Moon Viewing at the Okuda Genso-Sayume Art Museum

Earlier this month, I heard that the Okuda Genso-Sayume Art Museum in Miyoshi is a great place to view the full moon. So, on March 12 I went to see it for myself.　[日本語]

Frankly speaking, this art museum is amazing. Although I admit that I have not checked, but I’m sure there can’t be a better place to view the full moon in all of Japan. The design of the museum itself is a recreation of the painting Taigetsu by Okuda Genso, a famous nihonga painter who was born in Miyoshi. Every month, on the night of the full moon, the museum extends its opening hours until 9pm to allow visitors to view of the full moon. From the museum lobby it is indeed a view deserving of its reputation. The extended opening times also allow visitors arriving in the evening plenty of time to enjoy the the grand landscapes of Okuda Genso, the ceramics of his wife, Sayume, and the special exhibition currently on display.

An exhibition of the works of Yamashita Kiyoshi was showing on my visit and continues until April 16. I have grown up looking at Yamashita’s work through TV shows and magazines that featured the wandering “Naked General”. However, seeing them up close, alongside his travel notes I was able to appreciate the pure form of his works. The museum wasn’t crowded on my visit, so it was an excellent opportunity to view the complexity some of his most famous works such as his Nagaoka Fireworks collage without feeling rushed.

It was lovely to take tea and sweets in the tea house while we waited for the moon to make its appearance. I have heard great things about the museum’s restaurant too, but, unfortunately, it was fully looked.

A music concert was also held in the lobby.

As someone who has never thought about how to spend the night of the full moon, my evening at the Okuda Genso-Sayume Museum came as a pleasant surprise and I now find myself wanting to visit throughout the year. I talked to one visitor who was at the museum for the 4th time. She had come on a special　”Full Moon Express” package. It’s a great deal so I’m tempted to take it myself next time.

The next “Full Moon Express” package is scheduled for Tuesday, April 11 and costs ¥5800 per person.

• Return bus from Hiroshima Bus Center
• Admission to the Yamashita Kiyoshi special exhibition
• Dinner in the restaurant (incl a glass of wine)
• Japanese tea and sweets in the traditional tea house
• Souvenir postcard

The price of the package represents about ¥1200 discount. The bus leaves Hiroshima Bus Center at 15:00 and you get back to Hiroshima at about 21:50. Details (in Japanese) can be found here.

See our comprehensive guide to Miyoshi here.