Hotels near 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art

The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art (Kanazawa) - known locally as ‘Maru-bichi’ (round building) - is one of the most architecturally significant museums in Japan, and one of the best contemporary art destinations in Asia. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architects SANAA (Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa) and opened in 2004, the building is a perfect circle of glass and steel that blurs the boundary between museum and public space.

The permanent collection contains major works by James Turrell (including the immersive Ganzfeld room), Leandro Erlich’s Swimming Pool installation (a glass-floored pool that creates the illusion of being underwater from above and underwater from below simultaneously - one of the most shared images in contemporary art), and works by Olafur Eliasson, Yayoi Kusama, and major Japanese artists. The museum is a must-see regardless of whether you consider yourself an art lover.