Plan B . . .

Fascinating statues at the Buddhist Art Gallery at the Uehara Museum of Art in Shimoda. Pictures by Justine Tyerman

Paintings by European masters, Japanese art treasures and ancient Buddhist sutras are among the surprises Justine Tyerman discovers on a rainy day in a quiet corner of the Izu Peninsula in Japan.

The Uehara Museum of Art in Shimoda was a rainy day alternative to our hiking plans on Day 3 of our Walk Japan Izu Geo Trail (see also Justine's travel feature story here).

It may have been Plan B but it was a wonderful way to spend a rainy morning . . . and such a surprise.

Established to house the collections of Uehara Shoji of the Taisho Pharmaceutical Company, the Uehara Museum of Art has two galleries — the Buddhist Art Gallery (originally founded in 1983) and Modern Art Gallery (originally founded in 2000).

The Buddhist art includes precious sculptures, ancient sutras and writings from the Nara to the Kamakura Period (8th - 13th century), and magnificent modern statues and paintings.

The modern art collection features 19th-20th century European and Japanese paintings by Matisse, Monet, Renoir, Picasso, Sotaro Yasui, Kunitaro Suda, and Kokei Kobayashi.

I discovered a favourite Monet in the gallery, a haunting Picasso and some exquisite work by Japanese artists.

The Three Electras by Lynn Chadwick near the entrance caught my attention too.

As with most art galleries and museums, photography of the most treasured exhibits was forbidden.