In July and August, Nagano Prefectural Art Museum hosted a Hokusai exhibition that celebrates the popular ukiyoe artist’s connection with the prefecture. In fact, the exhibition is called Hokusai and the Three Shinanos, and its divided in three sections, Obuse, Suwa, and Matsumoto, each focused on the connection that the artist had with the city.

On floor one, I could see the art pieces that Hokusai dedicated to the city of Obuse.

On the second floor I could see the famous thirty-six views of Mount Fuji, the Great Wave of Kanagawa (probably his most popular work), a selection of studies on perspective and more. Pictures were forbidden on the second floor.
I really enjoyed the exhibition. By the time you read this article, the exhibition will be over, but the museum will be open and displaying the work of an equally impressive artist, so I recommend a visit!

The prefectural museum of Nagano is known for hosting the work of Higashiyama Kaii (the selection rotates seasonally), and special exhibitions that you can check on their website, the ticked price varies accordingly.

If you go, from Matsumoto you can take the train to Nagano city, and it is a 35 minute walk from Nagano Station (alternatively you can take bus 11 until Shiroyama Koen).

There is a special train ticket for Nagano city that costs 1500 yen for the round trip that you can ask for at the station.

Once you are there you can enjoy a day in Nagano City, the biggest city of the prefecture! Famous for Nagano Zenkoji!

I hope you have a nice time at Nagano Prefectural Art Museum!