Mystery-Solving Game: Find the “Secret Painting” Sleeping in the Ohara Museum of Art? Experience Report [Ended]

What comes to mind when you hear, “There’s a puzzle-solving event at the museum!”?
If you love solving puzzles, you might think, “I’d like to give it a try!”

But if you don’t, the “puzzle-solving event” itself is a “puzzle.”
When I took part, I initially couldn’t get a feel for how the puzzles worked, and made my way through feeling rather lost.

But feeling “lost” is just right.
To cut to the chase, the moment-by-moment experience of solving the puzzles is so addictive, and a lot of fun!

In this article, I’ll share my experience of the “Puzzle-Solving Game: Find the ‘Secret Painting’ Hidden in the Ohara Museum of Art?” held at the Ohara Museum of Art through September 30, 2018!

What is the “Puzzle-Solving Game: Find the ‘Secret Painting’ Hidden in the Ohara Museum of Art?”

The “Puzzle-Solving Game: Find the ‘Secret Painting’ Hidden in the Ohara Museum of Art?” is an event where participants solve puzzles hidden among the exhibits inside the Ohara Museum of Art as they search for the “Secret Painting.”

It was my first time taking part in a puzzle-solving event, and I was looking forward to finding out exactly how it would unfold.
And since it was being held at an art museum, I was even more curious.

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Event overview

The puzzle-solving event was held from April 1 through Sunday, September 30, 2018.

▼The costs to take part in the event were as follows:

• Admission
• Question booklet: ¥500

For example, one adult would need to pay ¥1,500 for admission plus a ¥500 participation fee, for a total of ¥2,000.

Groups may be able to get by with just one question booklet, so it might be worth asking.

How the puzzle-solving event works

Here’s a quick overview of what to do before starting the “Puzzle-Solving Game: Find the ‘Secret Painting’ Hidden in the Ohara Museum of Art?”

1. Pay the admission fee and event participation fee (the cost of the question booklet) at the admission ticket counter
2. Receive the question booklet and a pencil
3. Follow the instructions in the question booklet and start solving puzzles!

Once you receive the question booklet, you’re sure to get excited and think, “I’m finally taking part!”

Key points of the puzzle-solving event

You’re probably wondering how to solve the puzzles.
The question booklet you receive contains the questions and hints.

▼Here are some key points:

• Work through the puzzles by matching the questions in the booklet with exhibits and facilities inside the Ohara Museum of Art
• There’s a crossword puzzle at the end of the booklet where you fill in the words you’ve worked out
• Once you know the “answer (keyword),” you’ll know where to go and what to do
• Solve all the puzzles to discover the identity of the painting of happiness
• After writing down the “title” of the painting of happiness, submit the booklet at the baggage check to complete the game

It may look simple, but when I actually tried it, it turned out to be quite a complex game.

The puzzle-solving begins

Now let’s go inside the Ohara Museum of Art and start solving puzzles!

▼This is me (Papanda), thinking, “I can barely think straight on a normal day—can I really solve puzzles...?”

Since this is a puzzle-solving event, I can’t reveal all the puzzles here.
But first, I’ll show you which exhibit is featured in the first question.

▼The first question in the booklet reads as follows:
“Read the things on the shelf.”

The hint says, “To solve this question...” and tells you to go to the spot marked with a flower.

▼The flower symbols are marked on the museum map you receive with the question booklet.

This is basically how you work through the puzzles! If you get stuck right here, you can’t move on!

▼Here I am, stumped and saying, “Oh no... I have no idea... Please explain the purpose—the purpose of the event!”

▼The exhibit for the first question is “Kojima Torajiro: Belgian Girl in Kimono,” which you can see just inside the main entrance.
Compare the painting with the question as you work out the answer!

You can move on once you solve a puzzle, but...

Once you solve the first question, you move on to the second, and once you solve the second... You keep making your way through the museum in order.

If your only goal is to solve the puzzles, of course you can keep moving right along.
But the Ohara Museum of Art has plenty of other exhibits besides the ones featured in the puzzles.

I think part of the fun of a puzzle-solving event at an art museum is taking a good look at the other exhibits after solving each question.

There are recommended spots besides the artworks, too.

▼I heard from Ms. Takahashi, the public relations representative who showed me around, that the view through the “round window” at the front of the building is lovely.

▼Here it is.

The streets of the Bikan Historical Area looked just like a “postcard.”
I’d recommend this spot, too.

Clear the first stage and head to the Annex

Starting with the first question, you gradually get used to the puzzles, and your solving speed picks up, too.
At first, I had no confidence in my brainpower, but it turns out I can do it when I try.

