Hiroshima: Land Scape, Special Architecture to Offer Unique Beauty at Simose Art Museum

By Mai Oyama / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

13:24 JST, February 21, 2026

OTAKE, Hiroshima — The Simose Art Museum in Otake, Hiroshima Prefecture, stands on the coast of the Seto Inland Sea, from which it commands a distant view of various islands, including Miyajima Island, home to Itsukushima Shrine.

The museum was designed to reflect the concept of “admiring art within art.” The entrance hall and exhibition hall buildings are connected by a single straight corridor, one exterior wall of which forms a 180-meter-long, 8.5-meter-high mirrored glass screen on the seaward side, reflecting the nearby sea, sky and trees in a massive panorama.

In addition to these buildings, the museum also features eight movable box-shaped galleries clad in glass of orange, pink, yellow and other colors, all arrayed in a shallow basin of water.

The eight cubes, which also face the sea, have floor space of about 100 square meters each. Through the application of technology originally created for use in shipbuilding, the water level of the basin can be raised so that the galleries — which float — can be arranged into seven different layouts, in accordance with different exhibitions.

“The architecture itself is a work of contemporary art,” said one 72-year-old woman, who visited the museum from Kanagawa Prefecture specifically to see the buildings.

“Even the coastal landscape has been made into a part of the art,” said curator Minami Ogawa, 27.

The museum, which opened in March 2023, was conceived in response to the 60th anniversary of Hiroshima City-based building material manufacturer Marui Sangyo Co. It preserves and displays about 500 items collected by the company’s founding Shimose family, including Japanese dolls and modern paintings. Glassworks by French artist Emile Galle also form part of the collection.

The museum was designed by renowned architect Shigeru Ban, a recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, often called the Nobel Prize of architecture.

When Ban was commissioned to design the museum, he visited the site and saw for the first time the vast tract of former prefectural land purchased by Marui Sangyo. Ban recalls being surprised to find that such a piece of land still remained undeveloped, as the scenery was so magnificent. He wondered how best to make use of the landscape.

“I have always thought architecture should be allowed to move, too,” Ban said. He drew inspiration for the floating galleries from the islands of the Seto Inland Sea.

The 4.6-hectare site also features a garden of plants associated with Galle — who was also known as a botanist — in addition to 10 villas and a French restaurant. The colors of the movable galleries were chosen from the plants seen in Galle’s works.

In 2024, the museum earned the title of “the world’s most beautiful museum” when it was awarded the Prix Versailles established by UNESCO. It generated a lot of buzz on social media, and to date has drawn more than 300,000 visitors from Japan and abroad.

“The museum excites visitors because it offers them a special, extraordinary experience,” Ogawa said.

Ban said he always tries to read the distinguishing characteristics of a piece of land and think about the best way to reflect them architecturally.

“What’s most important is to create something that could only be built there,” he said as the Seto sunlight shone on the museum.

Workshop of washi making

Located in the Boroku district of Otake is a facility that carries on the techniques and traditions of making washi Japanese paper that date back approximately 400 years.

Otake Tesuki Washi no Sato (Otake handmade washi village) offers visitors the opportunity to view the traditional papermaking process and attend papermaking workshops. The Boroku district, blessed by the waters of the Oze River, is ideal for growing kozo, a plant that serves as the base ingredient for washi. In early 20th century, there were 1,000 papermaking households in the area.

Now a society for preserving Otake washi, consisting of district residents, is doing everything from kozo growing to papermaking. Strong, white Otake washi has been designated as a Hiroshima prefectural traditional craft, along with Otake Koinobori, carp streamers made from that same paper.

“We hope visitors will feel the history of washi and also enjoy the facility itself,” said society member Tomokazu Takenaka, 45.

A taste of the season

Desserts and light meals made with fruits and other ingredients from the area around the Seto Inland Sea can be enjoyed at the museum cafe while strolling or viewing the museum’s art.

On the spacious floor of the cafe, the roof beams spread out through space like branches extending radially from the trunk of an enormous tree. Visitors can also enjoy a sweeping view of the ocean.

Offerings include a set featuring a drink and cake prepared with seasonal fruits for ¥1,800. Setouchi lemon squash, with a nice balance of sweet and sour flavors, is also a popular choice at ¥850.

Keisuke Fujiya, 42, of the cafe, who is also a chef at the adjoining French restaurant said, “I hope visitors will also savor the cafe’s unique atmosphere.”

Simose Art Museum

To get to the museum, take the bus from JR Otake Station to Yume Town for 20 minutes, then walk for 5 minutes. Shuttle bus services are available between the station and the museum on weekends and holidays. If you drive, it is 5 minutes from Otake Interchange. Open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed on Mondays.

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