Hisao Museum — Attraction in Yaese

We recently visited the Hisao Museum at the recommendation of a friend and we are so glad we did! Truly one of the most unique art galleries we have ever experienced and so special!

The drive is about 40 minutes from the Kadena area when taking the expressway. As soon as you pull up there’s a sign pointing you up to the parking right in front of the building. Once you see the somewhat otherworldly exterior details you start to get a glimpse of what’s to come.

Follow around to the left side to enter the building and pay for tickets (¥500 per person) to the left as you enter. We paid with yen but card may be accepted.

Immediately we were greeted by the wife of the artist. You can feel and see just how much pride the entire family has for the art. It is so sweet! English was limited but Google translate would do the trick easily and we were very lucky a family member was so nice to translate!

The gallery is small-ish but the building (also built by the artist!) is packed with incredible artwork. Metal work, wood work and paintings filling the walls and floor! Over 50 years of art from what we understand! You could look at a painting, walk away and come back to find something new and interesting every time. Other dimensions blended with Uchina culture and landscapes. So interesting, so unique. Hisao-San had finished a new piece of work just that morning and we met and chatted and asked a million questions while his niece so graciously translated as he placed it in the gallery. The ¥500 ticket fee is so worth it for just how much you have to take in in the space!

After checking out the gallery I grabbed two prints totaling ¥950. There is a cafe inside as well that was bustling with happy family members and visiting patrons but we were headed to lunch plans. Will definitely try the cafe next time.

10/10 highly recommend the Hisao Museum for a unique, special and off the beaten path stop on a visit to Okinawa! We paired our visit to the museum with the Tomori Stone Lion, Gushichan Beach and Gushichan Gusuku to knock a few sites off our list. A must see stop in...

What an interesting place to visit. I didn’t plan to visit this unique museum however if I didn’t make a sudden visit I guess I would regret. This museum is a huge collection of one artist who probably has spent his entire life for his art works . Each piece of work is very personal expression about his artistic world. There are heaps of paintings and metal structures of interesting insects. I was amazed when I heard not only art works but also this museum has been built by this artist’s hands by himself. There’s a cafe inside the museum. Nice spot to have a look around the ocean view from the museum. If you have an extra time to spend nearby this is a good one to...

Hisao China is a local artist who built this museum with found scrap materials. His paintings are surreal and the more you look at one image, the more neat characters & creatures you'll find. Hisao-san was there when we visited and he signed the prints we purchased. He's a sweet man with a beautiful eye & artistic skill. 500¥ gets you entry to the museum. There are some works available to see by not going in, while sitting at the Cafe. The parking does not look like the building is open, but keep on walking up the hill, you'll find the building entrance. A sweet Obaasan used Google translate to tell us how Hisao-san has been working on his art for 50 years...