The Tokyo National Museum is Japan's oldest museum and holds the country's largest collection of Japanese art and archaeology, along with important works from across Asia. It stands at the north end of Ueno Park, spread over several buildings set around a courtyard and fountain. If you want to understand Japanese history and art through real objects, from ancient pottery to samurai armour and painted screens, this is the place to start.
Why visit the Tokyo National Museum
The museum traces its origins to 1872, making it older than almost any other museum in Japan. Its collection includes many National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties. Because many paintings, textiles and works on paper are fragile, displays rotate regularly, so the galleries change from one visit to the next and even regular visitors find something new.
The museum is a good counterpart to Tokyo's temples and shrines. Seeing Buddhist sculpture, calligraphy and ceramics up close, with labels in English, adds context to the places you visit elsewhere in the city.
Getting to the Tokyo National Museum by metro and train
Several stations are within walking distance, and which is best depends on the line you are using:
- JR Ueno: take the Park exit (Koen-guchi) and walk north through Ueno Park, about 10 minutes. This is the most straightforward route.
- JR Uguisudani: on the Yamanote Line, around 10 minutes on foot from the south exit, on the quieter side of the museum.
- Ueno on the Tokyo Metro Ginza and Hibiya lines: around 15 minutes on foot through the park.
- Iriya on the Hibiya Line, one stop north of Ueno, is also a walk of roughly 15 minutes, past Uguisudani.
- Keisei Ueno, for trains from Narita Airport, is at the south end of the park, about 15 minutes away.
Tokyo National Museum tickets and opening hours
General admission covers the regular collection galleries, and special exhibitions are usually ticketed separately at a higher price, often with timed entry for popular shows. Discounts may be offered for students and older visitors, and admission rules for children differ from adults. The museum is usually closed on Mondays, with exceptions around public holidays, and some evenings have extended hours. For current prices, hours and the exhibition calendar, check the official Tokyo National Museum website before you go.
Best time to visit and how long to spend
Weekday mornings are the quietest time. Weekends and the final weeks of a major special exhibition can bring long queues, so book ahead or arrive at opening if a big show is on. Spring cherry blossom season fills Ueno Park with crowds, which can spill over to the museum entrance.
Allow at least two hours to see the main galleries of the Honkan without rushing. A full day would not be too long if you want to visit every building or add a special exhibition.
Highlights of the Tokyo National Museum
Honkan (Japanese Gallery)
The main building, facing the fountain, presents Japanese art in roughly chronological order on the second floor, with themed rooms on the ground floor. Expect Buddhist sculpture, swords, armour, lacquerware, ukiyo-e prints and painted screens, many of them rotated through the year.
Toyokan (Asian Gallery)
Art and archaeology from China, Korea, Southeast Asia, India, Central Asia and Egypt, often quieter than the Honkan.
Heiseikan
This building hosts the large special exhibitions upstairs and a Japanese archaeology gallery on the ground floor, with clay haniwa figures and Jomon pottery.
Gallery of Horyuji Treasures
A calm modern building by the architect Yoshio Taniguchi displays treasures donated from Horyuji, one of Japan's oldest temples, including rows of small gilt bronze Buddhas.
Hyokeikan
An elegant Western-style building from the early 20th century. It is not always open, so check during your visit.
Nearby in Ueno Park
- National Museum of Western Art: European art in a building designed by Le Corbusier, part of a UNESCO World Heritage listing.
- National Museum of Nature and Science: natural history and Japanese science, popular with families.
- Ueno Zoo: Japan's oldest zoo, known for its giant pandas.
- Yanaka: an old neighbourhood of temples and small shops, a walk of 15 to 20 minutes north.
See more of what is near this stop on the Tokyo National Museum page, or browse the full Tokyo metro map.