▼What do you think? Here I am tackling the final question in the Main Building. I look pretty smart, don’t I?

As a key point for solving the puzzles, remember this:

• Once you know the “answer (keyword),” you’ll know where to go and what to do

Once you solve the final question, you should find out that you need to go to the Annex.

Take a look at the museum map you received with the question booklet.
When I first looked at the map, I thought it was unhelpful because I couldn’t tell where to start and the layout was completely different from the actual building.

But the map itself is also part of the “puzzle,” and you have to figure out how to reach the room containing the exhibit with the hidden puzzle.

▼If you can’t figure out the layout of the buildings from the map you received, try comparing it with the maps inside the museum.

▼Now, we leave the Main Building, cross the courtyard, and head for the Annex.

▼The entrance to the Annex is coming into view.

▼At a certain spot, you can move on to the next stage by doing what you are instructed to do.

Here’s a little preview of the next-stage puzzle.
“How many legs does the ‘thing pouring down’ on the clover mark stand on?”

▼“One, two, three, four… um, how many legs was it? Let me count again. One, two, three… one more time!” Dad Panda, 39, repeated this several times… He counted about five times.

Once you’ve solved all the puzzles, it’s finally time for the final question!
You’ll make full use of the booklet, maps, and other materials you’ve used to solve the puzzles so far.

▼If you just can’t figure it out, there’s a “Secret Hints” file on the desk, so take a look.
It explains everything very helpfully. What a relief.

Deciphering this final question was the part that felt most like “solving a mystery.”
You do various tasks, and it makes you feel like your brain is getting a workout.

I think it’s an irresistible moment for anyone who loves solving puzzles!
I can see why people enjoy it.

And I managed to solve it on my own!
…Well, I did hear a little from Takahashi, the PR representative.

Solve the final question, and you’ll find out the “title of the painting of happiness.”

Once you know the title of the painting of happiness, head to the baggage storage counter

It was a long, long journey to find out the “title of the painting of happiness.”

The finish line is the baggage storage counter.
▼Tell the person at the counter what the “title of the painting of happiness” was.

▼You’ll receive Ohara Museum of Art merchandise, available only to those who solve the puzzles and reach the finish!!
After all the effort we put in, it made me happy.

▼And that’s the mystery-solving complete!

My thoughts after trying “Mystery-Solving Game: Find the ‘Secret Painting’ Hidden in the Ohara Museum of Art?”

Honestly, at first I wondered, “What would solving puzzles in an art museum be like…?” But as I gradually made my way through the event, I became absorbed in it.

You don’t just solve puzzles; in between, you can also admire the works inside the Ohara Museum of Art.
If you’ve visited before, you can also reminisce, thinking things like, “I remember this exhibit from my last visit.”

It’s like getting two treats in one.

It took about an hour, since I took my time going around the museum.
If you’re only doing the puzzles, or you’re good at solving them, I think you could finish much faster.

I also felt that the content would be enjoyable for elementary school-aged children to work through together with their parents.

It’s nice to take your time solving puzzles in a quiet space that’s different from the usual.

A closer look at the Ohara Museum of Art!

Kurashiki Tocotoco also has an article that introduces the Ohara Museum of Art in detail.
It packs in all the highlights, so be sure to give it a read.

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The Ohara Museum of Art is one of Kurashiki’s proudest attractions. I love art and visit museums all over Japan. Of them, the Ohara Museum of Art is one of my particular favorites. From Western art to contemporary works from Japan and abroad…

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Articles about the Ohara Museum of Art

Ohara Museum of Art Information

Name	Ohara Museum of Art
Address	1-1-15 Chuo, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture
Contact	086-422-0005
Parking	None
Opening hours	【December–February】 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. (last admission: 2:30 p.m.) 【March–November】 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. (last admission: 4:30 p.m.)
Closed	Mondays Open when a public holiday or substitute holiday falls on a Monday Closed during winter; occasional temporary closures
Admission (tax included)	【General admission】 Adults: ¥2,000 High school, junior high school, and elementary school students (under 18): ¥500
Payment methods	Cash Credit cards Transit IC cards such as Suica, iD, QUICPay, nanaco, PayPay
Reservations	Available No reservation required for individuals
Smoking	Entire facility is non-smoking
Restrooms	Western-style toilets, accessible toilets
Childcare facilities	Nursing room, diaper-changing table, stroller rental Nursing room is in the Craft Museum Diaper-changing tables are on the second floor of the Main Building and in the Craft Museum
Accessibility	Wheelchair rental, ramps, accessible toilets, elevator
Website	Ohara Museum of Art Official Website

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