama)
8th Place (8) - Kinkakuji Temple (Kyoto)
9th Place (9) - The Hakone Open-Air Museum (Kanagawa)
10th Place (13) - Himeji Castle (Himeji)
11th Place (30) - Sanjusangendo Temple (Kyoto)
12th Place (11) - Nara Park (Nara)
13th Place (26) - Naritasan Shinsho-ji Temple (Chiba)
14th Place (-) - Samurai Museum (Tokyo)
15th Place (-) - Shiratani Unsuikyo Valley (Kagoshima)
16th Place (-) - Senso-ji Temple (Tokyo)
17th Place (-) - Nikko Tosho-gu (Tochigi)
18th Place (-) - Ritsurin Garden (Kagawa)
19th Place (25) - Ryogoku Kokugikan (Tokyo)
20th Place (12) - Eikando Zenrinji Temple (Kyoto)
21st Place (16) - Hase-dera Temple (Kanagawa)
22nd Place (-) - Tokyo Metropolitan Government Buildings (Tokyo)
23rd Place (-) - Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology (Aichi)
24th Place (-) - The Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go Gassho Style Houses (Gifu)
25th Place (29) - Kyoto Station Building (Kyoto)
26th Place (-) - Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route (Toyama)
27th Place (*) - Byodoin Temple (Kyoto)
28th Place (*) - Nezu Museum (Tokyo)
29th Place (-) - Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park (Nagano)
30th Place (*) - Sanzen-in Temple (Kyoto)
*Taken from reviews, numbers of posts and unique algorithms on TripAdvisor between April 207-March 2018.
The Tokyo-based girl artists and creators' collective bala has finally launched for real! The group will release its first single barla on March 8.
bala consists of MANON, SUNNY ONLY 1, DAN, and KANO, each with their own global background. The project aims to resonate with Gen Z youth culture and to be a collective of artists that connects hybrid Japanese pop culture with audiences around the world.
The debut song barla was produced by Shinichi Osawa, who has numerous hits under the name Mondo Grosso. It was co-written by Kenmochi Hidefumi from Wednesday Campanella. With Y2K culture making a comeback around the world, the track features the house sound popular in the late 90s which is showing signs of becoming the next musical trend yet again. The groovy dance tune is a perfect theme song for these girls who will lead the next generation of pop culture.
<Comment from Shinichi Osawa>
“I’m honored to be involved in bala’s debut. The members are super unique, and collaborating with Kenmochi-san for the first time was a dream come true.”
<Comment from Kenmochi Hidefumi>
“I’m happy to be able to work with the members of bala and Shinichi Osawa. Everyone is so uniquely talented, and this song is filled with everyone's energy and excitement inspired by their long-awaited debut!”
Art collective TeamLab has redesigned two exhibitions at Marina Bay Sands Singapore. The world’s first permanent exhibition from the creators, Future World: Where Art Meets Science, was opened in 2016 at the Museum of Art and Science. Guests can now enjoy three new works along with the Digital Light Canvas, a huge, interactive space inviting guests to share their own pieces of art.
Drawing Flight
Visitors can immerse themselves in these impressive new works while experiencing a complex, three-dimensional world. They can also create new worlds with others!
Future World
The Drawing Flight, part of the Amusement Park of the Future series, is based on the concept of co-creation, allowing visitors to not only draw an airplane that will fly but also allowing them to operate it from a pilot's point of view using a tablet. Whether visitors draw a butterfly or a hawk, they’ll see the world from the perspective of each creature and enter a world constructed by the creature's unique perceptions.
Aerial Climbing through a Flock of Colored Birds
In Aerial Climbing through a Flock of Colored Birds, guests are asked to perceive the world with their entire bodies. Visitors cross a space with sticks floating three-dimensionally in the air.
Autonomous Abstraction, Continuous Phenomena from the Universe to the Self
Autonomous Abstraction, Continuous Phenomena from the Universe to the Self offers a new and abstract concept. As people touch the dots, the rhythm of the dots flickers and their hue changes and disintegrates. The picture will then change dramatically, and despite these changes, the beauty remains.
Digital Light Canvas
Graffiti Nature - Red List Digital Light Canvas
Digital Light Canvas is a space consisting of a 15-meter-diameter circular link of light and a 20-meter-high cylinder of light made up of a collection of light dots. Team Lab's interactive artwork, which changes depending on how many people are around, is on permanent display.
Yoshitaka Amano, known by international fans as the artist behind the legendary Final Fantasy video game series, is celebrating his 70th birthday with a unique art project from November 23 until December 8 at Myoshin-ji in Kyoto. On the first day of the event, the venue, decorated with autumn leaves, was crowded with visitors including foreign tourists, who marveled at the fantastic space filled harmoniously with gold and blue. The exhibition will be held at Myoshin-ji, the head temple of the associated branch of Rinzai Zen Buddhism. This collection of works was designed to question visitors’ sensibilities and provide a new kind of art exhibition for fans to enjoy.After the exhibition, the main art piece by Yoshitaka himself will be converted to 3DCG, and a Virtual Golden World will be developed in collaboration with the Yoshitaka Amano VR Museum. By integrating traditional and modern art methods, guests will be able to engage more deeply in the art by enjoying digital works, the metaverse, and NFTs.Don't miss this curious exhibition!
Felissimo’s Museum Department has teamed up with Ad Museum Tokyo to release a collection of nail stickers inspired by famous works of art from the Edo Period. They also released an incense collection inspired by classic matchbooks on November 21, 2022. Nishiki-e is a type of Japanese multi-colored woodblock printing, and those interested in traditional art will love showing off their new style with these easy-to-apply stickers.
Edo Trend Nishiki-e Gel Style Nail Stickers
One Hundred Beauties from Famous Places of Edo - Ninghocho
Sixteen Female Sennin
Keisei Oyodo - Ichikawa Masunojou
Showa Modern Incense with Matchbox Labels
These incense sets were inspired by classic matchboxes, each featuring ads from the time. Each stick burns for about 10 minutes, making them perfect for use in your spare time. After using the incense, these are perfect for using as boxes for jewelry or other small items!
The Sumida Hokusai Museum in Sumida-ku, Tokyo, will be holding the ‘Hokusai at Play with the 100 Poems’ exhibition from December 15, 2022 until February 26, 2023. The exhibition will focus on the Hyakunin Isshu, a famous collection of 100 poems integral to Japanese traditional culture.
Hyakunin Isshu Uba ga Etoki - Sojo Henjo / Katsushika Hokusai, The Sumida Hokusai Museum.
Hyakunin Isshu Uba ga Etoki - Ariwara no Narihira / Katsushika Hokusai, The Sumida Hokusai Museum. (Phase 2)
The Five Great Poets, Tsuki - Katsushika Hokusai, The Sumida Hokusai Museum. (Permanently on Display)
By the middle of the Edo period, the Hyakunin Isshu, or 100 classical poems, had become an established part of Japanese culture. Hokusai, an ukiyo-e artist of the period, painted a total of 27 of these famous poems, incorporating his own ideas and views to create unique pieces still beloved so many years later. This exhibition features 24 paintings from the museum’s Hyakunin Isshu collection along with dozens more items pertaining to this legendary collection of writings. Don’t miss it!
Information
Hokusai at Play with the 100 Poems
Running: December 15, 2022 – February 26, 2023
*Certain exhibits will be changed between the first and second phases.