I strongly believe that, if one’s first image or impression of space remains in one’s mind, it will surely become a precious experience.

(Hiroshi Naito)

A visit to the coastal region of Toyama Prefecture towards the Northern Alps of Japan should be accompanied by an introspection of one of Japan’s most beautifully designed museums, Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and Design. Located next to Toyama city’s Fugan Canal Kansui Park, which is flanked by the long-stretched Fugan Unga Canal, TAD (Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and Design) offers a perfect natural and cultural setting that envelops greeneries, waterway, and the surrounding Tateyama Mountain Range.

Designed by renowned architect Hiroshi Naito, the enormous structure consists of a curved parabolic shape and is cut off by an 11-metre-high glass curtain wall on the front façade. The main lobby opens to a full panorama of the Tateyama Mountain Range. The brilliant coercion with the neighbouring landscape is, therefore, achieved. Naito explained, “I combined the three elements—alcove, children, and the Tateyama Mountain Range. To allow a great view, the east-facing side of the museum is covered with an all-glass wall, creating an open area.” At the same time, in order to control UV rays, temperature, and humidity, the exhibition rooms are contained in closed spaces. The contrast of enclosure and openness allows visitors to absorb the intimate atmosphere indoors as they interflow with nature outdoors.

The museum’s special characteristic lies in its Onomatopoeia Rooftop, an ingenious and marvelous greenscape of children’s play equipment inspired by sounds. Together with graphic designer Taku Satoh, eight play zones named after Japanese onomatopoeia words—guru-guru (round and round), hiso-hiso (whisper), uto-uto (sleepy), and others—glitter across the stretched-out grass perimeter with colourfully geometrical-shaped installations. The exhilarating 360-degree view captures not only Tateyama Mountain Range, but Mt. Tsurugi and Kansui Park as well.

Interior-wise, the galleries on the second and third floors are situated on the sides of the central corridor with adjustable fittings that permit possible changes in the paths around the exhibit spaces. These fittings are made of cedarwood from Himi City in western Toyama and are cut into latticework. The rooms are designed as large, box-shaped modules of large steel trusses. Japanese ash wood was used for the flooring, elegantly immersed with the delicate interior finish of plaster, steel, and aluminum.

TAD Museum was first constructed in 1980 and opened the year after under the name of The Museum of Modern Art, Toyama. At that time when the era addressed a modern Japanese lifestyle, the fresh philosophy was to incorporate design as a cultural activity, side by side with art and music. The museum focused on 20th century posters and chairs and boasted one of the best poster design collections in Japan. A new plan for the museum expansion commenced in 2013 under Architect Naito, and finally the current TAD Museum opened in 2017.

Today, apart from its interactive rooftop and exhibition rooms, the building houses the TAD Gallery for works by local people, Atelier for workshops and open studio events, Hall for symposiums and film screenings, Library, Video Corner, and Kids Room.

The permanent exhibit highlights the Shuzo Takiguchi Collection and Szymon Goldberg Collection. A Toyama native, Takiguchi was an esteemed artist, poet, and influential art critic in Japan. He centred on Surrealism during pre- and postwar Japan and was the first Japanese poet to write surrealistic poems. About 700 pieces of his works are displayed, including paintings, prints, and objets d’art, such as toys, stones and shells.

Polish classical violinist and conductor Goldberg married pianist Miyoko Yamane in 1988 after his first wife died. From the U.S. he relocated to Japan, and found recluse at the Tateyama Kokusai Hotel in Toyama at the foot of Mount Tateyama. He spent his last days at Toyama until 1993. The museum stores Goldberg’s wide collection of oil and watercolor paintings, drawings, sculptures, prints and chairs.

Running until February 4th this year, the TAD Collection Ⅲ presents selected works on themes of Diverse Expressions in 20th Century, Views of Cities, and Into the Imaginary World. Impressive pieces by celebrated international artists, such as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Francis Bacon and Japanese artists, such as Léonard Foujita and Taro Okamoto are also on display.

In the ongoing Design Collection Ⅲ until February 11th, winners of The International Poster Triennial in Toyama, held every three years, are introduced. Excellent poster designs from the first event in 1985 to 2021 reveal the vigorous promotion of graphic design throughout the years. The varied subjects encompass social issues, environmental awareness and universal messages that transcend from paper to digital media. Significant posters by famous designers, such as Kazumasa Nagai and Ken Miki fill up the exhibit room. For designers and architects, trademark chair designs by world-renowned Gerrit Thomas Rietveld, Ettore Sottsass, Jasper Morrison and Sōetsu Yanagi are unmissable.

Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and Design is absolutely a comprehensive and delightful hub of art, design, furniture, and culture that brings together all ages and backgrounds right in the center of the region’s most treasured natural backdrop.