Toyama Glass Art Museum is located in the central area of Toyama city and displays glass art from around the world. By displaying artwork by contemporary glass art master Dale Chihuly and featured exhibitions, and Collection Exhibition, they are able to convey the attraction of glass as an art.
Introduction of Toyama Glass Art Museum?
Toyama Glass Art Museum is located in the “TOYAMA KIRARI” complex building, designed by world famous architect Kengo Kuma. TOYAMA KIRARI is an open area with a large atrium in the middle and the exhibition floors are on the south side from the 2nd to 6th floors.
Things to See and Do at Toyama Glass Art Museum
On each floor you can appreciate the contemporary glass art exhibitions that have been cleverly planned. Here we will introduce the features and highlights of each exhibition, and the shops and cafes in the facility.
The “Glass Art Garden: Chihuly Experience” that Displays Art by Master Dale Chihuly
The “Glass Art Garden” located on the 6th floor has installation artwork (spatial art) by Dale Chihuly, a master of contemporary glass art, displayed. There are five pieces of artwork on display, including "Toyama Mille Fiori" and "Toyama Float Boat". Each of them are colourful pieces of art and you will surely be captivated by their beauty.
"The Collection Exhibition" that Displays Contemporary Glass Art from Inside and Outside Japan
The collection exhibition on the 4th floor displays contemporary glass art collected by Toyama City for 30 years. Visitors can appreciate the works of Japanese artists such as Kyohei Fujita and Toshio Sugasawa and other international artists. Since the exhibitions are regularly changed, the works of the artists that can be seen vary depending on the season.
The “Glass Art Passage” that Displays Art by Local Contemporary Glass Artists
The “Glass Art Passage” is located in the lobby on the 2nd to 4th floors and in the main building of Toyama City Public Library. It is a public space. Around 50 pieces of artwork by 20 glass artists with connections to Toyama are displayed here. The artwork covers a wide variety of items such as vessel and sculptures.
Featured Exhibition“Lino Tagliapietra A Life in Glass”
At the “Lino Tagliapietra A Life in Glass” exhibit you can appreciate 80 pieces of art by glass maestro Lino Tagliapietra. The exhibition shows artwork with vibrant colours and freely molded shapes and introduces his footprints. The featured exhibition will be open from October 12th 2019 to February 9th 2020.
Shops & Restaurants in Toyama Glass Art Museum
The museum shop and FUMUROYA CAFÉ are conjoined on the 2nd floor. Firstly, the museum shop has an illustrated catalogue of the exhibitions, a book of the collection of works by Dale Chihuly (6th Floor Glass Art Garden Records Collection), and original goods such as towels.
Furthermore, at the FUMUROYA CAFÉ which is run by the long-established KAGAFU FUMURO-YA in Kanazawa, you can eat Japanese lunches and sweets made using traditional Hokuriku ingredients. There are also pasta, cutlet, and Anmitsu dishes that have "Namafu" and "Yakifu" (gluten cakes) arranged in a modern style, so please check it out!
Opening Hours and Admission Fee of Toyama Glass Art Museum
The opening hours of the Toyama City Art Museum are 9:30 - 18:00. However, the hours extended to 20:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. In either case, the last entry is 30 minutes before closing time. They are closed on the first and third Wednesdays each month and the year-end and New Year holidays. However, these will be changed if the closed days land on public holidays. In addition, they also close during the exhibition change periods.
The cafe and museum shop have different opening hours and regular holidays, so check the details on the official website.
The admission fee for Toyama Art Museum is 200 yen per adult. (Permanent exhibition "Collection Exhibition" on 4th Floor and "Glass Art Garden" on 6th Floor). Also, the “Glass Art Passage” can be viewed for free. The price of featured exhibitions also may vary. (Information accurate as of September 2019).
How to get to Toyama Glass Art Museum
To get to Toyama Glass Art Museum, head for JR Toyama Station. From JR Toyama Station, use the Toyama Chihou Railway loop line tram or the local tram bound for Minamitoyama-ekimae.
If you use the loop line, you will arrive at the nearest station, “Grand Plaza-mae”, in about 12 minutes from JR Toyama Station. It takes 2 minutes on foot from the tram stop to the Toyama Glass Art Museum. On the other hand, if you use the local tram bound for Minamitoyama-ekimae, you will arrive at the nearest station “Nishicho” in about 12 minutes from Toyama Station. It is about 1 minute on foot from the station to Toyama Glass Art Museum.
Spot information
- Name: Toyama Glass Art Museum
- Street address: 5-1 Nishicho, Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture 930-0062
- Access: JR Toyama Station → [Loop Line] about 12 minutes → Grand Plaza-mae station ... about 2 minutes on foot / JR Toyama Station → [To Minamitoyama-ekimae] About 12 minutes → Nishicho station ... about 1 minute walk
- Wi-Fi：Available（TOYAMA Free Wi-Fi）
- Language: English (* Languages supported by QRTranslator: English, Chinese (traditional/ simplified), Korean, French, Germany, Italy)
- Ticket Purchase： At acceptance
- Credit cards: VISA, MasterCard, JCB, AMERICAN EXPRESS, Diners Club International, UnionPay
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