Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum

photo by Matthide127 · CC0

photo by Matthide127 · CC0

Japan's first public art museum, opened in 1926 in Ueno Park.

You will not find a collection of its own on permanent display: the museum mainly hosts large temporary exhibitions, often of European or Japanese art on loan, and the annual exhibitions of Japan's public art groups. Entry to the 1975 building, designed by the architect Maekawa Kunio, is free; you only pay for the ticket to the current exhibition, and for the most popular ones the queue starts before opening time.

Opened on 1 May 1926 as 東京府美術館, it is the first public art museum ever opened in Japan. The original building gave way in 1975 to the current one, designed by Maekawa Kunio, a pupil of Le Corbusier, like the nearby National Museum of Western Art. It does not keep a permanent collection on continuous display: its role is to host the large temporary exhibitions of Italian, French or Japanese art and the annual shows of the national art associations.

ℹ️ Open 9:30–17:30, on Fridays with special exhibitions until 20:00 (entry until 30 minutes before closing). Closed on the first and third Monday of the month. Entry to the building is free; the ticket price varies with each exhibition. In Ueno Park. ⚠️ For the most popular exhibitions queues form even before opening time, and a crowded room slows the visit down: an e-ticket booked in advance avoids the queue at the entrance, but not the one in front of the works.

🚉 Keisei-Ueno · 9 min walk

Sources: tobikan.jp · tobikan.jp · tobikan.jp

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