Art enthusiasts will feel right at home in Tokyo, Japan. The city is considered one of the world’s art capitals with its impressive open art spaces, charming art galleries, lively art events, and close to 40 art museums.
If you can’t decide where to start your art journey in Tokyo, we recommend visiting one of the following art museums and taking it from there.
Tokyo National Museum
Tokyo National Museum is Japan’s largest art museum that houses more than 100,000 artworks and artifacts as well as 89 items designated as National Treasures by the Japanese government. Its collection mainly focuses on Japanese art from the ancient and medieval periods as well as Asian art from regions linked with the Silk Road.
Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
The Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo has a reputation of giving space to daring, unusual, and sometimes controversial artworks. The majority of the works displayed in the museum date from 1945 to the present, including Andy Warhol’s “Marilyn Monroe,” Roy Lichtenstein’s “Girl with Hair Ribbon” and Tokujin Yoshioka’s “Water Block.”
Mori Art Museum
Mori Art Museum is a unique museum in a way that it doesn’t have a permanent collection. Instead, the museum holds temporary exhibits by contemporary artists. Visitors can enjoy large-scale solo shows from notable contemporary artists, both domestic and international, as well as specially curated themed exhibitions.