Osaka Museums and Galleries Walk - Part 1

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1 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 1 - Osaka Museums and Galleries Walk - Part 1 Osaka City is a great place to visit if you re interested in history or the arts, because there is a large range of great museums and galleries to see. These heritage and cultural centers encompass both galleries with modern themes and historic museums with fascinating artifacts. Take our two-part Museums and Galleries Walk to see all the best historical and cultural sights in Osaka. Guide Location: Japan» Osaka # of Attractions: 7 Tour Duration: 2 hour(s) Travel Distance: 4.0 km Please note: This walk is also featured in the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" downloadable on itunes App Store and Google Play. The app provides turn-by-turn GPS navigation to guide you from one tour sight to the next, so you will never be lost. The apps offer additional walking tours in Osaka. Check them out! GPSmyCity offers self-guided walking tours in over 1,000 city around the world. Please visit for more walking tour offers. List of attractions included in this self-guided walking tour: A) Kirin Plaza Osaka B) Kamigata Ukiyoe Museum C) Takashimaya Exhibition Hall D) Osaka Prefectural Museum of Kamigata Comedy and Performing Arts (Wahha Kamigata) E) Yoshimoto Shotengai (Yoshimoto Comedy Museum) F) Japan Folk Art Museum G) Osaka City Museum of Modern Art Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 1 -

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4 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 4 - A) Kirin Plaza Osaka This architecturally innovative building houses the offices of the Kirin Brewery Co Ltd, the makers of many unique Japanese beer products. Visitors come here to view the exhibitions of modern art in the art gallery and to taste beer in the restaurant. The Kirin Brewery Co Ltd, was founded in Yokohama in 1907 through the efforts of the Scottish merchant, Thomas Glover. The distinctive black granite Kirin Plaza in Osaka has six floors and was designed by Kyoto based architect, Shin Takamatsu. Construction was completed in It is located north of the Ebisu Bashi Bridge in the heart of the Namba and Shinsai Bashi area of Osaka. The Kirin Plaza has a microbrewery on the ground floor. The first floor has a casual café cum bar that overlooks a canal. The building has a restaurant that serves the four brews manufactured by the company, as well as Japanese and international delicacies. The upper floors house the art gallery and exhibition space where many renowned contemporary Japanese and international artists have their works displayed. Two popular exhibitions consisted of the London based Japanese contemporary artist called Tabaimo and local artist Yoyoi Dekei. There is also a beer lecture hall where beer-related seminars and beer tasting events are often held. Address: Soemon-cho 7-2, Osaka-Shi, Japan Image Courtesy of Flickr and Mafue B) Kamigata Ukiyoe Museum The Kamigata Ukiyo-e Museum is a small repository of Ukiyo-e wood block prints. The descriptions of each exhibit are in Japanese. An English pamphlet is available to assist English speaking visitors in taking a self guided tour. The Kamigata Ukiyo-e Museum displays the typical woodblock prints used on costumes of Kabuki actors. The designs are unique to the city of Osaka, known as Kamigata during the Edo period. Osaka is culturally older than other parts of Japan and its prints are considered more refined. It is the only museum with a permanent exhibition of Ukiyo-e prints in the country. The Kamigata Ukiyo-e exhibition has a permanent collection of over 50 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 4 -

5 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 5 - prints. The distinctive characteristic of the Kamigata prints was their realistic appearance. The intention was to reflect the true character of popular kabuki actors. Various emotions experienced by the character are accurately depicted on the prints. A reduced entrance fee is charged for students, children, disabled visitors and the elderly. A small café within the museum serves refreshments for weary and hungry visitors. Operation hours: Tuesday - Sunday: 11 am - 6 pm Address: Namba, Osaka-Shi, , Japan Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Kamigata Ukiyoe C) Takashimaya Exhibition Hall The Takashimaya Exhibition Hall belonging to the Takashimaya Department Store has valuable permanent exhibits and holds interesting special exhibitions. It is located in the large building belonging to the store in Osaka. The Takashimaya department Store is a large and long established shop. The large exhibition hall houses a permanent collection of unique artifacts and antiques. The grand hall of the store located on the 7th floor hosts events and special exhibitions. All permanent exhibits were collected from across Japan from the date of opening of the store. There are over 20,000 objects in the permanent collection of the museum located in the Takashimaya store. Many of the exhibits are rare one of a kind, artifacts. The best known object is a reproduction of the Tamamushi Shrine or the Tamamushi no Zushi from the Horyu-ji Temple. The exhibit has achieved the status of a National Treasure. The entire shrine is made with a brightly colored beetle called the buprestid. Over 9,000 beetles were used in making it and it took nine years to complete. The Grand Hall hosts interesting special exhibitions including the Osaka Ikebana exhibition from time to time. Operation hours: Monday - Sunday: 10 am - 6 pm Address: Takashimaya East Bldg., Nippombashi, Osaka, Japan Image Courtesy of Flickr and Marc-henry Debidour Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 5 -

