The Home of the Heart is Here —
Doll Art by Mayumi Takahashi
A couple talking together in one place, walking home holding hands, a secret hideout with friends... Mayumi Takahashi's dolls evoke a sense of nostalgia as if they had met before, and the warmth of human contact. Living in the rich natural environment of Nagano Prefecture, where the four seasons are abundant, she creates dolls based on motifs such as the everyday life of her family and the people living in her community.
Mayumi Takahashi has continued to create dolls with the desire to "not forget, to leave behind precious things." "Hometown" is one of them. It could be the place of one's birth, a place encountered on a trip, or even the home of one's heart. We hope you will spend some time thinking about the various "hometowns" through Mayumi Takahashi's dolls.
Outline
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Admission fee
Adults and university students: 1,300 yen; elementary, middle and high school students: 650 yen
*Free admission for elementary and junior high school students on Saturdays
*20% discount for groups of 15 or more -
Advance tickets (until January 8, 2026)
Adults and university students: 1,000 yen / High, junior high & elementary school students: 500 yen
Sales point:
○ Sano Art Museum (until December 21, 2025)
○ Seven-Eleven (Ticket Pia/P Code: 687-344)
○ Family Mart (please purchase directly at CN Play Guide [multi-copy machine]) -
Discount tickets (during the exhibition period)
Adults and university students: 1,170 yen / High, junior high & elementary school students: 590 yen
Sales point:
○ Izuhakone Railway Sunzu Line manned station
○ Seven-Eleven (Ticket Pia/P Code: 687-344)
○ Family Mart (please purchase directly at CN Play Guide [multi-copy machine]) -
Opening hours
10:00-17:00 (last admission 16:30) -
Closed
Thursdays, February 16 (Monday) to February 20 (Friday) -
Organizer
Sano Art Museum, Mishima City, Mishima City Board of Education, Shizuoka Shimbun, Shizuoka Broadcasting System -
Supported by
Shizuoka Prefectural Board of Education -
Grant
Mishima Shinkin Bank -
Sponsorship
Izuhakone Railway Co., Ltd. -
Special Support
Mayumi Takahashi Museum of Doll Art -
Cooperation
Yamato Transport Co., Ltd.
Profile
Mayumi Takahashi
She lives in Iiyama City, Nagano Prefecture. She learned the basics of doll making through correspondence courses and, through trial and error, developed the style of dolls she creates today. She has won various awards, including the Grand Prize in her category at the 1998 Yuzawaya Creative Awards. Since 2003, she has been running a national traveling exhibition produced by the Executive Committee for "Gifts from Back Home." By spring 2010, her works had been exhibited in 95 locations across Japan, attracting 1.8 million visitors and receiving rave reviews at each venue.
In 2010, Mayumi Takahashi Museum of Doll Art opened in Iiyama City, Nagano Prefecture. Her work has quietly found its way into various fields, including appearances in television commercials and on NHK’s “Minna no Uta.”
Main exhibits
"Two People at Dusk" 2001
"Prayer" 2001
"On the Way Home" 2002
"Mother's Hands" 2002
"Morning Exercises I" 2004
"Hide and Seek" 2016
"Hana-chan" 2023
Art Dolls by Mayumi Takahashi
Photography by Yutaka Minemura (member of the Japan Professional Photographers Society)
Simultaneous Exhibition
Yutaka Murakami and Takashi Takada, "Kiginden: Oni no Maki" (published by Kodansha on January 30, 2004) Original cover art, Sano Museum of Art
A Retrospective of the Artwork by Yutaka Murakami and the Local Artists from the Eastern Shizuoka
This exhibition showcases original illustrations by Mishima-born artist Yutaka Murakami, alongside works by fellow local artists including Hansei Hosoi and Chuji Kurihara.
Kyoho Hina Dolls, Edo period, private collection
Sano Art Museum’s Hina-dolls collection
Hinamatsuri is a traditional Japanese festival that celebrates and prays for the healthy growth of girls. On a pleasant spring day, we invite you to experience the elegant and enchanting world of Hina dolls at the Sano Art Museum.