National Museum of Western Art

photo by 663highland · CC BY-SA 4.0

photo by 663highland · CC BY 2.5

A Le Corbusier building, UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2016; the Rodins in the courtyard are free.

In the forecourt in front of the entrance you can see Rodin's sculptures without a ticket, including ‘The Gates of Hell’: the ticket is only needed for the permanent collection inside. The 1959 building is the only one in Japan designed by Le Corbusier, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2016 together with sixteen other sites by the same architect in seven countries, and a national Important Cultural Property since 2007.

The museum opened in 1959 to house the Matsukata collection: European paintings and sculptures gathered in the early twentieth century by the shipowner Matsukata Kōjirō, confiscated in France during the war and partly returned to Japan afterwards. The building that houses them, designed by Le Corbusier, was added to the UNESCO list in 2016 together with sixteen other sites by the same architect in Europe, Asia and South America, and has been a national Important Cultural Property since 2007. Inside you can see works by Monet, Renoir and Picasso; outside, in the courtyard, the Rodin casts, including ‘The Gates of Hell’, require no ticket.

ℹ️ Permanent collection 9:30–17:30, Fridays and Saturdays until 20:00 (entry until 30 minutes before closing). Closed on Mondays (Tuesday if Monday is a public holiday) and from 28 December to 1 January. Ticket 500 yen (250 yen university students), free for under-18s, over-65s and disabled visitors with one companion; special exhibitions have a separate ticket, not checked in this session. Inside Ueno Park, a few minutes on foot from the park exit of JR Ueno Station.

🚉 Ueno · 7 min walk

Sources: nmwa.go.jp · nmwa.go.jp · whc.unesco.org

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