Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Behind the day-glo paintings, gra
ti, sculptures and red scaffolding swarming over the
building's front like some alien metal creeper, the interior features eclectic displays
ranging from quirky sculpture to video installations - even the toilet is plastered from
floor to ceiling with artwork. Many spaces are rented by the week - or even the day - and
they are often presided over by the artists themselves.
Aoyama
੨ࢁ
Harajuku's chaotic creativity finally gives way to Aoyama's sleek sophistication,
as Omotesandō crosses Aoyama-dōri and narrows to a two-lane street lined with
the boutiques of many of Japan's top designers (see p.192). The most striking
building of all, though, is the glass bubble designed by Jacques Herzog and Pierre de
Meuron for Prada.
10
Aoyama Reien
੨ࢁྶԂ
• 2-32-2 Minami-aoyama, Minato-ku • Aoyama-itchōme, Gaienmae or Nogizaka stations
Tokyo's most important graveyard is o
cially entitled
Aoyama Reien
, but most know
it as
Aoyama Bochi
. Everyone who was anyone is buried here, and the graves, many
decorated with elaborate calligraphy, are interesting to browse. Look out for the
section where foreigners are buried: their tombstones provide a history of early
gaijin
involvement in Japan. Many locals enjoy partying here during the
hanami
season,
under the candyfloss bunches of pink cherry blossoms.
Nezu Museum
ࠜඒज़ؗ
• 6-5-1 Minami-aoyama, Minato-ku • Tues-Sun 10am-5pm • ¥1000 •
T
03 3400 2536,
W
www.nezu-muse.or.jp •
Omotesandō or Nogizaka stations
The prestigious
Nezu
Museum
sits at the far eastern end of Omotesandō, in an
elegant building designed by Kengo Kuma. The museum houses a classy collection
of Oriental treasures, including the celebrated
Irises
screens, traditionally displayed
for a month from the end of each April - expect big crowds for this popular
exhibition. The museum's best feature, enjoyable any time of year and fully
justifying the entrance fee, is its extensive garden, which slopes gently away around
an ornamental pond. Dotted through it are several traditional teahouses, and mossy
stone and bronze sculptures.
Okamoto Tarō Memorial Museum
Ԭຊଠه೦ؗ
, Okamoto Tarō Kinenkan • 6-1-19 Minami-aoyama, Minato-ku • Wed-Mon 10am-5.30pm • ¥600 •
W
taro-okamoto
.or.jp • Omotesandō station
The quirky
Okamoto Tarō Memorial Museum
once functioned as the studio of the
avant-garde artist (see box below); it now houses examples of his intriguing, often
whimsical work, as well as a pleasant café (see p.161). If this has whetted your appetite,
you might consider heading to the largest Okamoto Tarō Museum of Art in Kawasaki,
between Tokyo and Yokohama (
W
www.taromuseum.jp).
ART IS AN EXPLOSION
One of Japan's most famous post-World War II artists is
Okamoto Tarō
(1911-96) who was
born in Kawasaki and worked for part of his career in Aoyama, where his old studio is now a
museum (see above). His
Tower of the Sun
sculpture was the symbol of Ōsaka's Expo in 1970.
In Tokyo, Okamoto's bizarre, cartoon-like sculptures can be seen outside Shibuya's National
Children's Castle (see p.30) and next to the Toshiba Building in Ginza. Together with his
enormous mural
Myth of Tomorrow
in Shibuya Station (see opposite), they neatly encapsulate
the artist's dictum that “art is an explosion”.
