Art museums and galleries
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Note: Museums and galleries that are usually closed on Mondays will be open if Monday is a national holiday, but will be closed the following day.

Art museum and gallery picks

BankArt Station - Art gallery: Yokohama Takashimacho
[Open 11am-7pm. Closed Mondays.]
BankArt Station, spread out over 1,500 square meters inside Shin-Takashima Station, is the largest of several Yokohama galleries run by the government-supported BankArt 1929 arts program, and it's probably the best venue for contemporary art in...
Ginza Graphic Gallery - Art gallery: Ginza
[Open Mon-Fri 11am-7pm; Sat -6pm. Closed Sundays.]
Monthly exhibitions focus on contemporary graphic design, showcasing the work of prominent designers from Japan and abroad. The gallery is run by Dai Nippon Printing, one of Japan's largest printing companies.
Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo - Art museum: Kiyosumi-Shirakawa
[Open 10am-6pm (enter by 5:30). Closed Mondays.]
After a three-year hiatus for renovation work, Tokyo's premier contemporary-art museum finally reopened in March 2019, incidentally giving a boost to the handful of small independent galleries that have gathered in the neighborhood. The museum's...
National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo - Art museum: Takebashi
[Open 10am-5pm (Fri -8pm). Closed Mondays.]
One of several museums and other attractions located in Kitanomaru Park just across the moat from the Imperial Palace, MOMAT displays an extensive collection spread out over three floors, and is well worth a visit for those with an interest in art. ...
Taka Ishii Gallery - Art gallery: Roppongi
[Open 11am-7pm. Closed Sundays, Mondays, holidays.]
One of Tokyo's better-known contemporary art galleries, Taka Ishii occupies the third floor of the "complex 665" gallery building in Roppongi. The gallery also regularly publishes art books showcasing their broad roster of artists, and participates...
Terrada Art Complex - Art gallery: Tennozu Isle
[Open 11am-6pm (Fri -8pm). Closed Sundays, Mondays, holidays.]
By assembling several major galleries in two massive warehouse buildings, Terrada Art Complex has rather successfully pursued their mission of "making Tennoz Isle into a hub of artistic culture." The complex is now an important stop on any...

Contemporary art museums

Meguro Museum of Art - Art museum: Meguro
[Open 10am-6pm. Closed Mondays.]
This small local museum is run by Meguro Ward, and focuses on modern Japanese and contemporary foreign artists, with frequently changing temporary exhibitions.
Mori Art Museum - Art museum: Roppongi
[Open 10am-10pm (Tue -5pm). Open every day.]
Here on the 53rd floor of the Mori Tower, museum visitors can enjoy an impressive panoramic view of the city after seeing an exhibition. The space itself is relatively large for Tokyo, and exhibitions are well curated, often featuring Asian as well...
Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo - Art museum: Kiyosumi-Shirakawa
[Open 10am-6pm (enter by 5:30). Closed Mondays.]
After a three-year hiatus for renovation work, Tokyo's premier contemporary-art museum finally reopened in March 2019, incidentally giving a boost to the handful of small independent galleries that have gathered in the neighborhood. The museum's...
Museum of Contemporary Sculpture - Art museum: Naka-Meguro
[Open 10am-5pm. Closed Mondays.]
The work of 56 contemporary Japanese artists is presented on two indoor floors and four spacious outdoor areas, with over 200 pieces in all. There's a small tearoom inside the museum, although it isn't always open. Admission is free - just sign...
National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo - Art museum: Takebashi
[Open 10am-5pm (Fri -8pm). Closed Mondays.]
One of several museums and other attractions located in Kitanomaru Park just across the moat from the Imperial Palace, MOMAT displays an extensive collection spread out over three floors, and is well worth a visit for those with an interest in art. ...
Setagaya Art Museum - Art museum: Setagaya-ku
[Open 10am-6pm (entry until 5:30). Closed Mondays.]
The museum has a collection of over 10,000 works of modern and contemporary art, although the exhibition space is relatively small. The building was completed in 1985, and was designed by architect Shozo Uchii. Set in the tranquil urban oasis...
Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery - Art museum: Hatsudai
[Open 11am-7pm (Fri, Sat -8pm). Closed Mondays.]
In addition to contemporary fine arts, the gallery also presents diverse and well-put-together shows covering fashion, architecture and design. Attached is an interesting museum shop called Gallery 5, run by Nadiff art bookstore.
Tokyo Station Gallery - Art museum: Marunouchi
[Open 10am-6pm (enter by 5:30pm). Closed Mondays.]
Located inside the historic Tokyo Station building, the gallery puts on regular shows of contemporary art, modern art, traditional Japanese art, graphic arts and architectural design. English-language audio guides are available. In addition to...
Watarium - Art museum: Gaienmae
[Open 11am-7pm (9pm Wed). Closed Mondays.]
The relatively small exhibition space here hosts exhibitions of contemporary artists from around the world. Attached to the museum is an excellent art bookstore called On Sundays.
Yayoi Kusama Museum - Art museum: Ushigome-Yanigicho
[Open 11am-5pm. Closed Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays.]
Best known internationally for her prolific work with orange polka dots, the avant-garde sculptor, painter and novelist Yayoi Kusama now has a new museum (as of October 2017) devoted to her work and life. There's a lot to see, with closely packed...

