Akita Museum of Art — Attraction in Daisen

It is worth travelling just to see the building, which is by the fascinating architect Tadeo Ando. Despite its unpromising site he has created an amazing cafe and shop area with a mirror pool which seems to lead to the park opposite, even though it is actually quite a way away. The main staircase is also a work of art in itself. There is quite a bit of work by the artist "Tsuguharu Foujita", who travelled from Japan to Paris and hung out with the likes of Picasso. His work was interesting and I was glad to have made his acquaintance but the best piece of his art for me was a huge mural depicting Akita through the seasons which he painted very quickly. There was also a most interesting exhibition on Shinichi Saito's many pictures of the three blind musicians legend. Unfortunately you're not allowed to take photos inside...

It definitely is a worthwhile stop if you're closeby for the sake of checking out and appreciate some local contributions to Western-style art.

The centerpiece is definitely Tsuguharu Foujita's mural of life in Akita throughout the year. I spent a good dozen minutes or so just trying to take it all in and was quite a juxtaposition from his work on wartime paintings that have been hotly contested in his legacy (I had an interest in the Battle of Attu in the Aleutian Islands and his depiction of it had me interested even more.)

The seating area by the museum ticket desk and the cafe was a nice way to escape the rain while appreciating some of the additional aspects of Ando Tadao that one would miss by walking...

Very small museum, 15 minutes to see the entirety at a leisurely pace. Not the greatest value for 1000 yen. Also, no photography allowed. As a foreigner this causes problems since I can’t translate the Japanese text accompanying the artwork with Google Lens, and most of it was only displayed in Japanese. The QR code for an English audio guide failed to work, too.

So, as a museum, it could be improved fundamentally. The large painting of historical Akita was interesting but did not get contextualized well.

The cafe and shop has a beautiful view, and the staircase going up to the main level is memorable. So, it can still be a way to spend an hour or so if you take your time and unwind...