Tokyo National Museum
Time Out says
Friendly warning! We're working hard to be accurate. But these are unusual times, so please check that venues remain open.
[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.
***
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
Pick a date
Please select two valid dates
The first date can't be after the second date
No events found for the selected dates
-
ArtNational Treasure: Frolicking Animals
UPDATE: This exhibition has been postponed until spring 2021. ‘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...
Until Sunday August 30 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...
Until Sunday August 23 2020 -
Things to do‘A Glide on the Great Wave’: Experience Japanese Culture at the Tokyo National Museum
The Tokyo National Museum in Ueno is an essential visit for any visitor to Japan – you’ll learn about the history of Tokyo from feudal times to the present day. To celebrate Tokyo’s history, the museum is screening ‘A Glide on the Great Wave’, a 4K short...
Until Sunday December 20 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....
Tuesday September 1 2020 - Monday November 30 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 - Sunday February 28 2021