Taro Okamoto Museum Of Art - Meet The Artist Behind The Myth of Tomorrow

What Was Taro Okamoto Like?

Taro Okamoto (1911-1996) was a Japanese artist. His style is considered to be avant-garde, a rarity in the traditionally-centered Japanese art world, and his energetic works were often rooted in ethnology and cultural anthropology.

Two of his most internationally well-known pieces are Osaka's "Tower of the Sun" and "The Myth of Tomorrow" which is located in Tokyo's Shibuya Station, among others.

The Charms of the Taro Okamoto Museum of Art

The best place to interact with Taro Okamoto's works is at the Taro Okamoto Museum of Art found in Kawasaki, Kanagawa prefecture.

This was the birthplace of Taro Okamoto and many of the works housed here were donated by Okamoto himself. In the immediate Ikuta Ryokuchi area you will also find the Nihon Minka-en Folklore Museum as well as the Fujiko F. Fujio Museum, which makes this a great place to spend a culturally enriching day.

The nearest station to this art museum is Mukogaoka-Yuen Station on the Odakyu line, which is about a twenty minute train ride away from Shinjuku Station. This is the perfect place to take a leisurely stroll and sightsee.

After walking for about 17 minutes from Mukogaoka-Yuen Station, you will come to the Taro Okamoto Museum of Art.

The tower you can see in the background is the symbolic monument of the Taro Okamoto Museum of Art: "Mother's Tower".

This impactful symbol welcomes you as you pass through the entrance. This art museum is an overwhelming, powerful space that transforms daily life and invites its visitors into the unusual world of the works on exhibition.

This is the permanent exhibition space. The art museum is divided into two areas: the permanent exhibition space, and a special exhibition space wherein works both by Okamoto and those connected to them are shown in curated exhibits.

These exhibitions are changed four times a year which makes this a museum that you will find yourself wanting to visit over and over again.