Five reasons to visit the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto

The present-day MoMAK building, conceived by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Fumihiko Maki, was completed in 1986. Born out of a desire to convey the modernity of the 20th century while not detracting from the scenic and historically significant surroundings, this four-storey steel and reinforced concrete construction is subtler and more restrained than some art museums elsewhere, yet quietly expresses the intended spirit. For this it was awarded the Kyoto Scenic Beauty Award in 1987. Much of its expressiveness is contained within the 1.5m grid covering its facade: this represents, among other dualities, Japanese and Western influences, and the present and past. Inside, exhibition space totals some 2,605 square metres.

MoMAK has built up a rich collection of around 13,000 20th-century artworks, from both Japanese and international creators and encompassing a broad range of media including painting, sculpture, photography, ceramics, crafts and much more. Particular emphasis is given to artists or work that have some connection to Kyoto or western Japan, such as the Kyoto School of painting, and influential potter Kanjiro Kawai who based himself in Kyoto.

More contemporary collection highlights include photographs by Kyoichi Tsuzuki that depict designer fashion-obsessed young urbanites in their clothing-cluttered rooms, while names familiar to most Westerners include André Breton and Max Ernst. All this is drawn upon to form collection exhibitions that run consecutively through each year, with MoMAK also hosting frequent special shows.

Following your cultural fix head to Café de 505, again on the first floor. Facing out onto the Lake Biwa Canal, the café’s leafy and tranquil open terrace is an especially popular spot come cherry blossom season, when the sakura trees lining the canal bank briefly burst into delicate yet vivid colour. Dishes made with homemade fresh pasta are joined by curries and lighter meals, plus homemade cakes and seasonal teas.

The museum shop, Art +, is located on the first floor and offers books, catalogues and postcards both tying in with exhibitions held at the museum and featuring work from its extensive permanent collection. You’ll also find a selection of original MoMAK goods, alongside select items sourced from the shops of art museums across the globe: it’s part retail therapy, part cultural exchange.

Located in Kyoto’s Okazaki district, the museum occupies a picturesque spot on a bank of the Lake Biwa Canal, which was built in the Meiji era (1868-1912) to transport water, goods and passengers to Kyoto from the vast Lake Biwa in neighbouring Shiga prefecture. North of the museum is the grand Heian Shrine, which dates back to 1895. One of the shrine’s towering, bold red torii gates stands just outside the museum, as if proffering an invitation. Cherry blossom trees line the canal bank, and adjacent to MoMAK is the Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art.