More art museums

Asakura Museum of Sculpture - Art museum: Nippori
[Open 9:30am-4:30pm (last entry 4pm). Closed Mondays, Thursdays.]
The former home and studio of sculptor Fumio Asakura (1883-1964) now houses a surprisingly large museum dedicated to his work. The sprawling building was designed by Asakura himself, and consists of a European-style studio wing, where he ran an art...
Chiba City Museum of Art - Art museum: Chiba
[Open 10am-6pm (last entry 5:30pm). Closed first Monday of the month.]
This city-run museum is famous for its permanent collection of ukiyoe woodblock prints. Extensive gallery spaces spread out over two floors offer a chance to see quite a bit of art in one visit. In addition to the permanent collection there are...
Kichijoji Art Museum - Art museum: Kichijoji
[Open 10am-7:30pm. Closed last Wednesday of the month.]
The three small galleries here focus mainly on established 20th-century Japanese artists working in various media. It's one of the few art museums in town that are open past 5pm, and its location on the top floor of a department store makes it a...
Machida City Museum of Graphic Arts - Art museum: Machida
[Open 10am-4:30pm (last entry; Sat, Sun -5pm). Closed Mondays.]
One of the few museums in the world dedicated exclusively to printmaking, this spacious and well-curated museum has amassed a collection of some 30,000 prints from around the world, some dating back to the eighth century. After you've toured the...
Mitsuo Aida Museum - Art museum: Marunouchi
[Open 10am-5:30pm (last entry 5pm). Closed Mondays.]
Calligraphy students, former calligraphy students and hard-core calligraphy fans would appear to be the main audience for this specialized museum, which showcases the work of calligrapher and poet Mitsuo Aida (1924-1991).
Musee Hamaguchi Yozo - Art museum: Suitengumae
[Open 11am-5pm (enter by 4:30pm). Closed Mondays.]
Japanese printmaker Yozo Hamaguchi (1909-2000) was perhaps the most renowned mezzotint artist of the twentieth century. This small private museum exhibits sixty of his works, and has frequent shows devoted to the work of printmaker Keiko Minami,...
Museum of Modern Art, Saitama - Art museum: Saitama-ken
[Open 10am-5:30pm (last entry at 5pm). Closed Mondays.]
Completed in 1982, this was the first museum building designed by architect Kisho Kurokawa, who was also responsible for the Nakagin Capsule Tower and the National Art Center, Tokyo. A lattice-like structure frames the outer perimeter of the...
National Art Center, Tokyo - Art museum: Nogizaka
[Open 10am-6pm. Closed Tuesdays.]
While the museum doesn't have a permanent collection, there are usually several small exhibitions going on at any given time, focusing on ceramics, photography, drawings and paintings. And while you're here, be sure to check out the fantastic...
Ota Memorial Museum of Art - Art museum: Harajuku
[Open 10:30am-5:30pm. Closed Mondays.]
Specializing in ukiyoe (woodblock prints), this three-story museum puts together thematic exhibitions every month showcasing portions of their collection of 12,000 woodblock prints. Around half the prints on display any given month have...
Sato Sakura Museum Tokyo - Art museum: Naka-Meguro
[Open 10am-6pm (last entry 5:30pm). Closed Mondays.]
The museum specializes in contemporary Nihonga - Japanese-style painting using traditional techniques and materials. There are four or five exhibitions held each year and there's also a permanent collection, which consists of several large-scale...
Shiodome Museum - Art museum: Shiodome
[Open 10am-6pm (last entry 5:30pm). Closed Wednesdays.]
More than 200 prints and oil paintings by French expressionist artist Georges Rouault (1871-1958) make up the collection at Panasonic's Shiodome Museum. In addition to showing the permanent collection, the museum puts on curated temporary...
Sogo Museum of Art - Art museum: Yokohama Sta.
[Open 10am-8pm (last entry 7:30pm) daily.]
Two hundred watercolors and oil paintings by artist Shintaro Suzuki (1895-1989) make up the core of the permanent collection at this department-store art museum. Temporary exhibitions tend to focus on well-known Japanese and European artists from...
Sumida Hokusai Museum - Art museum: Ryogoku
[Open 9:30am-5:30pm (enter by 5pm). Closed Mondays.]
This lovely museum is devoted to the work of Katsushika Hokusai, Japan's most famous ukiyoe artist, who lived and worked for most of his life here in this traditional neighborhood. The wide-ranging permanent collection provides a good overview of...
Taro Okamoto Memorial Museum - Art museum: Omotesando
[Open 10am-6pm (enter until 5:30pm). Closed Tuesdays.]
The artist and sculptor Taro Okamoto is known for his iconic, cartoonish and somewhat surrealist large-scale public sculptures. The museum occupies the space that he used as a studio and residence for fifty years, until his death in 1996. Upstairs...
Teien Art Museum - Art museum: Shirokanedai
[Open 10am-6pm (last entry 5:30pm). Closed second and fourth Wednesdays.]
The lovely Art Deco building that houses the Teien Museum was completed in 1933, with interiors designed by Henri Rapin and decorative glass work by Rene Lalique. The beautifully decorated and well-preserved rooms serve as a unique backdrop for the...
Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum - Art museum: Ueno
[Open 9:30am-5:30pm (last entry 5pm). Closed Mondays.]
Five of the six galleries in this city-run facility are rental galleries, used by local artistic associations for temporary exhibitions, and thus the shows here cover a wide range of genres and levels of quality. The museum itself runs the...
Yokohama Museum of Art - Art museum: Yokohama Minato-mirai
[Open 10am-6pm. Closed Thursdays.]
[Update: the museum is scheduled to reopen in March, 2024.] The focus here is primarily on twentieth-century modern art, with works by Dali, Picasso, Cezanne and Magritte as well as notable Japanese artists. Several special exhibitions are held...

