Matsumoto City Museum of Art — Attraction in Matsumoto

Lovely little museum with works of Yayoi Kusama which was very beautifully curated. There was also a special metalwork exhibition by Katori Hotsuma that required additional ticket to view. The work was exquisite, however my experience was ruined by a very rude staff member who scolded me in Japanese quite loudly for taking photos when there was no signs at all about not taking photos/videos. And then she proceeded to follow me throughout the exhibition and tipped off the other staff member to keep an eye on me. It was as though I was treated like a thief, which was a terrible feeling when you’re supposed to be enjoying the art.

In the Yayoi Kusama exhibition, there were clear “no photo/video” signs in English both at the entrance and in front of the mirror room in multiple languages, which we happily obliged. But in the Katori Hotsuma exhibition, the staff member did not mention this rule when checking our tickets, nor was there any signage throughout the exhibition, so I don’t understand why she needs to publicly shame me. When I responded saying there is no signs saying I couldn’t do so, she simply said “arigatou” to cut me off and prevent further discussion. Later we found that it was written on the back of the ticket in very small font and in Japanese only. I am not Japanese, so there was no way I could’ve gotten the memo.

The museum gets quite a lot of foreigner tourists who came to see Yayoi Kusama’s work, so if you want us to follow your rules, maybe there should be more clear signs and better training for the staff to communicate it in a...

It's quite remarkable that a small city like Matsumoto has large-scale works by the world-renowned artist Yayoi Kusama, even though the collection is limited. I've had the chance to experience her art in other countries and cities, and her installations, especially the mirror-covered rooms, are among my favorites. This museum also features such an installation, but unfortunately, the staff instructed us to "freeze" and remain completely still. We were not allowed to interact with the space in any way. While I understand that this is meant to protect the artwork, it severely limits the experience to less than 10% of what it could be. This is especially disappointing for a museum that uses Kusama's name to draw visitors but offers only a small selection of her work.

What’s even more disappointing is the lack of coherence in the museum’s exhibitions. Yayoi Kusama is a pivotal figure in contemporary art, so I expected to see more modern works alongside hers. Instead, I found myself looking at calligraphy and realist paintings, which wasn’t what I had anticipated. To make matters worse, some of these pieces were hung above the wall boundaries, which seems like an intentional disruption to the viewing experience. Given the admission price, I believe there is a lot of room for...

I truly enjoyed my time at the Matsumoto City Museum of Art. The museum is located in the city center, just a few minutes’ walk from Matsumoto Castle and Matsumoto City Museum – making all combined a great day-trip itinerary coming from Tokyo. In this museum I first learn that Yayoi Kusama is originally from Matsumoto. The museum itself is designed in Kusama’s spirit with her art at the front of the museum and her famous red dots covering the windows. The museum has a number of floors, mostly showing local / other art by different artists. The highlight for me was Kusama’s special gallery at the top floor – taking the visitor on a journey through Kusama’s life, and the different phases she went through and created in. The gallery showed beautiful art created by Kusama across different genres (paintings, statues, mirror-rooms and more). Lastly, the museum also has an external garden where you can sit and relax during your visit to the venue. Overall, this is a great museum and I had a great time visiting it and learning more about Matsumoto and specifically about Kusama. I highly recommend to visit this place when you...