The newly-opened Mori Art Museum atop the new Roppongi Hills complex is another must-see art gallery in Tokyo. The space was much larger than I had expected. It’s very big.
The opening exhibition titled “Happiness” was good. All forms of art are featured–paintings, sculpture, woodblock prints, etc. Only 2 days left to see it since it will end on Jan. 18. I was delighted that there was no censoring of the pornographic “shunga” woodblock prints and paintings showing genitals. Maybe woodblock prints and paintings are OK, but I wonder if photographs of genitalia would be allowed or not. (There were no such photos.)
Photography was included in the show, namely Nobuyoshi Araki (happy faces), Yasumasa Morimura, and Hiroshi Sugimoto (seascapes).
The museum admission (1,500 yen) also includes admission to the observation deck on the 53rd floor. The view is breathtaking, even at night. The picture windows extend from the floor to the ceiling so it affords a terrific view. There are also benches right in front of the windows so you can just sit and gaze out. Another prime date spot for Tokyoites.
Another good thing about the museum is that it’s open late at night, till 10 pm or midnight. Only on Tue., it closes at 5 pm for maintenance. Roppongi is Tokyo’s major night spot, so the late hours would still attract visitors.