Contemporary art galleries

Alpha M - Art gallery: Bakurocho
[Open 11am-7pm. Closed Sundays, Mondays, holidays.]
Established in 1988 by Musashino Art University, this non-profit gallery is a platform for guest curators to introduce talented new artists. When you visit, don't miss the smaller exhibition room behind the reception desk, which also includes a...
Ando Gallery - Art gallery: Kiyosumi-Shirakawa
[Open 11am-7pm. Closed Sundays, Mondays, holidays.]
This small one-room gallery puts on some interesting shows and installations from their roster of Japanese and international artists. It's worth checking out for a few minutes if you're making a coffee pilgrimage to the Allpress Espresso Roastery...
BankArt Station - Art gallery: Yokohama Takashimacho
[Open 11am-7pm. Closed Mondays.]
BankArt Station, spread out over 1,500 square meters inside Shin-Takashima Station, is the largest of several Yokohama galleries run by the government-supported BankArt 1929 arts program, and it's probably the best venue for contemporary art in...
Diesel Art Gallery - Art gallery: Shibuya
[Open 11:30am-9pm daily.]
Located in the basement of the Diesel fashion brand's flagship store in Shibuya, this two-room gallery presents shows by well-known international artists, many with a strong anime or pop-culture sensibility. There are four shows per year, and...
Eitoeiko - Art gallery: Kagurazaka
[Open noon-7pm. Closed Sundays, Mondays.]
Since its debut at the Tokyo Contemporary Art Fair in 2009, the mission of this small gallery has been to showcase work that "treads the boundary between art and non-art," representing an interesting group of both international and Japanese artists....
Gallery MoMo Ryogoku - Art gallery: Ryogoku
[Open 11am-7pm. Closed Sundays, Mondays, holidays.]
Consisting of two large gallery spaces and a small library nook where you can look over artists' scrapbooks, MoMo puts on regular shows of their mostly Japanese contemporary artists. They also take part in international art fairs in Basel, Miami...
Gallery Niw - Art gallery: Edogawabashi
[Open 10am-6pm. Closed Mondays.]
This small, three-room rental gallery has frequent short-running group shows of up-and-coming Japanese artists and art students. Although the space is small, there are a number of other galleries in the immediate neighborhood, so this can be one...
Gyre Gallery - Art gallery: Harajuku
[Open 11am-8pm daily.]
This small two-room gallery located next to the MOMA Store specializes in contemporary Japanese art, and it's generally worth checking out if you happen to be passing by.
Harmas Gallery - Art gallery: Kiyosumi-Shirakawa
[Open noon-7pm. Closed Monday-Thursday.]
Representing mostly young Japanese contemporary artists, Harmas runs this small gallery space and also participates in a number of international art shows around the world. The gallery is open only on weekends (Friday through Sunday), but they have...
Hiromart Gallery - Art gallery: Edogawabashi
[Open 1-7pm. Closed Mondays, Tuesdays.]
This local gallery puts on regular shows of up-and-coming international artists in their compact one-room exhibition space. It can be combined with visits to the nearby Gallery Niw and other galleries in neighborhing Kagurazaka, but you might want...
Kanzan Gallery - Art gallery: Bakurocho
[Open 11am-7:30pm. Closed Mondays.]
Produced by the Japan Photo Arts Society, Kanzan puts on exhibitions of contemporary photography and other art. They have different guest curators for each show in order to present work from a variety of different perspectives. And be sure to...
