Tokyo · UenoNo.138★★Open in map →
Tokyo National Museum
Japan's oldest and largest national museum, at the north end of Ueno Park, which keeps its galleries open until 8 p.m. at the end of the week.
The Tokyo National Museum holds around 120,000 works of Japanese and Asian art and archaeology spread across several buildings, with roughly 3,000 pieces on display at any one time. On most days it closes at 5:00 p.m., but on Fridays and Saturdays the galleries stay open until 8:00 p.m. — the same late hours apply on Sundays before a public-holiday Monday. General admission to the permanent collection is 1,000 yen for adults, 500 yen for university students; high school students and under, and visitors under 18 or over 70, enter free.
Background & history
The museum traces its origin to a public exhibition organized by the Ministry of Education in 1872, making it the oldest museum in Japan. Its holdings include dozens of officially designated National Treasures alongside many Important Cultural Properties. The main Honkan building, opened in 1938, was designed by architect Jin Watanabe in the Imperial Crown Style — a Japanese-style tiled roof on a Western-style masonry structure — and is itself a registered cultural property.
What to look for — in walking order
- Honkan (Japanese Gallery)
- the 1938 main hall; enter here first for Japanese art that changes through the year
- National Treasures on display
- the museum's top-ranked works, rotated through the permanent galleries
- Toyokan (Asian Gallery)
- a separate building showing art and archaeology from across the rest of Asia
- Ueno Park setting
- several major museums cluster at the park's north end — a cultural district in its own right
How to enjoy it
Friday and Saturday evenings are the quiet window: the galleries stay open until 8:00 p.m., after most day visitors have left. Buy the 1,000-yen permanent-collection ticket, start with the Honkan main hall, then move to the Toyokan Asian gallery if you have time. Temporary special exhibitions have separate hours and prices.
How to actually get there
- Tokyo Station → Ueno Station (JR Yamanote or Keihin-Tohoku Line, about 5 min)
- Ueno Station Park exit → Tokyo National Museum main gate (walk through Ueno Park, about 10 min)
- Enter the Honkan main building and see the permanent collection until 8 p.m. (Fri/Sat)
- JR to Ueno, then a walk through Ueno Park
- From Tokyo Station, take the JR Yamanote Line or JR Keihin-Tohoku Line to Ueno Station (about 5 minutes; trains run about every 5 minutes). Leave by the Ueno Park exit and walk through the park to the museum's main gate (about 10 minutes). Total about 15 minutes. Tokyo Metro's Ginza and Hibiya lines also reach Ueno, but from there it is a longer walk of about 15 minutes.
- Frequent JR and Metro trains run late
- Walk about 10 minutes back through the park to Ueno Station. Ueno is a large hub, and JR and Tokyo Metro lines run frequently into the late evening, so there is no need to rush for a last train after the 8 p.m. closing.
Before you go
- Cash
- Buy the permanent-collection ticket online in advance or at the museum counter. Credit cards are accepted. Some ticket types require you to reserve a timed entry slot in advance.
- Closing days
- Closed on Mondays (if a Monday is a public holiday the museum opens that day and closes the next day instead) and over the year-end period. Special exhibitions are ticketed separately and often require advance booking.
- Another way
- The 9:30 a.m. opening on a weekday is also quiet, with the fewest visitors of the day.
- After you get off
- From the Ueno Park exit of Ueno Station, walk straight along the park's tree-lined avenue for about 10 minutes to the museum's main gate.