March 18-May 28
When Natsume Soseki (1867-1916) made his fourth trip to Kyoto, a city he found inspiring, Shotaro Kaga, a successful businessman, asked him to name a villa that he was in the process of building. In response, Soseki sent Kaga a letter listing 14 potential names.
The letter, which was thought lost for many years, was recently rediscovered and is now on display at the Asahi Beer Oyamazaki Villa Museum of Art — the villa Soseki was asked to name. Though Soseki died before the villa was completed and his suggestions were not used, Kaga deeply respected the writer who he invited to see the building during its construction.
As part of the 150th-anniversary celebrations of Soseki's birth, the letter is being shown to the public for the first time, along with the author's diary and works by Seifu Tsuda, an artist who also visited Kaga's villa.
Asahi Beer Oyamazaki Villa Museum of Art; 5-3 Zenihara, Oyamazaki-cho, Otokuni-gun, Kyoto. Yamazaki Stn. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. ¥900. Closed Mon. 075-957-3123; www.asahibeer-oyamazaki.com
