Okura Museum of Art — Attraction in Tokyo

A truly disappointing experience. I am both an art lover and long-serving art historian, covering art around the world as part of the global press pack (Chartered Institute of Journalists). First of all, when we choose to cover a historical art venue, it is a nice opportunity for the gallery to be featured. However, I ditched my piece on this gallery as they don’t deserve to be featured and here’s why: Very unfriendly towards the foreign press: the 2 women on the counter addressed me very dogmatically and complained that journalists should seek permission far in advance to enter the gallery. They didn’t listen to my basic request which was to attend the current exhibition (Le Corbusier). Instead, I was met with a hostile lecture on how I was strictly forbidden from seeing the national treasures. I was there to see and review Le Corbusier. They then said they couldn’t help me because only the Le Corbusier exhibit was available (which was what I had requested in the first place). They had close to zero information in English for general visitors or press alike. The collection was very small and barely worth it. The poster translation from French into English for this Swiss-French all-time-great completely missed the point of the collection’s theme and in doing so failed what the original exhibitors were trying to convey. This was not an exhibit meaning to say ‘by himself’ as it implied the meaning of him doing something independently or branching away from something. The contrary: it was a closer insight into his life and the French phrase had a very different meaning. A complete failure in terms of art curation in my view, to say this place represents the oldest private museum in Tokyo. I would say the worst point was the dictatorial attitude of the staff on the first floor upon entering. They need a few lessons in basic manners and customer service and a more co-operative attitude towards the press rather than berating them with irrelevant details. Way overpriced. Not worth...

I went during the Victorian Jewelry collection showcase. The exhibit starts in a reverse clockwise circle from the information desk. On the second floor, it starts from the elevator.

The Victorian Jewelry is a really pretty and beautiful collection. The explanation is in Japanese and minimal English. The explanation is meaningful and helpful but it is too bad it is not consistently on every single exhibit.

Unfortunately, no pictures allowed :(

2nd Floor terrance is really nice...

This museum was established by Mr. Kihachiro Okura and developed by his son Mr. Kishichiro Okura who was founder of Hotel Okura. During early stage of Meiji era, there was political action of separation Shinto from Buddhism which were integrated in any aspect since around thousand years ago in Japan. Mr. Okura saved a lot of paintings and statues from destruction and those you...