Narukawa Art Museum — Attraction in Hakone

Narukawa Art Museum

Narukawa Art Museum, by Lake Ashi in Hakone, was opened to the public in 1988.

It is a private museum that displays masterpieces of nihonga, Japanese-style paintings, collected by museum owner Minoru Narukawa over the course of 20 years. It includes 200 pieces by Kyujin Yamamoto, recipient of the Order of Cultural Merit.

It is a relatively small museum and the focus is clear - nihonga work.

There are mini galleries with different focuses but those are more permanent and in time to come the content will change and for those interested, I have listed them below.

Permanent exhibition - the hidden treasures of China

Since the spring of 2010, the museum started a permanent exhibition of the hidden treasures of China. Opportunities to view the original pieces of valuable art, finely crafted from the rare jade or ivory, are limited. We cordially invite you to view the masterpieces at our museum.

Current exhibitions

March 14 to July 17, 2024

Kazuo Yoshizawa Exhibition: Reaching for Hope Creating the Ages: Pre-War to Contemporary Women Artists Ryumi Hashimoto Exhibition: Phantasm, Humor, Empathy, Belief

Future exhibitions

July 18 to November 13, 2024

Masaki Sai Exhibition: Dramatic Landscapes and Railways Junzo Yotsuda and Emiko Yuguchi: Father-Daughter Exhibition—Snow and Roses Masterworks in Our Collection—The Sparkling World of Nihonga

But more than anything this museum sits on a hill overlooking Lake Ashi, and i think this is one of its best selling points. Visitors to the museum can enjoy a viewing gallery that has unrestricted views of Mount Fuji and can enjoy a meal while doing so as well.

There is also a small outdoor mini garden space where you can sit and enjoy...

This private contemporary art museum is located just across the street from the Moto-Hakone sightseeing boat pier on the south shore of Lake Ashinoko, in Hakone. There is a small hill to climb but thankfully there is also a series of covered escalators to get you to the top.

The museum displays a collection of nihonga, Japanese style paintings, collected by the museum’s owner over the last 20 years. It's open from 9:00am to 5:00pm – adults ¥1,300. It is well worth wandering through the various galleries and admiring the unique artwork.

The museum also features an impressive panorama lounge and cafe with large windows overlooking Lake Ashinoko and on a clear day, it provides one of the best views of Mount Fuji, the lake and the floating torii gate of the Hakone Shrine. Unfortunately, the day that we were they Mt Fuji was shrouded by clouds. This however is a perfect spot to relax especially if it is raining or it’s humid &...

Even though we were not lucky enough to enjoy the majestic views of Mt Fuji on the two days we spent in the area, I still loved everything about this area and Narukawa was a hidden gem. It is worth a visit regardless of the weather. Beautiful paintings and artifacts, quiet with serene views and fantastic matcha tea with a delicious peach mochi. A lot of tourists were concentrated right opposite at the Torii gate, queuing to take photos in front of it, so the museum was a perfect place to take a moment to just enjoy the surrounding views in a calm and quiet environment. Lots of lovely gifts to bring back home from the gift shop. It was fascinating to read about the history of Nihonga, the Japanese style painting and the use of only natural pigments as you see in photos 6 & 7. I would love to return to Narukawa and hopefully see Mt Fuji from...