ABOUT
About this spot
Toyota Municipal Museum of Art opened in 1995 on a hill in Kozakahon-machi, Toyota, Aichi Prefecture. It was designed by the architect Yoshio Taniguchi and is known as a simple modernist building of steel and glass. The building follows the slope of the site, so both the first and second floors touch the ground. Galleries offer glimpses of one another, and corridors open onto views of the city, so the space changes as you walk. The hill was once the site of Koromo Castle (also called Shichishu Castle). The grounds keep a corner turret rebuilt in 1978 on the original stone walls, a study hall called Yujitsutei moved from Terabe Castle, and a tea house named Doujien. The landscape was designed by Peter Walker, and the building is reflected in a large artificial pond. Across the pond a sculpture walk displays outdoor works by artists including Daniel Buren, Henry Moore, Richard Serra, Sol LeWitt, Noe Aoki and Arnaldo Pomodoro. The collection ranges from early twentieth-century Japanese-style painting and design linked to the Arts and Crafts movement, the Vienna Secession, the Bauhaus and Surrealism, to Japanese contemporary art since the 1990s. Postwar European art, especially from Italy, is another focus, and the museum also holds work by Salvador Dali. The adjoining Takahashi Setsuro Hall shows lacquer art. There is a museum shop, a restaurant and a library. Allow roughly an hour and a half to two hours for the galleries, garden and castle-site corner. The museum closes between exhibitions, so check the official website before you go. It is about a 15-minute walk from Toyota-shi Station or Shin-Toyota Station, or about 15 minutes by car from Toyota IC, with free parking. Next door is the Toyota City Museum, which opened in April 2024; the gardens of both museums were designed by Peter Walker.
Last updated October 26, 2026