Every autumn Kyoto comes alive with art, and every year a group of artists stage a show in the annex (called bekkan or 別館 in Japanese) of the Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art. This year  they are having two shows at the same time: one at the annex and one at Gallery Kei-Fu. Most of the artists live in Kyoto and have been doing art or design for many years. A few of the artists, like myself, live elsewhere but try to go to Kyoto every year for this event. Some come from as far away as New Zealand or Finland. Because it is a group show, a variety of work is displayed. The quality is quite high, and the artists are approachable.

The annex building is beautiful but a little difficult to find if you do not know where you are going, and this is further complicated if construction is going at the same time. It is very close to the famous and very large Heian Jingu shrine and close to but not in the same building as the municipal art museum. The museum administration prohibits large signs or banners, so look for the small signs at the door. The organizers are not allowed to do anything more to attract attention, so look carefully for the signs or the retro building.

To get there, take the bus that stops at Kyoto Kaikan Bijutsukan Mae. Look for a park near the shrine, and then look for the retro building that is the annex.

Smaller works by several of the participating artists will also be on display at Gallery Kei-fu. Yes, my name is spelled incorrectly but it is still me.

Take the bus to Kumano Shrine or take a seven-minute walk from the municipal art museum.

Hope to see you there!