The Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art is located in Sakura City, Chiba Prefecture, next to Narita City, where there is the Narita International Airport. The private museum is operated by DIC, which holds the world's largest market share in printing inks and organic pigments, and has come to be well-known by many people over the years since its opening in 1990.

Entrance halls Photo: Osamu Watanabe

The museum's greatest appeal is its astonishing collection, which includes valuable works of art from Impressionist paintings such as Rembrandt's portraits from the Baroque period, Monet's "Waterlilies" and Renoir's "Woman Bathing," to modern art by Picasso and Chagall, and American art from the second half of the 20th century.

Notable among the collection is a group of works by Mark Rothko, a leading American abstract expressionist painter. The "Rothko Room," as it is called, houses a permanent exhibition of seven remarkable works created for the Seagram Building in New York, the only one of its kind in Asia and one of only four in the world.

101 Exhibition Hall Works are presented in 11 exhibition rooms of different sizes and designs.

The museum's appeal is not limited to the museum itself; the 300,000-square-meter grounds are planted with trees and flowers, including cherry blossoms in spring, day lilies in summer, and autumn leaves in fall, allowing visitors to enjoy the beauty of Japan's four seasons. Entrance to the gardens is free. Enjoy a relaxed sense of oneness with nature.

Autumn Garden Photo: Osamu Watanabe The gardens in which you can feel the beauty of the four seasons.

Autumn Garden Photo: Osamu Watanabe It's a great place to appreciate art and relax after a long day of travel.

Unfortunately, the Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art has announced that it will be closing in late March 2025. To express its gratitude for the 35 years since its opening, the museum plans to hold a collection exhibition from early February to the end of March 2025. The museum is 60 minutes from Narita Airport by train and a free bus. It also takes only 60 minutes from Tokyo Station by direct bus, so do take the opportunity to visit the museum before it closes. The Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art, with its precious art collection and the beauty of Japan's four seasons, is a special place that embodies harmony between nature and art, and will continue to inspire visitors to the end.

■DATA Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art Address: 631 Sakado, Sakura City, Chiba Prefecture Official website: https://kawamura-museum.dic.co.jp/en/ (Information as of October 2024)

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