ABOUT
About this spot
Kitakyushu Municipal Museum of Art is a public museum in Nishisayagatani, Tobata Ward, Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture. It opened on November 3, 1974. The building was designed by the architect Arata Isozaki, reportedly inspired by a cathedral. Two large volumes project from a symmetrical composition, earning it the nickname binoculars on the hill. It was selected for the Public Architecture 100 list in 1998. The collection centers on Impressionist works by artists such as Monet, Renoir and Degas, as well as modern and contemporary art including Basquiat. Major works include Monet's Water Lilies, Reflections of Weeping Willows, Renoir's Woman in a Straw Hat, Degas's Portrait of Manet and Madame Manet, and Basquiat's Fireman. The museum also holds about 1,300 ukiyo-e prints donated by Tamura Senichiro, a Kyushu University scholar. The main building closed in August 2015 for repairs and reopened on November 3, 2017, with improved climate control and barrier-free facilities. Its interior was used in the 2006 film Death Note, and some visitors come mainly for the architecture. The museum is open from 9:30 to 17:30 (last entry 17:00) and is normally closed on Mondays and over the New Year holiday. Admission varies with the exhibition, so check the official site. Allow about one and a half to two hours. By public transport, take Nishitetsu bus route 7M from JR Tobata or Kokura Station; by car, it is about 2.8 km from the Yamaji exit of the Kitakyushu Expressway, and there is free parking. The museum also has a cafe.
Last updated October 24, 2026