Best way to know Japanese culture is through its museums, says author Sophie Richard

As a young girl growing up in Aix-en-Provence, France, Sophie Richard fell in love with Japan, even before she visited the country. “I don’t know why. My family has no connection with Japan but I was always attracted to its art and architecture, and I discovered it through art books.”

And while travelling, she’d visit anything related to Japan, “ate at Japanese restaurants wherever I could find them,” said Sophie, who studied at Ecole du Louvre and the Sorbonne in Paris.

She finally visited Japan 19 years ago and one of her first destinations was, you guessed it, Naoshima, Japan’s art island. “I had heard about it, there was very little English information available but I was curious. It was a dream come true, everything I imagined came true.”

That became the first of countless trips she’d make and today, Richard, a leading media and celebrity figure on all things Japanese art-and-museum-related, has published two books. Her first book on museums in Japan was published in 2014 and translated into Japanese two years later. She followed up with “The Art Lovers’ Guide to Japanese Museums” in 2019.

“When I first started visiting Japan and its museums, I found it hard to find good, accurate information in English,” the London-based Sophie recalled. “I did a lot of research myself and I became more and more curious, and I realised research was no longer enough, so I decided to write a book. It was well-received in the West and I was happily surprised when it was translated into Japanese, which shows acceptance in Japan.”

In researching for the first book which covered 60 museums, “I went to every single museum, interviewed the people working there and wrote about my personal encounters.”

In the second book, she widened the net and visited close to 200 venues nationwide. “There are always new museums opening in Japan, it is a very lively art scene.”

She then started curating bespoke art tours for art collectors and museum patrons, “people with strong interest in the arts”. “I create the trip, design the itinerary, I don’t make the bookings,” said Sophie who charges an advisory fee for this service. “I tell them what to see, places to visit, restaurants to eat at, hotels to stay in.”

The premium customers usually stay at brands such as Aman or Tokyo Palace Hotel.

About once a year, she will personally lead a tour. “I want to do it in the right circumstance, the right people, the right size. I enjoy sharing my knowledge and passion with people who are interested. Museums suffered during the pandemic, and I want to encourage people to visit museums, through my books, lectures and articles.”

For her, the best way to get into Japanese culture is through its museums. “It’s very subtle, the museum scene in Japan. What’s exciting is, there are many private museums, private collectors, so every year, there are new museums opening, maybe more than in the West.”

She says technology is also changing the museum experience. “I see more and more venues becoming bilingual. When I started, there were no websites in English. Today, it’s more accessible and more information is available when you are in the museum. It adds costs for the museums but they realise they need to embrace it.”

Sophie is also welcoming of “immersive art experiences” such as those of Dali or Van Gogh that have been touring the world. Close to her hometown is the Carrieres des Lumieres in Les Baux-de-Provence, a rock quarry turned into an immersive art experience. “If it helps to get people looking into art, why not?”

However she added, “A lot of the small museums are under the radar, not everything can go online. I think it’s nice when you go into a museum and it’s packed with people who are actually looking at the exhibits, and not at their phones.”

Note: Sophie Richard will be speaking at WiT Japan & North Asia, Tokyo, May 13-14