Koki Arts - Art gallery: Bakurocho
[Open noon-7pm. Closed Sun, Mon, Tue, holidays.]
Koki Arts' gallery director grew up in New York City, and his gallery represents both American and Japanese contemporary artists at various stages of their careers, with the goal of introducing American artists to Japan and vice versa. In addition...
Makii Masaru Fine Arts - Art gallery: Asakusabashi
[Open noon-7pm. Closed Mondays.]
With multiple small showrooms spread out over two rather compact floors, Makii Masuru is a bit more spacious than most of the galleries in the area, and hosts some interesting group shows of international artists. They're located just north of the...
Maruka Bldg Art Galleries - Art gallery: Bakurocho
[Open 2-7pm. Closed Mon, Tue.]
This small building on a Bakurocho side street looks like it's midway through the process of being demolished, but it's actually home to three cutting-edge contemporary art galleries on its three floors. It's definitely worth stopping by if you're...
Megumi Ogita Gallery - Art gallery: Ginza
[Open 11am-7pm. Closed Sundays, Mondays, holidays.]
Manga, anime, toys and other aspects of pop culture are the inspiration for many of the shows at this international gallery. The exhibition area is comfortably spacious and can accommodate fairly large shows. As with all independent galleries,...
Ota Fine Arts - Art gallery: Roppongi
[Open 11am-7pm. Closed Sundays, Mondays, holidays.]
With a history dating back to 1993, Ota has established itself as a pioneer in the world of Japanese contemporary art, and was an early promoter of artist Yayoi Kusama, among others. One of the gallery's goals is to support art with a regional...
PARCEL - Art gallery: Bakurocho
[Open 2-7pm. Closed Mondays, Tuesdays.]
Open since June 2019, PARCEL showcases up-and-coming Japanese and international artists, typically in month-long shows. The main exhibition area is a two-level space just to the left of the entrance to the DDD Hotel, but they have an exhibit area...
Perrotin - Art gallery: Roppongi
[Open 11am-7pm. Closed Sundays, Mondays, holidays.]
Parisian art dealer Emmanuel Perrotin, known abroad as the man who introduced Takashi Murakami to the world (he has represented Murakami since 1993), opened this gallery in 2017 after expanding from Paris to New York, Hong Kong and Seoul. The...
SCAI the Bathhouse - Art gallery: Taito-ku
[Open noon-7pm. Closed Sun, Mon.]
Occupying a renovated 200-year-old bathhouse, this cutting-edge gallery represents some of Japan's best-known contemporary artists. The space itself is fairly small, so it's best to combine a visit here with other sights in the neighborhood. Also...
San-Ai Gallery - Art gallery: Bakurocho
[Open noon-6:30pm. Closed Mondays.]
A small gallery located on a Bakurocho side street, San Ai regularly puts on one-week shows of up-and-coming Japanese artists. Hours and days of operation may vary depending on the exhibition.
Satoko Oe Contemporary (S.O.C.) - Art gallery: Kiyosumi-Shirakawa
[Open noon-7pm. Closed Sundays, Mondays, holidays.]
This small gallery hosts a few shows a year to showcase the artists they represent, and it's generally worth stopping by if something is on. Represented artists include Ikezaki Takuya, Mitsuhiro Ikeda, Tadasuke Iwanaga, Shinichiro Kano, Makiko...
ShugoArts - Art gallery: Roppongi
[Open 11am-7pm. Closed Sundays, Mondays, holidays.]
