Best Museums around Tokyo and Surroundings Spot List

Directly connected to Mitsukoshimae Station, the Mitsui Memorial Museum features masterpieces of Japanese and Eastern art acquired by members of the Mitsui family over 350 years. There is no permanent exhibition.

A museum that displays precious references to sumo wrestling — a form of traditional culture dating to the era of Japanese myths.

In addition to the museum's various themed exhibitions and displays of Japanese modern and contemporary artworks, the location is also attractive due to the scenery that has made the place known as the museum with a superb view and rich natural environment.

A museum specializing in nihonga (Japanese paintings) with a collection of about 1,800 works consisting mainly of modern and contemporary Japanese paintings. It holds various special exhibitions as well.

A place connected to Matsuo Basho. A garden with flowers and trees associated with his haiku and Shiseki Tembo Teien with a waterside view are the highlights.

At Japan Sake and Shochu Information Center , you can look, touch, and experience Japanese sake, authentic shochu, awamori and so on.

This museum displays the works of leading Japanese modern sculptor Fumio Asakura: the site is registered nationally as a Place of Scenic Beauty and the structure itself as a Tangible Cultural Property.

A museum were you can enjoy the modern works painted by the illustrators such as Takabatake Kasho who swept through the art publication world.

Founded by Kunio Kobayashi, the notable bonsai (potted plant) creator. Artistic bonsai are in line with each other at the Japanese garden. You can also purchase some of them.

Reproduces the streets of Fukagawa Saga-cho in the Edo Period so visitors can see the scene and lifestyle of that period.

A history museum featuring precious cultural artifacts from the Kamakura Era.

This art museum is located in the residential area of Shoto, Shibuya Ward. It features a unique, beautiful facade by architect Seiichi Shirai.

A museum relaunched in spring 2021 integrates the activities of the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art (closed in 2021) and its annex Hara Museum ARC

This is an art gallery established in 1926, located in the Meiji Jingu Gaien Park. About 80 masterpieces of Japanese and Western paintings are displayed in chronological order.

Currently under renovation, and plans to reopen in the autumn of 2016. One of the few museums worldwide focusing on photography and film.

Nippon Camera Hakubutsu-kan or the JCII Camera Museum is a museum operated by the Japan Camera Industry Institute, and you can have fun learning and familiarizing yourself with cameras by looking at and touching cameras. There are more than 300 cameras on display.

Yokohama Museum of Art is considered a symbol of the Minato Mirai 21 area. It consists of seven exhibition rooms and has a collection of over 110,000 books. It is one of the largest museums in Japan.

It is a museum where the Japanese maritime history can be learned from videos and valuable displays. The NYK Maritime Museum widely introduces the history of marine vessels along with the history of Nippon Yusen as a company. (NYK stands for Nippon Yusen Kaisha, a shipping company.)

The Perry Memorial Hall is a museum that illustrates the Perry Expedition (1853－1854), which paved the way to the opening of Japan, and the history leading to it through dioramas and historical documents.

Pola Museum of Art, built in the forests of Hakone, is a glass-encased space where you can enjoy art and nature together.