Hakone Narukawa Art Museum: A Living Ukiyo-e Scroll

Nestled in the mountains of Hakone, the Narukawa Art Museum pulses with the aesthetic spirit of Edo, resembling a hidden ukiyo-e scroll by the shores of Lake Ashi. Designed by Takashi Imari, the architect behind Japan's New National Gymnasium, this modern Japanese-style building deconstructs and reassembles traditional forms. Its plain concrete walls and wooden latticework weave a tapestry of wabi-sabi beauty in the interplay of light and shadow. Transparent glass reflects the shimmering waves of Lake Ashi, creating a seamless boundary between art and nature with every step. On the museum's top-floor observation deck, though the thick clouds obscured the snow-capped peak of Mount Fuji that day, the emerald waves of Lake Ashi cradled a vermilion torii gate in the distance. It was as if Katsushika Hokusai's "Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji" were unfolding before our eyes. The changing seasons cast dynamic shadows within the museum, transforming it into a living ukiyo-e. Spring cherry blossoms brush against the expansive glass walls, summer thunderclouds sweep over Hiroshige's station scenes, autumn leaves dance with Yoshitoshi's ghostly illustrations, and winter snow drapes the entire museum in a pure white veil reminiscent of a bijin-ga. After admiring the ukiyo-e artworks, visitors can head to the museum's café, Kisetsufu, to savor anmitsu served in artisan-crafted dishes. Pair it with a cup of tea to create a contemporary "Japanese tableau." As the sweet dumpling touches your palate, the waves of Kanagawa seem to bloom on your taste buds. When the sunlight gilds Lake Ashi, sipping fine sencha evokes a fleeting connection with the ukiyo-e artists who rested at Hakone's post towns centuries ago, sharing the same twilight. Suspended in the folds of time and space, this museum brings ukiyo-e to life, transcending the confines of paper. Here, modern architecture and traditional aesthetics merge with Hakone's misty mountains and shimmering waters, returning art to its primal essence—a sensory feast in harmony with nature. 🗻 Narukawa Art Museum 570 Motohakone, Hakone-machi, Ashigarashimo-gun, Kanagawa Prefecture