Shoji Ueda Museum of Photography

Among the fields at the foot of Mt. Daisen, a quiet building that looks like stacked concrete walls comes into view. The Shoji Ueda Museum of Photography in Hoki, Tottori Prefecture, is dedicated to the work of Ueda, a photographer from Tottori, and opened on September 23, 1995. It was designed by architect Shin Takamatsu and is run by the town of Hoki. The building itself is presented as a space that resonates with Ueda's world, so it is worth visiting for the architecture even if you are not deeply interested in photography.

Shoji Ueda was born on March 27, 1913, in Sakai-cho (now Sakaiminato), Tottori, and kept shooting for about 70 years from his hometown until he died in 2000 at the age of 87. He was known for staged photographs in which people are arranged like objects and things are given human qualities, and his avant-garde style is called "Ueda-cho." His Sand Dune series is especially famous. In 1978 he was invited to the Rencontres d'Arles photography festival, and in 1996 he received the French Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

The museum holds about 12,000 works donated by Ueda himself and displays them permanently. There are galleries 1 to 4, and the video room offers screenings on a large video system as well as an experience of being inside a camera, using a 600 mm camera lens said to be among the largest in the world.

The architectural highlight is that slit-like gaps in the walls frame Mt. Daisen, also called "Hoki Fuji." The artificial pond on the second floor reflects the mountain in front of it, known as the "Sakasa Daisen" (upside-down Daisen). Although it is a photography museum, the landscape itself becomes part of the exhibition, which is the building's particular charm.

The museum is open 10:00-17:00 (last entry 30 minutes before closing). It is closed on Tuesdays (the next day if Tuesday is a national holiday), between exhibitions, and for the winter closure from December 11 to the end of February. Admission is 1,000 yen for adults, 500 yen for high school and university students and 300 yen for elementary and junior high students, cash only. Exhibitions change, so check the official guide for dates before you go.

Allow one to one and a half hours to see the exhibits and the building. Tottori Flower Park (about 4.8 km), Daisen Makiba Milk no Sato (about 6.9 km) and Daisenji Temple (about 9 km) are nearby, making this an easy first or last stop on a day touring around Mt. Daisen. Fukuoka Tsutsumi, a known spot for the reflected Daisen, is also close.