Sumida Hokusai Museum

photo by Sailko · CC BY 3.0

photo by Kakidai · CC BY-SA 4.0

A museum devoted to Hokusai, born in Sumida: permanent exhibition 400 yen, closed on Mondays.

In Kazuyo Sejima's metal-clad building, the permanent exhibition traces Hokusai's life mainly through high-definition reproductions: the original works can only be seen in the special exhibitions, with a separate ticket. The building has no steps, but several reviews report panels that are hard to read from a wheelchair.

The museum, opened in 2016, is devoted entirely to Katsushika Hokusai, who was born in the Sumida area and lived there for much of his life. The original works are extremely sensitive to light and heat and stay on display no more than thirty days a year: this is why the permanent exhibition (‘Education Room’) mainly shows life-size, high-definition replicas, while the originals can be seen in the rotating special exhibitions, with a separate ticket.

ℹ️ Open 9:30–17:30, last entry at 17:00 (official site, hokusai-museum.jp). Permanent exhibition ticket 400 yen adults (300 students and over-65s, free up to junior high); special exhibitions are priced separately. ⚠️ The weekly closing day (Monday, the next weekday if it is a public holiday) is not stated on the museum's own site: it comes from Sumida City's tourism body (visit-sumida.jp). The building has no steps, but several reviews report panels that are hard to read from a wheelchair.

🚉 Ryogoku · 4 min walk

Sources: hokusai-museum.jp · hokusai-museum.jp · visit-sumida.jp

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