Huge Museum Featuring Reproductions of World Masterpieces.
Professor Miyasako is not the only one who is serious about making reproductions of the world’s greatest art.// In fact, one of Japan’s largest museums, the Otsuka Museum of Art, has been displaying reproductions of great artworks for over 30 years.// Let’s take a look at a tourist information website introducing the museum.//
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most visited in Naruto
You can enjoy world masterpieces all in one place!//
　　The Otsuka Museum of Art in Naruto, Tokushima Prefecture, is one of the largest museums in Japan, with a total floor area of 29,412m2.// It features life-size reproductions of masterpieces of Western art from antiquity to the 20th century, including Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers, Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper  and Mona Lisa , and Rembrandt’s The Night Watch.// The replicas cover works kept at over 190 museums in 26 countries.//
　　The works are well-presented, enabling visitors to appreciate them all in one place.// The interiors of ancient ruins and chapels are reproduced in 3-D.// For example, you can experience the interior space of the Sistine Chapel surrounded by Michelangelo’s fresco paintings, including The Last Judgment.//
　　The replicas were created by a ceramic company: Otsuka Ohmi Ceramics.// Photographs of the originals go through digital processing and are then fired onto ceramic boards.// The surface is made uneven to reproduce the rough feel of oil painting.// The ceramic boards are fired three to five times, with craftsmen carrying out adjustments to make the replicas as close to the originals as possible.// The factory can produce boards measuring up to 90 cm by 3 meters.//
　　The technique is said to preserve color and shape for a long time.// The original works are subject to fading, deterioration, destruction, or even loss due to pollution, earthquakes, and fires.// The ceramic reproductions, however, can retain their color and form for more than 2,000 years, making a significant contribution to the cataloging and preservation of cultural properties.//
　　Visitors can also make reservations to get a free peek at the factory’s showroom and enjoy reproductions of Pablo Picasso’s works, as well as murals from the historic Kitora Tomb in Asuka, Nara Prefecture.// The museum also has a beautiful garden, a restaurant, cafes, and a shop.//
Getting there and around//
　　City buses between Naruto Station and Naruto Park make a stop in front of the museum.// The one-way ride from Naruto Station takes about 15 minutes.// There are two departures per hour.// The museum is also about a 25-minute walk from the Naruto Koen bus stop.//