Tokyo National Museum

last update: February 11, 2021

Practical info, hours and fees

Admission:: 1000¥

Opening hours: 9:30-17:00, until 20:00 sometimes on friday, until 18:00 sometimes on saturday and national holidays

Closing days: monday

Other useful information: official website

All the details on the Tokyo National Museum

The Tokyo National Museum houses one of the largest collections of art and archaeological artifacts in Japan, consisting of over 110,000 individual artifacts including nearly a hundred national treasures. Obviously there is no room for all these finds, so about 4,000 are exhibited at a time. However, some of the artifacts on display are rotated weekly (info on the latest rotations here), which means there will always be new ones to see by visiting the museum several times over the years.
The museum is made up of a total of 7 buildings, some large enough to be considered as museums in their own right, specializing in different types of art and exhibitions. In addition to the exhibition halls, the Tokyo National Museum also offers a Japanese-style garden and tea houses (open to the public in spring and autumn) located behind the Honkan, as well as several shops, cafes and restaurants scattered among the various buildings.

Honkan

The main building Honkan (Japanese Gallery) was inaugurated in 1938 and displays a variety of Japanese artwork from prehistoric times to the 19th century, including ancient Buddhist statues, painted sliding doors, scrolls, pottery and maps as well as cultural items such as masks, costumes, armor and weapons among others historical artifacts.

Heiseikan

The Heiseikan (Heisei Gallery) was inaugurated in 1999 to commemorate Crown Prince Hiro's marriage to Masako Okawa in 1993. It houses a collection of archaeological finds from all over the country and rooms for temporary exhibitions.

Toyokan

The Toyokan building (Asian Gallery) was designed in 1968 by the Japanese architect Taniguchi Yoshiro. Inside the building, works of art and artifacts from China, Korea, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, India and Egypt are exhibited.

Horyuji Homotsukan

The Horyuji Homotsukan (Gallery of Horyuji Treasures), was designed by Taniguchi Yoshio and opened in 1999. It houses a collection of religious objects composed mainly of small intricate statues and other artifacts donated by the Horyuji Temple of Nara to the imperial family in 1878.

Hyokeikan

The Hyokeikan (Congratulatory Gallery) was inaugurated in 1909 to celebrate the marriage of those who would one day become Emperor Taisho and Empress Teimei. The building is an important testimony of Western-style architecture during the Meiji period and is currently used to house the museum's temporary exhibitions (calendar).

Kuroda Kinenkan

The Kuroda Kinenkan (Kuroda Memorial Hall) is located in a separate area, north-west of the main museum complex. Unlike the rest of the museum, it is free to visit and has separate opening hours (9:30 am to 5:00 pm every day except Mondays). The building was built in 1928 using part of the inheritance left by Kuroda Seiki, who in his will asked to use part of his fortune "to finance projects to promote art". Kuroda was a Japanese artist known as the father of modern Western-style painting in Japan. The building houses a rotating collection of Kuroda's paintings and sketches, as well as other works of art that were donated by his family.

Shiryokan

The Shiryōkan (Research and Information Center) contains books, magazines, images and other documents relating to history, archeology and fine arts in Japan, Asia and the Middle East. The floor open to the public includes two reading rooms and an exhibition area.

How to get to the Tokyo National Museum

The Tokyo National Museum is located in the northern part of Ueno Park, 700 meters from the "Park Exit" of Ueno station, but also, in the opposite direction, 700 meters from the "South Exit" of Uguisudani station.

Guided tours, activities and other things to do

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