This influential gallery represents artists Ilya Kabakov, Jan Fable, Tomoko Yoneda, and Naofumi Maruyama. The relatively spacious two-room gallery is located in the "complex 665" gallery building, along with Tomio Koyama and Taka Ishii. All three...
Shutl - Art gallery: Tsukiji
[Open 1-7pm. Closed Tuesdays, Wednesdays.]
Nakagin Capsule Tower, architect Kisho Kurokawa's Metabolist masterpiece, was demolished in 2022, but two of its component capsules have been preserved in this tiny rental gallery. One of them has been restored to its original 1972 splendor,...
Taguchi Fine Art - Art gallery: Mitsukoshimae
[Open 1-7pm. Closed Sundays, Mondays.]
Founded in 2001, Taguchi puts on six or seven shows a year, showcasing established German and other international artists as well as artists from Japan. They also produce occasional pop-up projects in Osaka, Germany and elsewhere.
Taka Ishii Gallery - Art gallery: Roppongi
[Open 11am-7pm. Closed Sundays, Mondays, holidays.]
One of Tokyo's better-known contemporary art galleries, Taka Ishii occupies the third floor of the "complex 665" gallery building in Roppongi. The gallery also regularly publishes art books showcasing their broad roster of artists, and participates...
Taku Sometani Gallery - Art gallery: Bakurocho
[Open 1-7pm. Closed Sundays, Mondays, holidays.]
Representing a handful of Japanese artists, this small gallery puts on several shows a year. Hours and days of operation may vary depending on the exhibition.
Taro Nasu - Art gallery: Roppongi
[Open noon-5pm. Closed Sundays, Mondays, holidays.]
Taro Nasu first opened his namesake contemporary art gallery in 1988, moving it in 2019 to its current location alongside several other galleries in the very arty Piramide Building in Roppongi. The gallery represents two dozen well-established...
Terrada Art Complex - Art gallery: Tennozu Isle
[Open 11am-6pm (Fri -8pm). Closed Sundays, Mondays, holidays.]
By assembling several major galleries in two massive warehouse buildings, Terrada Art Complex has rather successfully pursued their mission of "making Tennoz Isle into a hub of artistic culture." The complex is now an important stop on any...
Tokas Hongo - Art gallery: Ochanomizu
[Open 11am-7pm. Closed Mondays.]
Sponsored by the Tokyo metropolitan government, the Tokyo Arts and Space gallery introduces the work of up-and-coming young artists in Tokyo. A diverse selection of art is on display in the three floors of galleries, and there's usually something...
Tomio Koyama Gallery - Art gallery: Roppongi
[Open 11am-7pm. Closed Sundays, Mondays, holidays.]
This major gallery represents over fifty Japanese and international artists, and occupies an important place in the Japanese contemporary art scene. Represented artists include Benjamin Butler, Atsushi Fukui, Ryan McGinley, Mika Ninagawa, Yoko Ono,...
Wako Works of Art - Art gallery: Roppongi
[Open 11am-7pm. Closed Sundays, Mondays, holidays.]
Wako represents a roster of major contemporary European and international artists like Gerhard Richter and Wolfgang Tillmans, and aims to introduce important artists who have not been shown very often in Japan. The gallery is located in the...
Yutaka Kikutake Gallery - Art gallery: Roppongi
[Open noon-6pm. Closed Sundays, Mondays, holidays.]
Founded in 2015, this small gallery represents mostly up-and-coming Japanese contemporary artists in all visual media. This is one of several contemporary art galleries located in Roppongi's Piramide arts complex.

