Aomori Museum of Art, Aomori

A pure-white museum inspired by a Jomon dig site, home to Yoshitomo Nara's 8.5m Aomori-ken and Chagall's giant stage backdrops.

Curved white brick wall of the Aomori Museum of Art with rows of tree-shaped symbol signs — Photo: 663highland, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

Sunken entrance court of the museum, with earth-coloured walls cut into the ground below the white building — Photo: 663highland, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

A white museum next to a Jomon site

The Aomori Museum of Art opened in 2006 and celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2026. Right next door is the Sannai-Maruyama Site, the remains of a settlement from the Jomon period, one of Japan's prehistoric eras.

The building was designed by the architect Jun Aoki. He took his inspiration from the trenches that archaeologists cut into the ground at a dig, so the building is shaped like a white-painted brick structure draped over ground that has been cut into geometric forms. Bright white galleries sit alongside rooms with bare earth floors and walls, creating a space you won't find anywhere else.

Aomori-ken and Chagall's masterpieces

The museum's symbol is Aomori-ken (Aomori Dog), a white dog sculpture by the artist Yoshitomo Nara, who comes from Hirosaki in Aomori Prefecture. It stands about 8.5m tall outdoors on the west side of the museum, and a dedicated passage lets you walk right up to it. The museum holds more than 170 of Nara's works.

On the south side of the grounds is the Hakkakudo, an octagonal brick building designed by Nara, which houses Miss Forest, a bronze statue about 6m tall.

At the heart of the museum is Aleko Hall, a four-storey-high space 21m wide, 21m deep and 19m tall. Here you can see the enormous backdrops that the painter Marc Chagall created for the ballet Aleko. Chagall painted them during the Second World War, while he was living in exile in the United States.

Getting there and before you go

It is about 10 minutes by car from JR Shin-Aomori Station and about 20 minutes by car from JR Aomori Station. By bus, take the Nebutan-go route bus from the east exit of Shin-Aomori Station (about 10 minutes), or an Aomori City Bus bound for Sannai-Maruyama Iseki from in front of Aomori Station (about 20 minutes); either way, get off at Kenritsu Bijutsukan-mae.

The museum closes for periods while exhibitions are changed; in 2026 it is closed from 28 September to 9 October. A special exhibition marking its 20th anniversary opens on 31 October. Admission fees differ for each exhibition, so check them, along with opening hours, on the official website.

Tips

The passage to Aomori-ken is open from late April until the snow starts to fall. There are stairs along the way, and the round trip takes about 10 to 15 minutes on foot. If you are visiting in winter, check the official website.
From the café, 4 Hiki no Neko (Four Cats), you can look out at the Hakkakudo. The menu uses Aomori ingredients, such as a curry simmered with apples.
Pair your visit with the neighbouring Sannai-Maruyama Site and you will get a much better feel for the Jomon world that inspired the museum building.
Admission is free for those aged 18 and under and for high school students, but you still need to pick up a free ticket at the ticket counter before going in.