Museums in Tokyo

The Tokyo National Museum (TNM) is Japan's oldest and largest museum, housing the world's most comprehensive collection of Japanese art and antiquities, with over 120,000 objects spanning thousands of years.

The Ghibli Museum in Mitaka is a whimsical, enchanting museum dedicated to the animated films of Studio Ghibli. Designed personally by Hayao Miyazaki, it feels like stepping inside one of his fantastical worlds.

The National Museum of Western Art in Ueno Park is housed in a UNESCO World Heritage-listed building designed by Le Corbusier — the only building by the legendary architect in East Asia. It features a superb collection of Western art from the 14th to the 20th century.

The Samurai Museum in Shinjuku's Kabukicho district showcases authentic samurai armour, swords, and artifacts across multiple floors, with English-guided tours and live sword-fighting demonstrations.

The Edo-Tokyo Museum traces the history of Tokyo from its origins as the fishing village of Edo to the modern megalopolis, using full-scale reconstructions, scale models, and interactive exhibits across a massive exhibition space.

The Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum is a sprawling outdoor museum in Koganei Park preserving 30 historic buildings relocated from across Tokyo, spanning from the Edo period to the early Showa era.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum in Ueno Park hosts a diverse programme of major international exhibitions alongside large-scale art society exhibitions, in a modernist building designed by Kunio Maekawa.

teamLab Planets is a fully immersive, body-sensory digital art museum in Toyosu where visitors wade barefoot through water, walk through flower projections, and physically merge with the artworks.

The Mori Art Museum sits at the top of the 53-story Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, combining world-class contemporary art exhibitions with a spectacular rooftop observation deck at 250 meters.

teamLab Borderless is a massive, boundary-dissolving digital art museum where artworks flow out of rooms, merge into corridors, and react to visitors. The Azabudai Hills location opened in 2024 as the successor to the original Odaiba venue.

Miraikan (the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation) is Japan's premier science museum on the Odaiba waterfront, focusing on cutting-edge robotics, space exploration, and sustainability.

The Nezu Museum is a refined private museum in the upscale Omotesando district, housing a superb collection of pre-modern Japanese and East Asian art within a stunning Kengo Kuma-designed building.

21_21 DESIGN SIGHT is a sleek, primarily underground design museum in Tokyo Midtown, co-founded by fashion designer Issey Miyake and architect Tadao Ando, dedicated to exploring design as it intersects with daily life.

The Yayoi Kusama Museum is a five-story museum in Shinjuku dedicated entirely to the legendary Japanese artist famous for her polka dots, infinity rooms, and vibrant pumpkin sculptures.

The Sumida Hokusai Museum is a striking aluminum-clad museum in Sumida ward dedicated to Katsushika Hokusai, the legendary ukiyo-e artist who created *The Great Wave off Kanagawa*.