Jenny appeared to be on a mission to see every piece of pottery in Japan, but that just might be my viewpoint. I was happy to tag along and see things that I never could have at home. But we had just had a few very busy days and wanted a slower pace, so settled on a visit to the Asahi Beer Oyamazaki Villa Museum.
Asahi Beer Oyamazaki Villa Museum
Despite the name, there was no beer to be seen anywhere on the trip except the ones we bought in the convenience store on the way back to our hotel in Kyoto, the Granvia Kyoto. Apparently the company decided to display some of the artwork in its private collection as a tax write-off, so founded the museum quite recently.
We had a late start after a leisurely breakfast, so I don’t think we even made it to Kyoto Station until ten thirty or so. The villa was not hard to get to, just a short ride from Kyoto Station to the little village at JR Yamazaki Station, and from there we hopped on the small, free shuttle bus to the museum. A good choice since it was fairly steeply uphill much of the way.
Oyamazaki Villa Sheep
We were charmed from the moment we saw it. There was a curving drive leading up past a little tower with statues of sheep in front of it. Who would have imagined a folly in Japan? But the owner of the place had lived in England for a while on business, and wanted to bring some of his favorite memories back to Japan.
Oyamazaki Villa Pond
There was a small koi pond next to a conservatory, and we entered and paid the admission. A bit high, but it was pleasantly devoid of the huge crowds of Kyoto, so we were able to look at everything at our leisure. And there was so much to look at!
Oyamazaki Villa Display
Of course Jenny was interested in the ceramics, which were beautifully displayed in galleries on the first and second floor. She exclaimed at the works of one famous craftsman after another, pointing out Kanjiro Kawai and Bernard Leach, talking about them like they were friends. She has only taken up pottery since retiring, but is surprisingly well-versed, so I got a short course on mingei, the folk arts movement of the early 20th century.
Asahi beer Oyamazaki Villa Museum in Oyamazaki-cho, Kyoto prefecture, Japan (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I was captivated by another room with lovely little watercolors of orchids. There was a sad story behind those. The owner, Mr.Kaga, had collected them from around the world, but in World War II there was no fertilizer to be had for any amount of money. So the guy hired an artist to paint all the plants in his collection before they died, which most of them unfortunately did.
I felt that Mr. Kaga could be a good friend if we ever met. I absolutely loved the building, a villa he designed to his own tastes and lived in. You could tell he liked his time in Britain, because it was mostly Tudor Gothic, but the details were fantastic. He did not care about accuracy, he wanted to incorporate the things he enjoyed and loved. So touring the home revealed details like carvings of bamboo in the heavy wood beams surrounding the fireplace, and a traditional Japanese soaking tub in the bathroom. It was the dream home of an eccentric with good taste and enough money to make it happen.
We really enjoyed poking into all the rooms of the house. After that came the annex, which seemed both out of place and strangely fitting. It was mostly underground. There was a sloping passage with a glassed-over view of the sky that led to a cement vault. It did not have a large collection, but the paintings were all by names I recognized. Monet water lilies, a Van Gogh, and a Kandinsky.
Cherry blossom Asahi Beer Oyamazaki Villa Museum
We finally finished our tour, thinking that this was a museum for people interested in all art genre: architecture, ceramics, textiles, paintings. In the little gift shop I picked up postcards of the orchid paintings and Jenny bought a book about the mingei collection. We considered tea in the café, but decided to wait due to our large breakfast before leaving our hotel.
Oyamazaki Villa Hamada
We then walked around the garden, which was peppered with statues, including a fun one of a leaping rabbit. There was a tea house that looked like a little log cabin from the American West. Mr. Kaga certainly had ranging tastes and a sense of humor.
Bridge at Asahi Beer Oyamazaki Villa Museum
Because the weather was so lovely, we decided to walk back to the station rather than wait for the shuttle. This time it was all downhill, and we browsed in a few little shops on the way. There was a fun antiques shop that was more like a garage sale in a man’s garage. We had fun poking around and found several little dishes and an iron teapot, but decided they would be too heavy to lug home on the airplane.
Oyamazaki Town (photo: macglee/flickr)
By the time we had gotten to the station, we were tired and thirsty. Across from the station was a charming café attached to a shop of handmade gifts. It had the most delicious sesame-flavored chiffon cake and rather mediocre coffee. We relaxed over the cake and were surprised to see that it was already four thirty.
Artwork display at Oyamazaki Villa Museum
We took the train back to Kyoto Station, where we had a delicious Italian dinner at one of the restaurants in the food court called Porta. Then we picked up the long-anticipated Asahi beer at the convenience store and headed back to the relaxing Hotel Granvia Kyoto.
photos by:
ys* &
sakura_chihaya+,
ys*,
ys*