More art galleries

Artcomplex Center of Tokyo - Art gallery: Shinanomachi
[Open 11am-8pm. Closed Mondays.]
Founded in 2007, this community-oriented art complex comprises six gallery spaces, including a very large basement area. Not all the galleries are open all the time, and not all the exhibitions are equally polished, but there's usually something...
Bunkamura Gallery 8 - Art gallery: Shibuya
[Open 11am-8pm daily.]
This commercial gallery puts on short-term solo and group shows of contemporary Japanese art, from both established artists and newcomers. It moved to the Hikarie complex's Creative Space 8 in June 2023 from Bunkamura (the arts center run by Tokyu...
Design Festa Gallery - Art gallery: Harajuku
[Open 11am-8pm daily.]
Sprouting out of the backstreets of Harajuku like some bargain-basement Pompidou Centre is the Design Festa Gallery. If not Tokyo's most avant-garde art space, the gallery - an offshoot of Design Festa (Japan's biggest art and design event, held...
Gallerie Le Monde - Art gallery: Harajuku
[Open noon-8pm (Sun -5pm). Closed Mondays.]
This compact Harajuku gallery is devoted to showcasing the work of Japanese illustrators, and there are generally fresh new shows every week. Much of the work is quite affordably priced, and there are usually postcards and other goods for sale as...

Architecture

GA Gallery - Art gallery: Sendagaya
[Open noon-6:30pm daily.]
Despite their compact gallery space, the Global Architecture Gallery puts on some excellent exhibitions focusing on contemporary Japanese and international architecture. They also publish books and magazines, and run a very well stocked architecture...
Gallery Ma - Art gallery: Nogizaka
[Open 11am-6pm (Fri -7pm). Closed Sun, Mon.]
Established by Toto, the manufacturer of bathroom appliances, Gallery Ma is a small two-story gallery located above a Nogizaka showroom. They specialize in modern architecture and contemporary design, with frequent exhibitions devoted to...
Prismic Gallery - Art gallery: Gaienmae
[Open 10am-5pm. Closed Mondays.]
Occupying a one-room gallery space across from Aoyama Cemetery, this intimate gallery puts together correspondingly small-scale exhibitions, focusing on the works of up-and-coming architects and landscape designers.

Photography

Tokyo Photographic Art Museum (TOP) - Art museum: Ebisu
[Open 10am-6pm (entry until 5:30pm). Closed Mondays.]
Run by the Tokyo metropolitan government, this first-rate museum showcases both Japanese and international photographers. Around twenty exhibitions a year are held in the museum's three gallery spaces. A branch of Nadiff bookstore, located on the...
Totem Pole Photo Gallery - Art gallery: Yotsuya 3-chome
[Open noon-7pm. Closed Mondays.]
Open since 2008, this contemporary photography gallery runs a program of frequent regular exhibitions, usually lasting a week or two, of member artists.
Zen Foto - Art gallery: Roppongi
[Open 11am-7pm. Closed Sundays, Mondays, holidays.]
With an emphasis on contemporary photography from China and Japan, Zen Foto shows a mix of both established and up-and-coming young photographers from the two countries, and publishes a number of limited-edition books to go with its shows. The...

Ceramics and crafts

Crafts Gallery, National Museum of Modern Art - Art museum: Takebashi
[Open 10am-5pm. Closed Mondays.]
Run by the nearby National Museum of Modern Art, the small gallery focuses on early and mid twentieth-century crafts. The six gallery rooms are filled with gorgeous ceramics and lacquerware, room-divider screens, metalwork and fabrics. The museum...
Japan Folk Crafts Museum - Museum: Komaba-Todaimae
[Open 10am-5pm (enter by 4:30pm). Closed Mondays.]
If you are looking for a tranquil relic of old Tokyo, the Japan Folk Crafts Museum (Nihon Mingei-kan) is for you. This tiny but enchanting museum, hidden away in peaceful Komaba, displays folk crafts (mingei) from all over Japan. The founder,...
Japanese Sword Museum - Museum: Ryogoku
[Open 9:30am-5pm (last entry 4:30pm). Closed Mondays.]
This small museum will mostly be of interest to Japanese sword enthusiasts and collectors. The facility is run by the Society for Preservation of Japanese Art Swords, and there are usually several dozen swords and other objects from their 190-piece...
Musee Tomo - Art museum: Kamiyacho
[Open 10am-6pm. Closed Mondays.]
Tomo Kikuchi has assembled one of the best collections of contemporary Japanese ceramic art in the world, including works by many recognized master potters, and her collection is still growing with the addition of newly added pieces each year. ...
Taimeiken Kite Museum - Museum: Nihonbashi
[Open 11am-5pm. Closed Sundays.]
A visit to Nihonbashi's Taimeiken Kite Museum feels a bit like stepping into the attic of an eccentric old man. The room is a tangled heap of color and string, requiring you to duck under and step around the hundreds of kites that couldn't fit...

