Kyoto Seishu Netsuke Art Museum — Attraction in Kyoto

Not for everyone but I loved it. Usually when I think of a musuem, I would think of a large building with exhibits all around with at least one souvenier shop. Instead this was a relatively small and quaint house with little visitors, in the middle of what I would consider a rather remote part of the neighbourhood.

I really loved the miniatures. Each one captures the artists' masterful craftsmanship, love for form, their humor and unique look at humanity, all condensed within something smaller than one's palm.

But it's really not for everyone. My wife who was kind enough to accompany me said it was not an experience that she would go for. Especially when it's quite out of the way and would require a detour from the usual Kyoto...

I had never heard of netsuke before going to this museum, and I am so glad I went there. The display of these small, functional yet highly artistic and witty items is a joy to behold. I wish I could stay in Kyoto for a year to see their exhibition as it changes every three months. The museum is housed in an old Kyoto samurai home that is worth seeing in its own right. This is a place to visit if you enjoy viewing art and handcraft and would like to get a glimpse of one of the lesser known (outside of Japan, that is) expressions of human artistry and creativity. In addition to the exhibits there are also videos of the artists and craftspeople making netsuke. It’s a wonderful place. (Look up ‘netsuke’ on the internet...

Located inside a machiya, this museum houses niche netsuke art, miniature sculptures. Seeing this exhibition for the first time was amazing actually, because the sculptures vary incredibly in their motifs, ranging from cute to realistic, grotesque to heart-warming. Although the museum itself is small, there are plenty of netsuke to look at and it takes a bit to really get a look at all the details of each one.

I can imagine it might be a bit difficult to enjoy this fully if it's slightly more crowded as there isn't too much space but as this museum seems quite niche, there shouldn't be a problem generally.

As a bonus, I really enjoyed seeing a full traditional wood/coal kitchen inside...