Best Art Museums around Tokyo and Surroundings Spot List

The Tokyo Station Gallery is a museum located in an Important Cultural Property, Tokyo Station Marunouchi Building. Exhibitions and events in a variety of themes are held there.

A building that is in itself a work of art. An art center where you can enjoy a variety of art exhibitions.

It is a toy museum designed to attract people of all ages, from babies to the elderly. Visitors can see, touch, play, and learn while having fun.

A museum inside the building of Tokyo University of the Arts, the best out of all the art universities in Japan. It stores approximately 29,000 items of mainly Japanese modern arts.

This art museum houses many pieces of artwork, mainly paintings, woodblock prints, sculptures, and others that were created by the hands of artists who have a tie with Kawagoe.

This is Japan's only national art museum, where you can view various Western artworks, including the Matsukata collection, which mainly consists of French artworks.

The National Film Center is the only national institution devoted to cinematography. It keeps movie films as well as many valuable materials related to movies. They are shown on the screens or displayed in the exhibition hall.

It is an art museum in Marunouchi that holds Japanese contemporary art oriented exhibitions.

A museum located in Ueno Park. Visitors can enjoy a variety of artworks including ones designated as Important Cultural Properties.

A unique hexagon-shaped art museum that houses some 2,000 ceramics, Japanese lacquerwares, and tea kettles.

Hakone Garasunomori Museum, or the Venetian Glass Museum in Hakone, is the first museum of this kind in Japan. The glass exhibitions that change each season are worth seeing.

Lalique Museum, Hakone exhibits about 230 pieces of French artist, René Lalique (1860-1945) who created precious jewelry in Art Nouveau style, and beautiful objects in glass during Art Deco period.

This is an art museum that houses and exhibits modern and contemporary Japanese art. It hosts special exhibitions on a wide range of themes.

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.

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.

A museum where you can enjoy contemporary sculpture in the sleek, hexagonal main building and the four outdoor exhibition areas.

Museum with vast premises covering some 30 hectares. Nature that makes you the feel the season, rooms that match the exhibitions, and the buildings themselves are all worth checking out.

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

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

The Sogo Museum of Art is located inside a department store that is directly connected with Yokohama Station. You can enjoy both shopping and art at the same time.