The starkly white and minimalist Aomori Museum of Art – Visit Yoshitomo Nara’s iconic Aomori Dog

Text and photos by /Right Upper 45-Degree Angle Girl

Actually, today’s plan was to take a bus up the mountain to see Mount Hakkoda, but I got on at the wrong bus stop and accidentally missed the bus to Mount Hakkoda. Since the weather wasn’t great either, I spontaneously changed my plans and decided to head to the Aomori Museum of Art for some cultural refinement — time to check out Yoshitomo Nara’s famous masterpiece, the Aomori Dog.

Like most Japanese cities, right in front of Aomori JR Station is the Aomori Bus Terminal, which serves as the hub for buses heading to various destinations. If you’re in Aomori City and want to use public transport to visit nearby attractions, this is where you’ll start.

To get to the Aomori Prefectural Museum of Art, please board the Aomori City Bus bound for Sannai-Maruyama Site from Platform 6.

Also, the timetable above is for the return trip. Both timetables are taken from the official website of the Aomori Prefectural Museum of Art.http://www.aomori-museum.jp/ja/access/
The one-way fare is 280 yen. (*1) Only runs on weekdays, (*2) only runs on holidays — please pay special attention. Also, the museum opening hours are 9:00 AM in summer and 9:30 AM in winter. The surrounding area is quite open, so arriving too early might leave you with not much to do.

If you didn’t stay in Aomori the night before and instead arrived by JR from somewhere else at Shin-Aomori Station, it’s recommended to take the Aomori Sightseeing Bus from Shin-Aomori Station. A one-way ticket costs 200 yen, while a round-trip ticket is 300 yen. If you plan to go to the museum and come back the same day, a round-trip ticket might be a better deal.

Taking the sightseeing bus allows you to go directly from Shin-Aomori Station without needing to transfer via JR for one stop to Aomori Station. The bus route clearly indicates arrival times at various points including well-known museums, memorials, and the famous Tsugaru Strait. The official website of the Aomori Sightseeing Bus is:http://www.aomori-kanko-bus.co.jp/topics.html

So, now we’re at Platform 6, waiting for the Aomori City Bus Up.

Today’s temperature isn’t even ten degrees Celsius, and everyone looks bundled up like zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), but the heater on the bus is nice and cozy.

Just like with regular buses, remember to take a numbered ticket from the machine when boarding through the rear door. When getting off, insert the ticket into the fare machine to see how much you need to pay. I’ve already checked beforehand — the one-way fare from Aomori Station is 280 yen.

In about 20 minutes, we smoothly arrive at the Aomori Prefectural Museum of Art stop.

Next to the entrance is the museum emblem shaped like a pine tree, which lights up at night, giving it a stylish and beautiful look.

Take a look at the map inside the museum — there are quite a few areas to explore, and some exhibition rooms have separate admission fees.

When entering the museum, first lock your umbrella in the umbrella stand — remember to keep the key safe.

According to the rules, bags must be checked in, and the fee is 100 yen.

I don’t know why even the locker has such a design-oriented look.

Photography is completely prohibited inside the museum, and every corner is monitored by museum staff. Please don’t do anything embarrassing like sneaking photos. The only place in the entire museum where photography is allowed is right here at Yoshitomo Nara’s Aomori Dog. Yoshitomo Nara is originally from Aomori Prefecture, and the museum specially designed this adorable Aomori Dog when it was established, which has become a major attraction drawing many visitors. Tripods are not allowed here.

The area where the Aomori Dog is displayed also has a large glass window in front. This angle is the only one that avoids the window frame, which is probably why all the Aomori Dog photos seen online have the same angle. It happened to be raining that day, and the downward-looking Aomori Dog looked especially lonely. I really wanted to put some tasty bones in the food bowl in front of him.

The white exterior of the building is simple and clean.

If the weather were a bit sunnier, you’d probably be able to see the distant mountains.

Aomori Prefectural Museum of Art
http://www.aomori-museum.jp/ja/
185 Chikano, Yasuda, Aomori City
017-783-3000
Admission: 510 yen Opening Hours: October 1 – May 31: 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM (last entry at 4:30 PM)
June 1 – September 30: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM (last entry at 5:30 PM)
Closed: (1) Mondays (or the following day if Monday is a holiday), 4th Monday of the month, (2) December 29 – December 31
 

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