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1. National Museum of Modern Art
The grey facade of the National Museum of Modern Art offers a stark contrast to the surrounding greenery of Kitanomaru Park. Inside is a superb collection of modern Japanese art. The galleries on the second and fourth floors feature work by some of Japan’s most influential artists, chronicling some of the most turbulent periods of its history.
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There are more than 13,000 paintings, prints, drawings, video installations, and sculptures on display. These feature a number of significant international works, but the museum’s real strength is in Japanese masters from the Meiji Period and beyond.
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2. Tokyo National Museum
This museum houses the world’s most comprehensive collection of Japanese art, with everything from embroidery, samurai swords, sculpture and thousand-year-old ceramics. In all there are more than 110,000 artifacts spread across a number of rotating exhibitions.
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The main Honkan building, opened in 1938, exhibits Japanese artwork from ancient times up to the 19th century. The Hyokeikan is the oldest building on the grounds, built in 1909 to celebrate the Emperor Taisho's wedding. To the right of the Honkan stands the Toyokan building, designed in 1968 by Japanese architect Yoshiro Taniguchi. It features galleries displaying Asian art, with artifacts from China, Southeast Asia, Central Asia and beyond.
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3. National Museum of Nature and Science
Dating from the 1870s, the National Museum of Nature and Science is a treasure trove of butterflies, meteorites, and all sorts of wonders from the natural world. There’s a special focus on the anthropological history, biodiversity, geology and technological contributions from Japan.
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Exhibits include the stuffed body of Hachiko, famous pandas, and a fragment of the Nantan meteorite that hit China in the 16th century. There is also a domed 360-degree movie theater and an area where you can investigate various physical phenomena.
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4. Edo-Tokyo Museum
The Edo-Tokyo Museum details 400 years of Japanese culture and lifestyles, through realistic architectural models and reconstructions of Tokyo’s historic neighborhoods. You can find original woodblock prints and maps, discover more about the political forces at play and also the lives of ordinary citizens.
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Walk across a reproduction of the Nihonbashi Bridge, take a look into tenement houses and visit long-lost landmarks. You’ll learn about the rise of kabuki theater and woodblock printing. Plus, you can take a journey through Tokyo’s transformation from a feudal society to modern technological metropolis.
Toeizan in Ueno (Edo period, 18th - 19th,) by Tamagawa ShuchoTokyo National Museum
Did you enjoy your tours?
If you loved touring these Tokyo museums and want to discover more about Japanese art, including how it influenced Western styles, you can learn more here.
