Museums - Tokyo Intro: Experience #25 of 55

Tokyo has hundreds of museums to visit.  You can buy a Tokyo Museum GRUTTO pass when you are there that gives either free or discounted entry to 90+ of them.  If you are going to visit more than a few museums, it will pay off.  The two top museums to visit are the Edo-Tokyo Museum and the National Museum, and they both have bilingual descriptions for exhibits.  A smaller museum that provides a more intimate look into Edo period Japanese life is the Shitamachi Museum, which is a nice walk through Ueno Park away from the National Musuem.

National Museum

Samurai Armour

Dancing Haniwa at the National Museum. 

Highlighted Museums

• The National Museum is Japan’s main historical and archeological museum containing many national treasures.  You will get a good overview of Japanese prehistory, history, and art here.  The stone age, Jomon artifacts with the Dancing Haniwa figures are extremely interesting along with the pottery of the period.  You will find swords, armor, kimono, and many other artifacts here. 
• The Edo-Tokyo Museum is only about the history of Tokyo from the Edo period to the present.  The building it is in is quite interesting too as it looks like it is suspended off the ground.  The museum has a full scale replicas of the Edo period Nihonbashi Bridge, a Kabuki theater, period apartments and houses,  and a great ukiyo-e printing exhibit.  There is a lot to see in this museum. 
• Other smaller museums of note are the:
• Samurai Museum in Shinjuku (temporarily closed as of April 5, 2024) that is about these feudal warriors.
• TOKYO SAMURAI NINJA MUSEUM With Experience, a new 2024 guided history tour through the samurai and ninja exhibits and some interactive samurai dress-up and ninja skills fun.  https://mai-ko.com/tour/tokyo-samurai-museum-with-experience-basic-ticket/
  
• The Japanese Sword Museum.
• The Hokusai Museum about the artist and his ukiyo-e prints.
• The Shitamachi Museum about the area’s Edo period culture.  
• The Hokusai Museum, The Edo-Tokyo Museum, and the Japanese Sword museum (recently renovated) are all located near each other in Sumida Ward.  Visit the smaller museums based on interest and budget.
• There are many fantastic art museums in Tokyo.  A few of these are the:
  
• National Art Center.  The National Art Center was featured in the animated film Your Name when two characters went on a date, and has some fantastic architecture.  Check their schedule to see if a really interesting exhibit is on when you visit. https://www.nact.jp/english/
• The Mori Museum. The Mori Museum is way up high in the Mori Tower in Roppongi Hills and hosts interesting modern art exhibitions, so check their schedule. https://www.mori.art.museum/en/
• The Hokusai Museum.  The Hokusai Museum is dedicated to the work of Hokusai, the ukiyo-e artist.  For his fans, it is worth a visit, and most people will probably get through the museum in under an hour. https://hokusai-museum.jp/?lang=en
  
• Teamlab Borderless at Azabudai Hills immersive art exhibit with awesome projection mappings. https://www.azabudai-hills.com/en/teamlabborderless/index.html
• The Azabudai Hills Gallery is a newer modern art museum near Teamlab Borderless.  https://www.azabudai-hills.com/en/azabudaihillsgallery/index.html
  
• The National Art Center, the Mori Museum, and the Suntory Museum of Art constitute the Roppongi Art Triangle.  The three museums are within walking distance of each other and are in the Roppongi area, which is a popular area for international visitors.
• Make sure you check on the museum website the days they are open.  Many museums and even castles and parks can close on Mondays if they are keeping with a government schedule.
  

Edo Tokyo Museum with a re-creation of the Nihonbashi Bridge.

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