The Miho Museum, designed by I.M. Pei — architect of the Louvre pyramid — is one of the world’s most theatrical museum arrivals: visitors walk or ride through a curving stainless-steel tunnel that opens onto a suspended bridge, the glass roofline of the museum appearing across the gorge like the hidden valley of Shangri-La that inspired it. To preserve the Shigaraki mountains, some 80% of the building is buried underground, its limestone-and-glass halls lit like a temple of light, and the collection matches the setting: superb antiquities from Egypt, Gandhara, Persia, China and Japan assembled by the Koyama family, joined by ambitious special exhibitions.
🗓️ At a Glance
| Location | Shigaraki, Koka, Shiga |
| Hours | 10:00–17:00; closed Mondays and between exhibitions |
| Admission | ~¥1,300 |
| Time needed | Half day including access |
| Best time | Spring (weeping cherries at the tunnel) and autumn |
What to See
- The tunnel-and-bridge approach, an architectural overture.
- I.M. Pei’s buried glass-and-limestone galleries.
- Antiquities of Egypt, Persia, Gandhara, China and Japan.
- The tunnel framed in weeping cherry blossom each April.
Combine Your Visit
- Combine with Shigaraki’s famous tanuki pottery kilns nearby.
- Pair with Lake Biwa sights on the same trip.
- Read our Shiga overview .
Getting There
- By train + bus: JR to Ishiyama Station, then Teisan bus ~50 minutes to the museum.
- Note: the museum closes between exhibition seasons — always check the calendar first.
Tips
Check the opening calendar before planning anything — the museum closes for weeks between its seasonal exhibitions, the most common visitor mistake. In early April the tunnel approach is framed by weeping cherries and becomes one of Japan’s most extraordinary blossom photographs; whatever the season, walk the approach rather than riding the shuttle cart, as the slow reveal is the point.
