10 best museums in Kanagawa
Kanagawa is Japan’s second-largest prefecture by population. Its capital, Yokohama, became one of Japan’s major international port cities in the late 1800s. Across Kanagawa, you can find many museums. Here are some recommended art, history, and science museums to explore.
Note: The links lead to Japanese pages. Please use your browser’s translation feature.
Information is based on the time of publication. For the latest details, please check each museum’s official website.
Yokohama Museum of Art
The Yokohama Museum of Art is known for its stone exterior and symmetrical design, created by the famous Japanese architect Kenzo Tange. The entrance hall has a tall, open space about 16 meters high.
The museum collects many works from the late 19th century onward, including pieces by Dalí, Magritte, Miró, Picasso, and Cézanne.
The Museum of Modern Art, Hayama
This is the oldest national museum of modern art in Japan and is also known as a masterpiece of modernist architecture. It has a branch in Kamakura (currently closed).
The museum holds about 14,000 works, mainly modern Japanese art. On clear days, you can enjoy views of Mount Fuji from the courtyard, with Isshiki Beach right in front of you.
Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Cultural History
This museum uses the former main building of the Yokohama Specie Bank, a structure designated as an Important Cultural Property and Historic Site of Japan. Its exterior shows strong influences from German Western-style architecture.
The permanent exhibition introduces the history and culture of Kanagawa in five main sections and includes many ukiyo-e prints.
(Closed until September 2026.)
POLA MUSEUM OF ART
Opened in 2002 with the concept of “Art and Nature in Harmony in Hakone.” The museum displays Impressionist paintings, Western and Japanese paintings, ceramics, and cosmetic tools.
Visitors can also enjoy the café, museum shop, and a forest walking path.
THE HAKONE OPEN-AIR MUSEUM
A large outdoor museum covering about 70,000 square meters, featuring open-air sculptures. It displays around 120 works by artists from Japan and abroad, including Rodin and Henry Moore.
Picasso Pavilion presents his oil paintings, ceramics, and prints. It is a museum that families can enjoy together.
OKADA MUSEUM OF ART
Opened in 2013 in Hakone. The front of the museum features a large gold-panel mural of Wind God and Thunder Gods.
Inside the spacious building, the museum displays artworks from Japan, China, and Korea, from ancient times to today. Works by Ogata Korin and Ito Jakuchu are also included. A footbath café and Japanese garden are also great places to enjoy.
YOKOSUKA MUSEUM OF ART
Opened in 2007 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Yokosuka City. The museum has many circular openings in the ceiling and walls to bring in natural light, creating an open and bright space.
Visitors are able to feel strong connection between nature, history, and art. Also can visit the nearby Taniuchi Rokuro Pavilion.
(Closed until August 2026.)
TARO OKAMOTO MUSEUM of ART,KAWASAKI
A museum dedicated to Taro Okamoto, an artist closely connected to Kawasaki.
The concept is “an exhibition space you can feel with your body.” It displays his paintings, sculptures, and furniture. There is also a corner where you can sit on chairs designed by Okamoto.
The Hiratsuka Museum of Art
Opened in 1991 with the theme “Art and Light of Shonan.”
The museum holds about 9,000 works, mainly by artists connected to the Shonan area, such as Mitsuo Inoue, Tetsugoro Yorozu, Haru Asano, and Yasuda Yukihiko.
It also hosts several special exhibitions each year.
Sogo Museum of Art
The first museum in Japan located inside a department store.
It exhibits over 100 works by Shintaro Suzuki, as well as Western and Japanese paintings, crafts, sculpture, and calligraphy from Japan and abroad.