What are the best museums in Tokyo?
Tokyo has dozens of museums, some are well-known and super popular, others are true hidden gems.
On my last trip to Japan I went to a museum almost every single day. I just couldn’t get enough…
I saw a lot of wonderful traditional Japanese art, but also some cutting-edge and extraordinary exhibitions.
The choice of museums in Tokyo can be a bit overwhelming, so in this guide I highlight and review my own selection of the best museums in Tokyo.
I hope these reviews will help you when you research and plan your trip to Tokyo.
I also mention if a museum is included in the Tokyo Pass to make planning easier.
Table of contents
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This article is also featured on GPSmyCity. To download this article for offline reading or create a self-guided walking tour to visit the attractions highlighted in this article, go to Walking Tours and Articles in Tokyo.
The most unique museums in Tokyo
Some of the best museums in Tokyo will give you a unique experience you can’t find elsewhere.
Here are the most unique museums in Tokyo I’ve found with full reviews and tips on how to visit.
teamLab Borderless Tokyo review
I’ve been to some immersive exhibitions in the past, but this is something else.
teamLab Borderless is one of the most popular experiences in Tokyo, which doesn’t make it in any way less unique.
It’s a digital art museum in an incredibly absorbing space, filled with moving, interactive art installations.
They float around the space and some respond to your presence and movements.
The initial effect when I entered was mesmerising, and the light show all around you continues to captivate as you wander in a constantly moving maze.
I loved the elements from nature, like flowers and water, and especially the animals walking on the walls.
It’s easy to get lost in this experience and I still have no idea how much time I spent inside.
teamLab Planets Tokyo
teamLab Planets is another multi-sensory, full-body immersive experience, similar to Borderless, but different in some aspects.
It is similar in the sense that it feels magical, you walk through the art, and the use of touch, sight and sound is very clever.
When you enter Planets, you walk barefoot through water. That’s something I’ve never experienced anywhere else. The water comes roughly halfway up your shin, so dress accordingly.
The Floating Flower Garden has you wading through a sea of suspended orchids, and the Infinite Crystal Universe wraps you in cascading light.
Tips before you visit teamLab experiences in Tokyo
- I downloaded the teamLab app before going. It gives you info about the artworks, as there are no captions because the art moves around the space.
- Tickets have time slots and you want to book way in advance for a convenient time (there’s also a flexible pass that lets you enter at any time, but it’s much more expensive).
- It may be crowded but I found that with so many rooms to move around, you can easily avoid a crowded space and come back to it later.
- You can combine your visit to teamLab Borderless with a tour of other point of interest:
Small Worlds Tokyo review
Small Worlds is such an unusual experience.
It showcases countless miniature models of cities, spaceports, vehicles, houses, people, food, an airport, and a fantasy world.
All are incredibly detailed and crafted to perfection.
Though it may seem like an attraction for kids, I saw mostly adults there (and maybe two kids…).
Some models have moving parts, lights that go on and off, and buttons that you can press to interact with them. Look closely after you press a button, the tiny details are easy to miss.
My favourite part of Small Worlds was the global village, an imaginary world that looks real till you notice the bizarre small details. It’s done with so much charm and humour and the attention to detail is unbelievable.
I also loved the airport model, it was fascinating to watch the planes take off and land, and all the wonderful details inside the terminal.
Small Worlds is inside a huge warehouse-style building in Odaiba.
You can book tickets for any date you want without a time slot. Entry is included in the Tokyo Pass.
Min-on Music Museum
Min-on Music Museum is a free museum that I really enjoyed visiting. It’s a great place for music lovers. I’d say it’s a bit of a hidden gem in Tokyo.
It has both western and Japanese instruments on display.
The highlight of my visit was the demonstration of the museum’s collection of old and rare pianos.
The pianist played a short piece on each. We were handed sheets with photos of the pianos with text in English. The demonstration itself was in Japanese, so the sheets helped me follow what was going on.
Another room in the museum houses automatic musical instruments.
These are quite unique and sometimes quirky music boxes and other instruments. Some are quite old but have been well maintained and are still in working order today.
The demonstration in this room was fascinating. Here too you can get a sheet with photos and explanations in English.
