[Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art] (Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture, former province name: Etchu)

When unraveling the history and charm of Toyama Prefecture from an aesthetic perspective, one thing that stands out is the power of advanced "design". In particular, in Toyama City, the prefectural capital, a consistent design concept is embodied in the landscape of the entire town, including the light rail that runs through the city, magnificent glass art and architecture, and traditional industries that are combined with folk art ideas. This pursuit of design can be seen as an inevitable trend that sprouted in the history of Toyama City, such as the pharmaceutical industry that emerged in the Edo period and the glass processing technology that is based on it, but it is none other than the existence of the "Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art" that has solidified its position as a city of design. The Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art is commonly known as "TAD", which is an abbreviation of "Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and Design". In other words, it is a declaration that "Art" and "Design" exist side by side and are the backbone of the museum. This policy was inherited from its predecessor, the Toyama Prefectural Museum of Modern Art, and in 1982 the Museum of Modern Art held the "Contemporary Japanese Poster Exhibition." At the time, the exhibition featured commercial posters, which were generally not recognized for their artistic merit, and many prominent graphic designers donated their works. As they were already highly regarded worldwide, the exhibition attracted a great deal of attention. This exhibition served as a catalyst for Toyama to strengthen its presence as a leading region in design. In 1985, the International Poster Triennale Toyama (IPT) was held. This was the first time in Japan that an international poster competition, which had long been a hot topic in the design industry, was held, and this achievement made the name of "Toyama" as an art city known around the world. Since then, the triennial event has been faithfully continued even after the Museum of Modern Art was renamed the Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art in 2017, and it has now grown into a major competition that attracts as many as 4,500 submissions from around the world. The museum is located in a corner of Toyama Kansui Park, which surrounds the canal leading to Toyama Bay in the northern part of Toyama city, and stands with the clear water flowing in the foreground and the blue Tateyama mountain range in the background. The design was created by Hiroshi Naito (1950-), one of Japan's leading contemporary architects, and combines the elements of "tokonoma, children, and Tateyama." The tokonoma corresponds to the location of the museum when Kansui Park is likened to a tatami room, and was inspired by the image of children playing energetically on the playground equipment at the Museum of Modern Art, with the beautiful Tateyama mountain range in the background. In fact, even today, the rooftop is filled with creative children's playgrounds, and adults can gaze upon Tateyama in awe with the cheers of children at their backs. The museum's permanent exhibition boldly explores the genealogy and appeal of modern art from three axes: the world, Japan, and Toyama. In particular, the unique collection of chairs from around the world is symbolic of the museum's policy of considering "product design" as a field of art, and some of the exhibits can actually be sat on. You can see the completely different colors, shapes, and comfort of the chairs, and can estimate the infinite possibilities of design in the perspective of chairs. In addition, the museum introduces the achievements of artists with ties to Toyama, such as the collection of Simon Goldberg (1909-1993), a world-famous musician who loved Tateyama and died here, and you can get a glimpse of Toyama's history from an aesthetic perspective. After viewing the exhibits, if you look outside the window, you will see a majestic mountain range in the view separated by sharp glass. I was able to think that all the foundations that brought the valuable concept of design to Toyama are the beauty of the Tateyama mountain range, which envelops the entire prefecture and exists like a canvas with a gradation. Recommended for solo travelers: ★★★★ (There are people, but not many. You can enjoy sightseeing in peace!) Visit date: Saturday, the first week of September, around 11am Access: About 15 minutes on foot from Toyama Station #Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art #Toyama trip #Toyama sightseeing #Toyama city #Hokuriku trip #Hokuriku sightseeing #toyama_next #Toyama sightseeing navi #Toyama's seriousness #Domestic travel lover #Want to connect with other domestic travel lovers #Museum lover #Museum tour #Prefectural Museum of Art #Design #Graphic design #Poster design #Product design #World Poster Triennale Toyama #Architecture lover #Architecture tour #Famous architecture #Architectural design #Contemporary architecture #Spatial design #Naito Hiroshi #Kansuikoen #Fuigan Canal Kansuikoen #Solo travel #Life with travel