Art And Culture In Niseko

The Niseko area offers more than just easy access to Hokkaido's stunning outdoors. Here is where you can explore some of Hokkaido's heritage, right in Niseko.

Born and raised in Kutchan Town, Shu Ogawara began his journey as an avant-garde painter at the Tokyo School of Art. Following the war in the Pacific, he returned home to resume painting. In 2002, he passed away at the age of 91, having spent 70 years living and painting in Kutchan.

The museum opened in 1999 to commemorate the painter's life and work. The museum regularly hosts temporary displays alongside it's permanent gallery of work by Shu Ogawara.

To learn more about Shu Ogawara's life and work and the museum in his name, see the website here.

With displays in English and Japanese, this is the only natural history museum in the area. The museum houses two showcases, one which focuses on the natural environment around Niseko and the second which explores the history of life and culture in Kutchan Town.

For more information about the Natural History Museum Kutchan, see their website here.

This art museum holds one of the most impressive galleries in the area. The main exhibition is a permanent collection of 267 woodblock paintings by Pablo Picasso.

In addition to the Picasso gallery, there is a large showcase by Kyowa Town's Keiyu Nishimura and a mini-concert hall.

See the Arai Memorial Museum of Art website here for more information.

This museum is built upon family land which Takeo Arishima, a critically acclaimed literary figure from the 20th century, generously donated to local Niseko farmers.

Arishima is considered to have been ahead of his time in comparison to his peers within the Japanese literature world. He achieved quick success and recognition due to his writing style despite many contemporary readers having difficulty connecting with the forward-thinking themes and characters he used to highlight his displeasure with Japanese society. Currently three of his works have been translated and are available in English.

For more information about the Takeo Arishima, see the memorial museum website here.

A leading proponent of Hokkaido's circle of western-style painters, Kinjiro Kida had a passion for painting nature. Kida was an associate of Niseko Town's Takeo Arishima and was the personality behind one of the characters in Arishima's work titled, The Agony of Coming Into the World.

For more information on his work and the Kinjiro Kida Museum of Art, see their website here.

Born in Kyowa Town, Keiyu Nishimura spent much of his career painting in Paris. The museum boasts a collection of over 5,000 of Nishimura's pieces and regularly rotates their displays.

For more information regarding the current exhibits at the Keiyu Nishimura Museum of Art, see their website here.