Okayama Prefectural Museum of Art

The Okayama Prefectural Museum of Art (Okayama Kenritsu Bijutsukan) is the region's principal art museum, opened in 1988 in the Tenjin-cho cultural quarter between Okayama Station and Okayama Castle. Designed by the firm of Shinichi Okada, its spacious, light-filled halls make it one of the more comfortable mid-size art museums in western Japan to spend an unhurried couple of hours.

The permanent collection of roughly two thousand works is built around the theme of "a connection with Okayama Prefecture." This gives the museum an unusually strong regional identity: it holds pieces by, or associated with, some of the greatest artists born in the old provinces of Bizen, Bitchu and Mimasaka. Foremost among them is Sesshu Toyo, the towering fifteenth-century ink-painting master born in Okayama, along with the Edo-period literati painter Uragami Gyokudo and other calligraphers, potters and modern painters with local roots. The collection ranges across ink painting, Nihonga, Western-style oils, calligraphy, crafts and ceramics.

Because space is limited relative to the holdings, the museum rotates its displays and frequently gives its main galleries over to ambitious temporary exhibitions that travel between major Japanese institutions. As a result the experience can differ greatly from one visit to the next, and it is worth checking the current programme before you arrive, especially if you hope to see a particular masterpiece.

A notable point of pride is the building itself, which won architectural recognition for its clean modern lines and generous circulation spaces. The design intends the movement from gallery to gallery to feel calm and processional, and natural light is used carefully to complement the works.

The visiting experience is easy and accessible. The museum is fully barrier-free with lifts, wheelchair loan and accessible restrooms, and it has a cafe and a well-stocked shop with catalogues and locally themed art goods. Most visitors spend a little over an hour; art lovers who catch a strong special show may linger longer.

Spring and autumn are ideal, both for the pleasant walk through the museum district and for pairing the visit with the cherry trees around the castle moat or the autumn colours near Korakuen Garden a short distance away. The museum sits within a two- to three-minute walk of the Orient Museum, and the Prefectural Museum, Hayashibara Museum and Yumeji Art Museum are all nearby, making a satisfying museum circuit.

To get there, ride the Okayama Electric Tramway from the east exit of Okayama Station along the Higashiyama Line to the Shiroshita stop, about five minutes for a flat 140 yen with IC cards accepted; the museum is a three-minute walk north, one block up from the Orient Museum. Alternatively it is a roughly 20-minute walk east from the station along the main Momotaro-dori boulevard. JR Rail Pass holders arrive at Okayama Station on the Sanyo Shinkansen and Sanyo Main Line at no extra cost, with the short tram hop the only local add-on.