At first hearing of Nara Mizhi, mistakenly thought that she was a cute sister, but in fact, she was already a 65-year-old artist. His work has a unique style, characterized by clean lines, flatness and bright colors. Children or animal images are often used to depict the artistic content of fantasy self with surreal techniques, and show the sadness and loneliness of the adult world in an interesting way.


I have seen some of Nara's works in recent years, but it is the first time that I have been immersed in such a large scale and only felt wet after reading. As Nara's hometown, Aomori has been collecting his works since 1998, and the Aomori Prefectural Museum of Art has the largest collection of Nara's works.

This time, he returned to his hometown and held an exhibition with The title "The Beginning Place ここから", which is self-evident. The exhibition is composed of five themes, including home, travel and NO WAR, reviewing the creation process in the past 40 years. At the same time, the new film "Midnight Tears" in 2023 is also included.

If you are no stranger to his works, you will be familiar with the portraits of little girls with different expressions. People mistakenly think that he likes to observe children, but he says that these are actually his self-portraits. I was always drawn to the emotion in these faces, whether it was innocence, sadness, or anger. "To me," he says, "it was actually a sign of my own loneliness and alienation." Explore the loneliness and alienation of the human heart, and show the emotional resonance of the adult world through the perspective of children.

i have always felt that, as I, like Nara Mizhi is simply a matter of course. Consider the titles of his few solo shows over the years, "I don't mind, if you forget me" (2001), "A Bit Like You And Me や にちょっと ている" (2012-2013), It goes straight to my heart.

By the way, the Art Museum will be regularly open at night 17:00-20:00 every year (the next Open Day is March 16, 24), there is a different light effect from the day, the dark blue night against the outdoor giant Aomori dog, should be better to see.



There was a long line at the door before the opening of the museum, and the white buildings and snow melted into one, although the visitors were in an endless stream, it somehow gave a very quiet feeling. There are Japanese and foreigners of all ages, it is very popular, and the exhibition is very interesting!

In addition to seeing the familiar Aomori dog and the little girl, many imaginative works of the author from different periods were also displayed, and many of the works were found to have signs calling for peace.

Curious about the iconic work inside, Mioshi Nara's "Aomori Dog" sculpture, outside the museum, you can ask the staff for directions to Amori Dog, or you can follow the signs. It's amazing to see up close!

In addition to Nara's art works, there are also various exhibitions held from time to time, even if you just happen to arrive there is also a lot of fun
The design of the whole museum is very simple and bright. Under the sunlight, it is a quiet and peaceful place that belongs only to Aomori!

Lucky to get limited apple wood tickets and Aomori souvenir. The board is made from the waste of the wooden box containing the apples, which retains the traces of use on it, and each board has its own characteristics. Most of the museum is allowed to take photos, but flash and video are not allowed.

💡 Note: It's best to check the closed days before you go. For a few days in January and February, there are also evening lighting events, and closing hours will be extended to 8 p.m., so you can check in advance.

There is a coffee shop outside the art museum, although it is a coffee shop but also has a lot of staples, I ordered a smoked salmon bagel and organic soy milk latte a total of 1,880 yen, no step on the lightning, you can eat lunch here. The cafe has a large number of floor-to-ceiling Windows and a great view.