Asian antiquities

Nezu Museum - Art museum: Omotesando
[Open 10am-5pm (enter until 4:30pm). Closed Mondays.]
Pre-modern art from Japan, China, and other Asian countries is the focus of the collection here, with some 7000 items including painting and sculpture, calligraphy, ceramics and lacquerware. The stunning building was designed by architect Kengo...
Ancient Orient Museum - Museum: Ikebukuro
[Open 10am-5pm (entry until 4:30pm) daily.]
The exhibitions at this small museum focus on archaeological finds and fine arts from the Ancient Near East (Egypt, Mesopotamia) and Central Asia (the Silk Road). Standing in the entranceway is a replica of the stele of the Code of Hammurabi from...
Calligraphy Museum - Museum: Uguisudani
[Open 9:30am-4:30pm (enter by 4pm). Closed Mondays.]
Although it's called a Calligraphy museum, the collection here focuses mainly on the early history of the Chinese (and later Japanese) written language through its use in inscriptions on ancient Chinese jade, bronze and ceramic objects. There are...
Gotoh Museum - Art museum: Setagaya-ku
[Open 10am-5pm (last entry 4:30pm). Closed Mondays, Tuesdays.]
Japanese and Chinese paintings, ceramics, calligraphy, tea ceremony implements, swords and mirrors - there are over 5,000 items making up the museum's impressive collection. Unfortunately, though, we'll probably only get to see most of these...
Horyuji Gallery - Art museum: Ueno
[Open 9:30am-5pm (enter by 4:30pm; Fri-8pm). Closed Mondays.]
The Gallery of Horyuji Treasures is part of Tokyo National Museum in Ueno Park. It houses more than 300 historical artifacts, mainly from the seventh and eighth centuries, which were donated to the Imperial Household by Horyuji Temple in Nara in...
Matsuoka Museum of Art - Art museum: Shirokanedai
[Open 10am-5pm (last entry 4:30pm). Closed Mondays.]
Seijiro Matsuoka was an art collector with many and varied interests, and these are reflected in the museum that houses his collection. The three main permanent galleries are devoted to ancient Egyptian art and artifacts, ancient Buddha statues...
Mitsui Memorial Museum - Art museum: Mitsukoshimae
[Open 10am-5pm (last entry 4:30pm). Closed Mondays.]
The Mitsui family's immense collection of Japanese and Asian art sounds impressive in the catalog, but in reality the exhibition space is quite small and the Y1000 admission price seems rather steep considering how little you get to see. It might...
Seikado Bunko Art Museum - Art museum: Marunouchi
[Open 10am-5pm (Fri -6pm). Closed Mondays.]
An extensive collection of Chinese pottery and porcelain, covering several dynasties, is at the heart of this century-old museum's holdings. The 6500-item collection also includes swords, tea ceremony utensils, Chinese and Japanese paintings,...
Sekido Museum of Art - Art museum: Adachi-ku
[Open 10am-5pm (last entry 4:30pm). Closed Mondays.]
The permanent collection of this local art museum includes ceramics and lacquerware, tea ceremony utensils, Buddha sculptures, bronzeware and jade pieces, although the small size of the galleries means that only a small fraction of the works will be...
Toguri Museum of Art - Art museum: Shibuya
[Open 9:30am-5:30pm (enter by 5pm). Closed Mondays.]
The museum's impressive 7000-piece collection focuses on ancient Chinese, Japanese and Korean ceramics, although it includes some modern works as well. They put on four thematic shows per year, but unfortunately with only three small exhibit rooms...