6 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 6 - D) Osaka Prefectural Museum of Kamigata Comedy and Performing Arts (... Osaka Prefectural Museum of Kamigata Comedy and Performing Arts (Wahha Kamigata) is dedicated to the performing and preservation of the traditional performing arts that originated in the city. The distinctive vaudevillian comedy shows that were born in Osaka are Raguko, Manzai, Rokyuko and Kodan. The Osaka Prefectural Museum of Kamigata Comedy and Performing Arts (Wahha Kamigata) was opened in The aim was to preserve traditional performing arts for posterity and promote them among the youth of the city. Theaters where performances are held, an extensive library and a museum form part of the complex. The museum covers a vast space of over 2350 square meters. The exhibition hall is on the 4th floor. It is designed to take visitors down the late Taisho and early Showa era through a realistic reproduction of a street of houses as it was in old Osaka. Tables and photographs arranged in chronological order narrate the history of the different types of performing arts. There are two performing halls. The main hall on the 5th floor stages comic storytelling shows called the Raguko that dates back to Performances of traditional comedy also take place in the mini performing hall located in the 7th floor. Operation hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday - Sunday: 10 am - 5 pm Address: Yes-Namba Bld., 12-7 Nambasennichimae, Chuo-ku, OsakaCity, , Japan Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and MASA E) Yoshimoto Shotengai (Yoshimoto Comedy Museum) The Yoshimoto Comedy Museum is dedicated to the preservation and display of the contributions made by the Yoshimoto Comedy Troupe to the comic theater of Japan. It is designed as a theme park and occupies the basement of the Namba Grand Kagetsu Theater in Osaka. The Yoshimoto Comedy Troupe started a small traditional theater in It grew to become the best known Japanese comedy company that had the best comedy talent in Japan. They were responsible for the popularity of Manzai, a form of Japanese standup comedy after World War II. Today, it Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 6 -

7 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 7 - has over 650 entertainers including the Owarai Kombi duo who enjoy nationwide popularity. The Yoshimoto Comedy Museum has 45 stands, stores, memorial houses and other structures associated with the art of Yoshimoto. The amusement park is designed like a typical street in Osaka after World War II. At the entrance of the museum is the Kagetsu Restaurant which forms part of many Yoshimoto acts. It serves popular modern Osaka delicacies including Sennichimae-Hari-udon, a noodle soup with potherb mustards, Tako Oshi-zushi or sushi with octopus and Tako Inari-zushi or rice and octopus wrapped with bean curd. The museum has many robots that act and behave like well known Yoshimoto actors. The museum stays open all through the year on all days of the week. Address: 11-6 Namba-Sennichimae, Chuo-ku, Osaka City, , Japan Image Courtesy of Flickr and yeowatzup F) Japan Folk Art Museum (must see) The Japan Folk Art Museum is dedicated to traditional arts and crafts by unknown rural artists. All the exhibits are unique handmade artifacts unlike the mechanical mass produced objects associated with industrialization. The Japan Folk Art Museum shows visitors that modern Japan exemplified by the city of Osaka had a traditional and cultured past. It was opened in 1950 at Dojima, Kita ward of the city. It was first housed in a large rice granary that dated back to the Edo period. To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the museum in 1960, the present building was constructed offering more space and better facilities for display of the collections. The present museum covers an area of 3070 square meters. The Japan Folk Art Museum has day to day objects made by folk artists. The techniques of making these unique objects were handed down from generation to generation. Objects of display include pottery, crockery used for traditional tea ceremonies, bronze crafts, textiles, glassware, toys made of wood and lacquer, bamboo crafts, objects made of paper and wooden objects. The museum also hosts special themed exhibitions, workshops and lectures from time to time. It stays open on all days of the week except Mondays and the 2nd Tuesday of every month. Operation hours: Tuesday - Sunday: 10 am - 5 pm Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 7 -

8 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 8 - Address: Nanbanaka, Naniwa-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka, Japan Image Courtesy of Flickr and ritasmeeta G) Osaka City Museum of Modern Art The Osaka City Museum of Modern Art displays the works of international and Japanese contemporary artists. The museum moved to a new building that has been constructed near the Osaka National Museum of Art. The Osaka City Museum of Modern Art has a collection of 3000 works. Paintings by Modigliani, Andy Warhol, Frank Stella, Picasso and Magritte are on display. There are also works by contemporary Japanese painter Yuzo Saikei. The Museum also holds special themed temporary exhibitions from time to time. Admission is free for young children, the elderly and persons with disabilities. Discounted rates are offered for high school and university students. Operation hours: Tuesday - Sunday: 9:30 am - 5 pm Address: 1-82 Chausuyama-cho,Tennoji-ku,Osaka, Japan Image Courtesy of Flickr and WhATaBOUTpAM Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 8 -