🗺️ Osaka Museum of Japanese Crafts

At the 1970 World Expo, a pavilion themed "The Beauty of Life" showcased "the practical beauty of crafts nurtured in daily life," which is now the "Japan Folk Art Museum" open for public visits. Inside the museum, a wide variety of crafts are collected and displayed, including works by the first director, Shoji Hamada, as well as precious pieces from leading folk art movement figures such as Kanjirō Kawai, Keisuke Serizawa, and Shiko Munakata, along with domestic and international ceramics, textiles, wood lacquer crafts, and woven items. The architecture itself is distinctive, showcasing a fashionable style typical of the World Expo while incorporating elements of traditional Japanese architecture. The exhibition rooms are designed in a corridor style, allowing visitors to smoothly move from the first exhibition room to the fourth, enjoying the displayed works along the way. Special exhibitions with different themes are held in spring and autumn, with the exhibits changing according to the theme, ensuring a different experience with each visit. Additionally, the attached museum shop offers a variety of folk art-related books, including ceramics and textiles. The museum is located within the Expo Memorial Park, close to the Japanese Garden and the Natural Cultural Park, allowing visitors to enjoy a rich time surrounded by nature and history.

The special exhibition during the spring and autumn seasons will temporarily close due to schedule changes, so please check the opening information in advance. The exhibition features precious works by artists such as Hamada Shoji, who led the Mingei movement, as well as ceramics and porcelain from both domestic and international sources. The building is one of the remaining exhibition halls from the World Expo, allowing visitors to enjoy the lush greenery of the Expo Memorial Park. The museum shop sells a variety of Mingei works and books related to Mingei.