WOODONE Museum — Fine Art and Nature 600 Meters Above Sea Level

In the mountain village of Yoshiwa, Hatsukaichi, one of Hiroshima’s most remarkable museums preserves centuries of beauty in paintings, porcelain, pottery, and glass, all housed within a quiet mountain settlement that has maintained its traditions for generations.

The WoodOne Museum of Art holds more than 800 works from Japan and Europe, including modern and contemporary Japanese paintings, late-Edo and Meiji-period Satsuma ware, Meissen porcelain, and Art Nouveau glass. The museum sits 600 meters above sea level beside Megahira Ski Resort, overlooking the upper Ōta River. The drive from Hiroshima City reveals a different side of the prefecture—forested slopes, clear air, and winding roads that lead to a collection unlike any other in western Japan.

Inside, visitors move from Europe’s Belle Époque to Japan’s Edo and Meiji eras. Art Nouveau glass by Émile Gallé gleams in subtle color shifts, while hand-painted Satsuma vases from the late Edo and Meiji periods feature fine brushwork in gold, red, and green over pale clay, with motifs like phoenixes, scenes from samurai households, and everyday Japanese life. Many were once made for export, created to captivate European collectors.

Another gallery focuses on Europe’s oldest porcelain manufacturer, Meissen, with 70 pieces tracing the evolution of Meissen ceramics from the early 1700s through Baroque, Rococo, and Neoclassical design. Figures of cherubs, nobles, and mythic gods appear in vivid colors and gold filigree.

Meissen porcelain—Europe’s oldest and one of its most celebrated luxury wares—is often appreciated behind glass. At the attached Café Meissen, however, guests can drink from authentic—though modern—Meissen cups, enjoying them with cake.

The coffee is a blend made exclusively for them by Kawamoto Coffee, a local roastery. The crisp mushroom pizza is topped with maitake and awabitake mushrooms grown at the nearby ski resort’s mushroom farm.

Desserts also highlight fresh strawberries grown in Hatsukaichi, the city where
Miyajima is located. The café offers a year-round strawberry smoothie, along with limited sweets created to match seasonal exhibitions—making it a surprising spot to enjoy regional flavors beyond the island.

The WoodOne Museum’s rotating exhibitions keep the visit fresh year-round. Previous shows have featured Utagawa Hiroshige, the ukiyo-e printmaker who inspired artists from Gauguin to Frank Lloyd Wright.
Newer exhibits spotlight contemporary figures such as Osamu Watanabe, known for recreating classical sculptures and paintings with faux frosting and sweets—a blend of pop art and tradition.

The WoodOne Museum of Art was established by Toshio Nakamoto, former CEO of WoodOne, a Hiroshima-based manufacturer of wooden building materials. Created to publicly showcase the company’s collection, the museum has since grown into a place where a wide range of artistic traditions and expressions are introduced to the public.

The WoodOne Museum is closed during the winter snowy season (from mid-December to the end of March) and open for the rest of the year.The easiest way to visit is by taxi—about a 90-minute ride from Hiroshima Station. For those using public transportation, the trip takes about two and a half hours and offers a scenic route through rural Hiroshima. Take the JR from Hiroshima Station to Miyauchi-Kushido Station in Hatsukaichi (about 21 minutes). From the west exit, board the #13 bus and ride about 40 minutes to Saiki Cultural Center. Transfer to Hatsukaichi City’s Sakura Bus on the Yoshiwa Route, which climbs into the mountains for about 50 minutes. Get off at Quelle Yoshiwa—the museum is just a one-minute walk away.
For backpackers or travelers coming from Miyajima, this route feels like a quiet extension of the island trip—swapping shrine gates and ferries for cedar forests and small mountain villages.