Discovering Taro Okamoto: A Travel and Art Itinerary

Taro Okamoto (1911-1996) stands as one of Japan’s most decisive avant-garde figures. His artistic vision brought together radical abstraction, ethnographic inquiry, and public spectacle. During his time in Paris he joined the group Abstraction‑Création, but he later broke away, believing that pure abstraction limited possibilities. Instead he developed his theory of polarism, opposites that do not resolve into synthesis but remain in tension, a key aesthetic principle of his work. Moreover, his seminal essay The Art of Today urged Japanese artists to cast aside inherited art systems and embrace immediacy, vitality, and primitivism. In short, Okamoto blends deep theorizing with a bold public presence. Beyond theory, Okamoto was interested in the prehistoric art of the Jomon period, its energetic, mysterious forms became central to his assertion that Japanese aesthetics needed a more vital source than the subdued refinement of Yayoi-era aesthetics.

For travelers interested in Japanese culture, his work offers an exciting meeting of post-war art, modernism, and urban experience. The sites below are showcase the art of Taro Okamoto are absolutely worth visiting, among others throughout Japan. Together, these sites form a coherent itinerary from Tokyo to the Kansai region.

Home & Atelier: Taro Okamoto Memorial Museum (Minami-Aoyama, Tokyo)

Located a short walk from Omotesando Station, is the house where Okamoto lived and worked from 1954 until his death in 1996. The building itself , designed by architect Junzo Sakakura (a former student of Le Corbusier) , was retained, while the adjoining studio was rebuilt as a museum.

Inside you will find his sketches, unfinished canvases, sculptures, and his rigorous thinking on art. The garden has a wild, free growth of banana trees, ferns and sculptures, a physical manifestation of his belief in spontaneity rather than formal refinement. This is the place to sense the artist at work, the creative energy at ground level. For someone curious about Japanese post-war art and travel in Tokyo beyond the usual spots, it is the perfect introduction to the world of an artist whose motto was, “Art is an explosion!”

Myth of Tomorrow (Shibuya, Tokyo)

Some of Okamoto’s most potent statements of art are to be found in public spaces. The mural Myth of Tomorrow, painted originally in Mexico in 1967, was lost for decades and finally installed in a walkway in Shibuya Station in 2008. The subject is atomic disaster, referencing Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the work’s arrival in Tokyo is laden with historical resonance.

Viewers feel immersed in Okamoto’s world as they walk through a bustling train station concourse, where commuters crowd beneath this striking skeletal explosion, life frozen in motion. It is both public art and a profound cultural commentary, precisely the kind of duality Okamoto valued.

Tree of Children (Shibuya, Tokyo)

Just a short walk from both Shibuya and Omotesando stations stands the Tree of Children, a playful sculpture bursting with color and vitality. Created in 1985 for the former National Children’s Castle, it features a tree of joyful faces, each one expressing a different emotion. The work captures Okamoto’s childlike spirit and his belief in creativity as a universal language.

L’Homme Végétal (The Hakone Open-Air Museum, Kanagawa)

Amid the misty hills of Hakone, L’Homme Végétal (Plant Man) fuses nature and vitality into sculptural form. Its organic limbs seem to sprout from the earth itself, a celebration of the life force that animates both art and nature. Displayed within the Hakone Open-Air Museum, the sculpture shares the landscape with works by masters from around the world.

Calling for Peace (Funabashi Andersen City Park, Chiba)

At the heart of Funabashi Andersen City Park, a family-friendly oasis inspired by Danish landscapes, stands Calling for Peace. The sculpture, with its dynamic form and bold contours, radiates a sense of unity and hope.

Looking at the Future (Bampaku-kinen-koen Station, Tsukuba, Ibaraki)

Created for Expo ’85 in Tsukuba, Looking at the Future embodies Japan’s fascination with science and progress during the late 20th century. The butterfly-shaped sculpture symbolizes humanity’s capacity for transformation through creativity and technology. Originally installed at the Science Expo Memorial Park, it now stands before Bampaku-kinen-koen Station, where commuters and travelers encounter Okamoto’s vision of optimism each day. The site is easily reached via the Tsukuba Express from Akihabara.

Taro Okamoto Museum of Art (Kawasaki)

Set within Ikuta Ryokuchi Park in Kawasaki, the museum opened in 1999 to house over 1,700 of Okamoto’s works and archives (paintings, sculptures, designs) together with works by his parents, Kanoko and Ippei Okamoto. Highlights include a striking outdoor tower sculpture Tower of Mother and rotating thematic exhibitions that explore Okamoto’s thinking and influence. 

The museum offers a wealth of remarkable depth. Far from the crowds of central Tokyo, visitors become aware of the breadth of Okamoto’s approach, his interest in design, his mix of public sculptures and private works, in a suburban setting that invites contemplation.

Tower of the Sun (Expo ’70 Commemorative Park, Osaka)

Perhaps Okamoto’s most iconic work. Standing at 70 meters tall, its three faces represent past, present, and future. Built for the The Japan World Exposition, Osaka, 1970, Tower of the Sun became a symbol of Japan’s post-war “economic miracle.” However, Okamoto’s interpretation was more ambivalent, he refused the naive optimism of technological progress and instead invited a more primal, even unsettling encounter. 

Inside lies the Tree of Life, an internal 41-meter-high sculpture symbolizing the evolution of life. Originally featuring 292 biological models on its branches from microorganisms to humans, it was dismantled after the expo but was later recreated and reopened to the public in 2018. The Tree of Life is considered the bloodstream of the Tower of the Sun, which is depicted as a living being. Visitors can see the process of evolution as they ascend, from the roots with protists and amoebas to the top, which includes dinosaurs and prehistoric humans. 

All these places allow you to experience a true journey through art, identity, and imagination. Taro Okamoto asserted that art should belong to the people, and in Japan, his work still permeates public spaces, reminding us that boldness and vitality are at the heart of the cultural experience, and that art can be shared and appreciated by all.