Yokohama / Where Aesthetic Education is Everywhere

Yokohama, located just an hour away from Tokyo, greets visitors with a blend of oceanic relaxation and modern sophistication, where aesthetic education permeates every corner. 🩵🤍🩶 The Yokohama Museum of Art feels like a gentle harbor and an open plaza. Its exquisite use of pink granite creates an atmosphere where even breathing becomes light and tender. Designed by Kenzo Tange, the museum first opened in 1989 and underwent renovations from 2021 to 2024, reopening this February. Its graphic design, exhibition planning, architectural modifications, landscape design, and extensive art collection are all worth a dedicated visit. 🎫🏛️🎨 The reopening exhibition, "Welcome Back, Yokohama," aims to depict Yokohama's new identity through art, spanning from the Jomon period to the present. It focuses on the lives of people in Yokohama before the port opened, including women, children, and other often-overlooked groups, showcasing the city's history through diverse works. As part of the renovation, the museum's massive entrance hall, The Grand Gallery, serves as a welcoming free space for visitors. Two new free galleries, a café, and seating areas have been added outside the museum, allowing citizens to enjoy exhibitions and relaxation. The dynamic white water installation outside the first-floor library vividly conveys the flow of the wind. 🧚🏻‍♀️🧑🏻‍🦽🫄🧑🏻‍🦯 The museum pays meticulous attention to the needs of the elderly, people with disabilities, vulnerable groups, and pregnant women. From elevator placements and mobility route planning to visually soothing design guidance, the care is evident. Many citizens, including those in wheelchairs, come to visit, and there are dedicated nursing rooms and Braille signage. Special efforts have also been made for children's aesthetic education. For instance, there is a children's "shoe zone" where kids can freely play barefoot. This encourages children to explore the free areas, potentially discovering new "paths" that lead to unexpected futures. The exhibition concludes with a dedicated children's gallery, featuring lowered sightlines and guided questions for each artwork. Small chairs are provided for kids to sit and observe, allowing them to appreciate works like Yoshitomo Nara's paintings and Isamu Noguchi's sculptures up close.