Miho Museum

MIHO MUSEUM is an art museum located in the lush mountains of Shigaraki in southern Shiga Prefecture. It opened in November 1997 and was founded based on the philosophy of its creator, Mihoko Koyama, who hoped to make the world a more beautiful, peaceful, and enjoyable place through art.

The museum’s greatest feature is its design by the world-renowned architect I.M. Pei. Known for works such as the glass pyramid at the Louvre Museum in France, MIHO MUSEUM is also one of the few buildings he designed in Japan. Its design is inspired by “Tōgenkyō,” the utopian paradise described in the Chinese classic The Peach Blossom Spring, and reflects concepts such as harmony between nature, architecture, and artworks, as well as a fusion of East and West.

The building was carefully designed to blend into the surrounding natural environment, with more than 80 percent of its total volume buried underground. As a result, its exterior does not disturb the mountain scenery and instead seems to merge into nature. Inside, the entrance welcomes visitors with natural light pouring in through the glass roof and a sweeping panoramic view of the mountains, creating an open and dreamlike atmosphere.

The approach to the museum is also one of its major attractions. From the reception building to the museum building, visitors walk about 500 meters along a route that takes them past a row of weeping cherry trees in spring, through a fantastical stainless-steel tunnel, and across a 120-meter suspension bridge. This sequence creates the impression of journeying into Tōgenkyō itself, leaving a strong and lasting impression on visitors.

The collection comprises around 3,000 works, mainly ancient art from Egypt, Greece, Rome, West Asia, South Asia, and China, along with a broad range of Japanese Buddhist art and tea ceremony art. About 250 works are on display at any given time, allowing visitors to experience the civilizations and cultures of the world across regions and eras. In addition, special exhibitions are held each open season in spring, summer, and autumn.

The museum also includes a restaurant, café, and museum shop. The restaurant, in particular, serves dishes made with ingredients grown using “Shumei Natural Agriculture,” a no-fertilizer, no-pesticide farming method, reflecting the museum’s commitment to the idea of “beauty from within.”

MIHO MUSEUM is a place where visitors can experience not only works of art, but also diverse forms of beauty through architecture, nature, and food. Together with the scenery of each season, it offers an extraordinary and tranquil experience—truly a museum like a modern-day Tōgenkyō.