The Ohara Museum of Art is one of Kurashiki’s most iconic museums.
It is a familiar museum to local residents, but it is also a classic tourist destination featured in many guidebooks to the Bikan Historical Area.
Even if you think, “I’d like to visit at least once,” you may also wonder, “I’m not sure how to enjoy an art museum.”
The Ohara Museum of Art also offers programs designed to help beginners enjoy viewing art.
One new initiative is the “theatrical art appreciation tour.”
What kind of tour is it?
Curious about what it involved, I joined a preview tour held ahead of its launch.
In this article, I’ll report on the experience.
The information presented is current as of when this article was published in January 2023. Please note that it may differ from current information.
About the Ohara Museum of Art
Established in 1930, the Ohara Museum of Art was Japan’s first private museum focused on Western art.
It is divided into the Main Gallery, the Annex, and the Crafts and Oriental Art Gallery, and houses approximately 3,000 works.
As of January 2023, it is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., except on Mondays, when it is closed. (For details about opening hours, please check the Ohara Museum of Art website.)
Another distinctive feature is that it holds art appreciation tours, including an “Evening Tour” after closing (reservations required).
The Ohara Museum of Art is enjoyable even when exploring on your own.
If you’d like to enjoy it even more, joining an art appreciation tour is also recommended.
Theatrical art appreciation tour: Actors appear between explanations
Unlike the Ohara Museum of Art’s conventional art appreciation tours, the theatrical art appreciation tour is offered in a new format.
It is a 70-minute tour that weaves theatrical performances into a tour of the Main Gallery with an Ohara Museum of Art guide.
During the tour, two actors appear between explanations by museum staff.
They portray Ohara Magosaburo and Kojima Torajiro.
They play two people essential to understanding the Ohara Museum of Art.
Their stories include how Ohara and Kojima met and anecdotes about collecting artworks.
The actors are Toichiro Ariga of Gekiteki Shudan Tenkiyoho and Ryo of Okayama Gekidan SKAT!!.
Their engaging exchanges offer a deeper understanding of the Ohara Museum of Art and its collection.
Report on taking the preview tour
On the preview tour I joined, I was able to experience the same itinerary as the actual theatrical art appreciation tour.
Here is my report on what stood out to me and my impressions.
To experience the full flow and details of the tour, I encourage you to join the theatrical art appreciation tour yourself.
The exchange between Ohara Magosaburo and Kojima Torajiro
The highlight of the theatrical art appreciation tour is undoubtedly the exchange between the actors portraying Ohara Magosaburo and Kojima Torajiro.
Many of their conversations felt so real that I could imagine the two of them having spoken that way in front of the paintings when the Ohara Museum of Art was first established.
For example, here is a moment in front of Kojima’s signature work, “Belgian Girl in a Kimono.”
Ohara: “Was it after you entered the art academy in Ghent? That your paintings changed so dramatically.”
(Omitted)
Kojima: “Creating in a new environment, everything I saw—the air, the climate, the light—was fresh, and I couldn’t stop painting.”
Ohara: “And your signature work from that time was this ‘Belgian Girl in a Kimono.’”
This is an anecdote from when Ohara, who believed in Kojima’s artistic talent, supported Kojima’s studies in Europe.
Ohara ran many businesses and, guided by his belief that “profits gained from society should be returned to society,” supported children who wanted to study but could not afford to.
Listening to their conversation offers a glimpse of Ohara and Kojima’s personalities and the unique bond of trust between them.
I felt as though I had traveled back in time to when the Ohara Museum of Art was first established.
I think it was an experience I could not have had simply by reading descriptions of the works or listening to explanations.
Explanations by an Ohara Museum of Art guide
The theatrical art appreciation tour is not a 70-minute performance.
As you move through Rooms 1 to 5 of the Ohara Museum of Art’s Main Gallery, the story unfolds around explanations by a museum guide.
The guide explains the overall historical context from Ohara and Kojima’s meeting to the establishment of the Ohara Museum of Art, as well as the background to the collection of artworks.
The guide connects each episode performed by the actors into a single story.
The guide could be described as a kind of narrator.
Because the roles of the guide and actors are clearly distinct, I was able to better understand the museum’s history and its artworks.
The 70-minute tour also includes time to view the art freely
The theatrical art appreciation tour is scheduled to last 70 minutes, including time for independent viewing.
Between the end of an explanation or performance and moving to the next gallery, you can view the artworks at your own pace.
Learning the stories behind each work may also make the artworks feel more familiar.
Take your time viewing them while recalling the exchanges between the two men and the guide’s explanations.
You can, of course, also view the other works in the same gallery.
After the tour, I also recommend viewing the artworks in the Ohara Museum of Art’s other galleries.
Be sure to allow plenty of time and enjoy your visit to the Ohara Museum of Art.
From the Writer
The theatrical art appreciation tour is distinctive in that you can enjoy both explanations of the artworks and theatrical performances.
Learning about the historical context and specific stories behind each work made a stronger impression on me than ever before.
I also felt that the way I saw the artworks had changed a little.
It made me want to take an even closer look, and I’m already looking forward to my next visit to the Ohara Museum of Art.
During the preview tour, Keita Ishii of the Ohara Museum of Art’s Business Promotion Division said the following.
The Ohara Museum of Art has long been exploring new ways for visitors to appreciate art.
In this tour, the two people who founded the Ohara Museum of Art appear and talk together, allowing you to view the artworks immersed in the world they lived in.
It is an opportunity for people unfamiliar with the Ohara Museum of Art to learn more about it.
It is also a program that helps people who already know the Ohara Museum of Art understand it more deeply.
I hope that learning about its roots will help you feel closer to the Ohara Museum of Art.
They hope to increase the number of times the tour is held in the future.
The theatrical art appreciation tour offers a new way to experience art. Be sure to join it at least once.
Articles about the Ohara Museum of Art
Ohara Museum of Art Theater-Style Viewing Tour Information
| Name | Ohara Museum of Art Theater-Style Viewing Tour |
|---|---|
| Date | Saturday, February 4, 2023 ・6:00 p.m.–7:10 p.m. ※Check-in begins in front of the main building 15 minutes before the performance. Please gather at check-in no later than 5 minutes before. ※Limited to 20 people per session (reservations required; first come, first served). Registration closes once capacity is reached. |
| Location | Ohara Museum of Art Main Building |
| Participation Fee (tax included) | 5,000 yen (tax included) ※Payment in cash on the day. ※The same fee applies to elementary school students and older. ※Preschool children may not participate. To make a reservation, call or email and provide your name, number of participants, contact information, and preferred session. Phone: 086-422-0005 (Reception hours: 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.) Email address: eigyo@ohara.or.jp |
| Website | Ohara Museum of Art |
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