A monster is hiding in an ancient ruin! Have you found it?
Beitou Museum of Art is easily confused with Beitou Hot Spring Museum. It's located halfway up a mountain. If you take the MRT, you must transfer to a bus to get there. Beitou's buses are interesting; because the roads are narrow, there are many minibuses carrying travelers up and down the mountain. Many buses start with "mini," a unique feature of Beitou. Beitou Museum of Art is the former site of the "Jiashan Inn," featuring a Japanese-style building layout with hot spring pools, small banquet halls, and large banquet halls. The view from the café facing the mountain is also beautiful. In the summer of 2026, a special yokai exhibition, "A Hundred Demons Encircled," was held, running until February 14, 2027. One of the organizers was impressive: "Yumoto Goichi Memorial Museum of Japanese Yokai." The co-organizers were also strong: the Mizuki Shigeru Memorial Museum and the Koizumi Yakumo Memorial Museum. Therefore, this special exhibition was "full of yokai energy." Recommended highlights: 1. Small yokai hidden inside and outside the building. Their locations all have special meanings, including tengu and nine-tailed foxes. Kappa, etc.
These are the exhibitors' ingenious touches.
2. Yokai-themed Designs and Items: Yokai are a very special aspect of Japanese culture, having been very popular since the Edo period.
Therefore, you can see various yokai-themed accessories and items, including kimonos, netsuke, inro (traditional Japanese cloth bags), utensils, and toys. The exhibits are diverse and rich, allowing for close observation.
3. Various Scroll and Nishiki-e Paintings: The most captivating aspect of these works is that they all have a unique story behind them. For example, "Tongue-Cutting Sparrow": A greedy old woman opens a large box, and a yokai runs out, presenting a stark contrast to a kind old man choosing a small box.
I've loved yokai stories since I was a child. Behind Japanese yokai stories lies a message of kindness or a call to cherish things, which is fascinating.