Tokyo National Museum
Time Out says
[Update, Feb 4 2020] Tokyo National Museum will increase its admission fee from ¥620 to ¥1,000 for adults, and ¥410 to ¥500 for university students starting April 1 2020.
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If you have just one day to devote to museum-going in Tokyo and are interested in Japanese art and artefacts, this is the place to visit. Japan’s oldest and largest museum houses over 110,000 items. Past the ornate gateway, there’s a wide courtyard and pond surrounded by three main buildings. Directly in front is the Honkan, or main gallery, dating from 1938, which displays the permanent collection of Japanese arts and antiquities. The 25 rooms regularly rotate their exhibitions of paintings, ceramics, swords, kimonos, sculptures and the like. The Toyokan building to the right features five floors of artworks from other parts of Asia; the Hyokeikan, the 1909 European-style building to the left, is currently closed to visitors. Behind the Hyokeikan is the Gallery of Horyu-ji Treasures, which houses some of Japanese Buddhism’s most important and ancient artefacts, from the seventh-century Horyu-ji temple in Nara. The Heiseikan, behind the Honkan, holds three to four temporary exhibitions of Japanese and Asian art each year. There are also a couple of restaurants in the complex, and a good gift shop.
Details
| Address: |
13-9 Ueno Koen, Taito-ku Tokyo |
|---|---|
| Transport: | Ueno Station (Ginza, Hibiya, Yamanote, Keihin-Tohoku lines) |
| Contact: | |
| Opening hours: | 9.30am-5pm (until 9pm on Fri & Sat) / closed Mon (except for holidays) |
What's On
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ArtPassing on Cultural Heritage: Buddhist Murals and Sculptures of Horyuji
Horyuji, a Buddhist temple in Nara with one of the oldest wooden structures in the world, was struck by a fire in 1949, which severely damaged several 1,300-year-old murals from the Asuka period (593-710). At this special exhibition you’ll be able to...
Until Sunday May 10 2020 -
ArtUNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Special Exhibition "The World of Traditional Performing Arts – Kabuki, Bunraku, Noh and Kyogen, Gagaku, Kumiodori"
Note: The start of this exhibition has been delayed indefinitely due to the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak. Opening hours and dates are subject to change. The five types of Japanese performing art recognised as elements of Intangible Cultural Heritage...
Until Sunday May 24 2020 -
ArtKimono: Fashioning Identities
Get a thorough introduction to an iconic piece of Japanese clothing at the Tokyo National Museum and Japan Cultural Expo's spring special, which digs deep into the history and cultural significance of the kimono. The exhibition's five sections touch on...
Tuesday April 14 2020 - Sunday June 7 2020 -
ArtNational Treasure: Frolicking Animals
‘Frolicking Animals’ (Choju-giga) is the title of a set of four picture scrolls created sometime between the mid-12th and early 13th centuries. Sometimes referred to as the first-ever work of manga, the scrolls depict anthropomorphic rabbits, frogs and...
Tuesday July 14 2020 - Sunday August 30 2020 -
ArtKogei 2020 – Nature and the Shape of Beauty
Traditional Japanese crafts are explored from every angle at the National Museum in autumn, when this exhibition, co-presented by the Japan Cultural Expo, takes over the Hyokeikan gallery with displays that focus especially on nature and natural beauty....
Thursday October 1 2020 -
ArtThe Architecture of Japan: Natural Materials Meet Traditional Techniques
Taking on the history of Japanese architecture from the Asuka period (538-710) to the 21st century, this ambitious exhibition is set to occupy three Tokyo venues – the National Museum, the National Museum of Nature and Science and the National Archives...
Sunday November 1 2020 - Monday February 1 2021