ABOUT
About this spot
The MOA Museum of Art stands on a hill in Momoyama-cho, Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture, and is run by the Okada Mokichi Art and Cultural Foundation. It opened on January 11, 1982, around the East Asian art collection assembled by its founder Okada Mokichi (1882-1955). Its predecessor, the Atami Art Museum, opened in 1957, and the museum reopened on February 5, 2017 after a major renovation. The collection runs to about 3,500 works, including paintings, calligraphy, ceramics, lacquerware and sculpture. Three are National Treasures: Ogata Korin's "Red and White Plum Blossoms" screens, the calligraphy album Kanbokujo and Nonomura Ninsei's wisteria jar. The museum also holds many Important Cultural Properties. National Treasures are not always on view and exhibits rotate, so check the official site before visiting. The architecture is a draw in itself. A height difference of about 60 m separates the entrance from the main building, spanned by seven escalators with a total length of 200 m. Lighting on the walls and ceiling changes over time, and a circular hall about 20 m across lies partway up. The tunnel was dug into the hillside, then covered with soil and replanted. The three-story main building has ten galleries, a Noh theater and a restored Golden Tea Room. For the 2017 reopening the Hiroshi Sugimoto-led New Material Research Laboratory supervised the renovation, adding glass cases meant to remove any sense of barrier between viewer and artwork. The main lobby is a two-story observation hall with glass 32 m wide and 8 m high, giving a 180-degree view of Hatsushima, Izu Oshima, and the Boso, Miura and Izu peninsulas. The tea garden has the tea houses Ippakuan and Shoutei, a reconstruction of Ogata Korin's residence and the Katagiri Gate. The Noh theater seats 501. Open 9:30-16:30 (last entry 16:00), closed Thursdays (open if a holiday) and during exhibit changes. Admission is JPY 2,000 for adults, JPY 1,400 for university and high school students, free for junior high and younger. Allow two to three hours. From JR Atami Station take the MOA Museum bus from platform 8 for about 7 minutes. Atami Onsen is about 700 m away.
Last updated October 18, 2026