Another highlight in this museum is a piano that survived the atomic bomb. Just as I was about to leave, a member of staff gestured towards the piano upstairs, indicating that a demonstration was about to begin. Not only has the piano survived, it’s also been maintained and is still playable today.
Best museums in Tokyo on Japanese culture and history
As futuristic as Tokyo may be, it has some museums that bring history to life.
I had a chance to visit some of the best museums in Tokyo that gave me an insight into Japan’s history, architecture, and traditions.
The Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum
The Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum is a unique experience and one of my favourite museums in Tokyo. I went to see it twice, on both my trips to Japan.
Even though it’s out of the city centre, it’s easy to reach with Tokyo’s superb public transport.
This museum is well worth a visit if you love architecture and historical buildings, and if you want to understand Japanese culture more deeply.
This open-air museum is inside a park where you stroll among historical buildings, relocated from different parts of old Tokyo.
As you enter you soon find yourself wandering on a street with beautifully restored old houses.
You can enter each house and see all the rooms and details like windows, decorations, tatami, vintage furniture, etc. I could really imagine how people used to live in those houses.
There’s some text in English next to most buildings that tells you who used to live in it or what it was used for.
The park is divided into three zones. Some houses are residential, others are shops and other public buildings, so you feel like you’re walking through a small town.
I liked the Photo Studio – a surprising Bauhaus style building. I also liked the old farm houses, though it was quite dark inside.
As an architecture buff, I especially liked the House of Koide: Art Deco design on the outside, traditional Japanese design on the inside (like tatami and moving walls), mixed with western style influences (like the living room with sofas and a piano).
You can take a guided tour of this open-air museum. I didn’t know about this tour when I was there but it would have been wonderful to have a guide there with me to put things in context.
I went there during the winter illuminations before Christmas. Although it was a very popular time of the year to visit with many people coming and going, there was still a sense of space, because the buildings are spread out around the park.
If you go there at quieter times, you’ll enjoy a truly peaceful experience.
Tip: Remember to wear slip-on shoes, as you’ll have to take your shoes off to enter most houses. You can pick up a bag for your shoes when you enter.
Entry is included in the Tokyo Pass.
The Ad Museum
One of the most interesting museums in Tokyo is dedicated entirely to advertising.
You can learn a lot about Japanese culture through its ads, and this museum makes learning particularly aesthetic.
The main exhibition takes you through the chronological development of advertising in Japan. It puts it in historical context, so you learn about how Japanese society changed over the years.
I enjoyed seeing the old ads, including Edo-period woodblock prints and vintage posters.
I also liked the TV booths where you can watch TV commercials from different time periods.
Everything is explained in English so the information is accessible even if you know nothing about Japanese advertising.
Tokyo National Museum
The Tokyo National Museum is Japan’s oldest and largest art museum. It’s one of the best places to learn about Japanese culture.
It has a massive collection of objects and national treasures.
Located in Ueno Park, close to quite a few other cultural institutions, it has six different buildings.
I liked the Japanese Gallery, a great educational experience in the history of Japanese art.
It also has an Asian Gallery covering art from China, Korea, India, and Southeast Asia.
There’s a lot to see in this museum, so take your time.
Entry is included in the Tokyo Pass.
Best museums in Tokyo for art lovers: my honest reviews of the top 7
Tokyo is a great place for art lovers. I found many well curated exhibitions in Tokyo, ranging from traditional to modern and contemporary art.
Ota Memorial Museum of Art
I loved visiting this museum dedicated to traditional Japanese woodblock prints (ukiyo‑e) in Shibuya’s Harajuku area.
The Ōta Memorial Museum of Art displays rotating shows from a huge collection of works. Expect to see masterpieces by the likes of Hokusai and Hiroshige, with some explanations in English.
National Art Center Tokyo
Located in Roppongi, the National Art Center Tokyo is one of the largest art spaces in Japan, featuring temporary exhibitions.
I liked the architecture of the building and how spacious and modern it felt.
Expect exhibitions ranging from contemporary art to historic retrospectives.
It’s close to teamLab Borderless, so you can see both in one day.
