Best Museums around Tokyo and Surroundings Spot List

This museum offers both beauty and healing surrounded by the nature of Hakone. A giant mural of wind god Fujin and thunder god Raijin can be appreciated while soaking your feet in an ashi-yu footbath.

Amuse Museum is an art complex where a museum of the textile culture and ukiyoe (paintings of everyday life in the Edo period 1603 – 1868), a select shop of Japanese-style products, and an event hall are combined.

Museum to appreciate the works of painter and poet Yumeji Takehisa.

The Yokohama Archives of History is situated near Kaiko Plaza Park, where the Kanagawa Convention or the US-Japan Peace and Amity Treaty was signed. It is a house of archives where you can learn about the history of Yokohama City.

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

This museum owns over 38,000 artifacts relating to the culture and history of tobacco and salt both from Japan and overseas.

A thought-provoking museum about the history, culture and social role of currency.

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.

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

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.

This museum is dedicated to ukiyo-e. It houses one of the largest collections in the world.

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 art museum, which opened its doors in 1983, is out of ordinary among other museums in Tokyo. Located in the middle of the city, the museum harmonizes its art exhibitions, which utilize the former official residence of Asaka-no-miya (a branch of the Japanese Imperial Family) constructed in the early Showa period employing an Art Deco style, and the lushly green garden. After improvement of the old building, and an extension for a gallery and a cafe was added, the museum was re-opened in November 2014. In front of the art museum, there is a wide spread of lawn. You can put down a mat and eat your meal on this lawn.

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

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

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.

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

Holds many exhibitions and shows by artists connected to Nerima. A community-based art museum beloved by locals.

Daimyo Tokei Hakubutsu-kan, or Daimyo Clock Museum, is the museum of the Edo period's art and craftwork, daimyo clocks (Japanese clocks), and is located in the popular Yanaka area in the shitamachi (the geographically lower side) of Tokyo.

The museum has the ancient Orient as its theme. Visitors can learn about the hunting and gathering life of 5,000 years ago as well as the invention of writing.