Suntory Museum of Art
Located inside Tokyo Midtown, an upscale shopping centre in Roppongi, Suntory Museum of Art features Japanese aesthetics through arts and crafts, such as ceramics, lacquerware, textiles and paintings. It has temporary exhibitions that change several times a year.
I liked the feeling inside the galleries which was very elegant, and the careful curation that helps you follow a theme.
Entry is included in the Tokyo Pass.
MOMAT – The National Museum of Modern Art Tokyo
This modern art museum features painting, sculpture, prints, photography and video, ranging from traditional Japanese art to Western‑influenced work.
I visited this museum after taking a walk around Jimbocho, Tokyo’s book town, and the two made a lovely cultural half day in the city, away from the crowds.
Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum
The Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum hosts a wide range of temporary exhibitions of traditional and contemporary art.
It’s one of the many cultural institutions in Ueno park, so you can easily add it to your Tokyo itinerary and spend a day at Ueno.
Sen-oku Hakukokan Museum Tokyo
Sen-oku Hakukokan is a small, private museum with changing exhibitions. It showcases arts and crafts, including Japanese and Chinese calligraphy and paintings and other artefacts.
When I visited they did not allow photography in the museum, except for one artwork.
It’s in a central location in Roppongi, but it felt very peaceful inside. As it was close to the Teamlab Borderless venue, I visited both of them on the same day.
Entry is included in the Tokyo Pass.
Sumida Hokusai Museum
This is one of the best museums in Tokyo, dedicated exclusively to the work of artist Katsushika Hokusai, whose most famous work is The Great Wave.
I loved the museum’s architecture. It’s in a peculiar, reflective, geometric building that I couldn’t stop taking pictures of…
Inside the Sumida Hokusai Museum, you’ll learn all about Hokusai’s artistic career in chronological order, with many beautiful prints, sketches, and drawings, as well as a model of the artist and his daughter at home.
Tokyo museums tours and art tours
Here’s a selection of guided tours you can take in Tokyo, covering museums, art galleries, and their surroundings, with hidden gems and a taste of the local culture.
Art tours in Roppongi
Art tours in Ueno
My best tips for visiting museums in Tokyo
- In some museums in Tokyo photography is banned. You’ll see signs if that’s the case. Staff members do enforce this ban politely but firmly. I was even told off once when I pointed the Google Translate camera at a text in Japanese to translate it…
- On that note, exhibition texts in English are quite common, but on occasion you’ll find yourself having to use translation apps. I used Google Translate, but I met other tourists who also recommended DeepL.
- The most popular immersive exhibitions in Tokyo are best booked way in advance. They may sell out. Book ahead to secure a time slot that fits your itinerary. I’m talking here especially about the teamLab exhibitions: Planets and Borderless.
- Try to beat the crowds by arriving early if you can. Most Tokyo museums open around 10 am.
- Tokyo is huge. For example, walking for 30 minutes between attractions is pretty normal. My best advice is to put the museums you want to see on a map and group them by area. When you plan your itinerary, combine visits to nearby museums, so you won’t have to waste too much time on public transport.
- Check what temporary exhibitions are on at each museum before you go. As with any museum, some may be more interesting than others…
- For some museums, there’s no need to book tickets in advance. You can pay at the ticket desk when you enter. Cash is still widely used in Japan and some attractions are cash only, so it’s best to always carry some.
- If you have a special interest in the traditional Japanese of colourful woodblock prints, read my guide on where to see ukiyo-e in Tokyo.
Browse more Japan guides
- Naoshima – the wondrous art island
- Unusual things to do in Kyoto
- Cultural experiences to try in Tokyo
- Free tours in Tokyo
- Tokyo for design lovers
- What to do and see in Takamatsu
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3 Comments
This is such a well-crafted guide. I really enjoyed how you highlighted the variety of museums across Tokyo, from contemporary art spaces to science and design collections. Your descriptions of the exhibits, special features, and overall atmosphere at each museum make the list both informative and inspiring. Who knew they had a Small World museum that looks very unique and intriguing! I would love to go.A wonderfully written overview.
What an informative post! I loved discovering how varied the museums are on your list, and I’ll definitely keep a few of these in mind when planning our Tokyo itinerary. Thanks for sharing
This is full of great information!! Very informative.