Art Museum Spots in Japan

Area

Japan
- Japan
- Hokkaido / Tohoku
  
  Hokkaido
  
  Aomori
  
  Iwate
  
  Miyagi
  
  Akita
  
  Yamagata
  
  Fukushima
- Kanto
  
  Ibaraki
  
  Tochigi
  
  Gunma
  
  Saitama
  
  Chiba
  
  Tokyo
  
  Kanagawa
- Koshinetsu / Hokuriku
  
  Niigata
  
  Toyama
  
  Ishikawa
  
  Fukui
  
  Yamanashi
  
  Nagano
- Tokai
  
  Gifu
  
  Shizuoka
  
  Aichi
  
  Mie
- Kinki
  
  Shiga
  
  Kyoto
  
  Osaka
  
  Hyogo
  
  Nara
  
  Wakayama
- Chugoku
  
  Tottori
  
  Shimane
  
  Okayama
  
  Hiroshima
  
  Yamaguchi
- Shikoku
  
  Tokushima
  
  Kagawa
  
  Ehime
  
  Kochi
- Kyushu / Okinawa
  
  Fukuoka
  
  Saga
  
  Nagasaki
  
  Kumamoto
  
  Oita
  
  Miyazaki
  
  Kagoshima
  
  Okinawa

Category

Leisure / Hobbies

Culture / Tour

Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum

4.0

134 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Hiroshima Pref. Hiroshimashinakaku Kaminoborichou 2-22

Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum is a museum in Hiroshima City, Naka Ward, Hiroshima Prefecture. Boasting a collection of more than 4,800 pieces including Important Cultural Properties, focusing on modern Western paintings and Japanese paintings, as well as “Craft Art of Japan and Asia”. The collection includes many artworks of artists from the Hiroshima region, such as Katsuzo Entsuba and Ikuo Hirayama. The museum holds special exhibitions and themed lecture events to compliment them as well as changing the exhibition about four times a year. From the museum lobby and the resting lounge, you can enjoy the scenery of a Place of Scenic Beauty, the Shukkeien garden next to the museum.

The previous year when we visited Shukkeien garden we didn’t allow time for the museum and that was a mistake. The entrance ticket to the garden also includes entrance to the general exhibits at the...
Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art

4.5

135 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Chiba Pref. Sakurashi Sakado 631

An art museum located in Sakado, Sakura City. Its collection includes roughly 1,000 works gathered by DIC Corp. and related companies—from Rembrandt, Monet, Picasso, Chagall to abstract works, Dadaism, Surrealism, and even post-war Western art and modern Japanese art. Nearby, you’ll find walking paths surrounded by nature, a restaurant, a tea house, and a retail shop.

The Kawamura Kinen Museum is a museum with a large, beautiful garden. I went there to see an exhibition featuring photographs of Japanese people, taken by a british photographer over 150 years ago...
Taro Okamoto Museum of Art (Kawasaki City)

4.5

99 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Kanagawa Pref. Kawasakishi Tama-ku Masugata 7-1-5

Located in Tama Ward, Kawasaki City, this museum mainly displays the work of Taro Okamoto that he donated to the municipality. It hosts a permanent exhibition room that surveys the development of his work, including art, writing, and tactile pieces, as well as a temporary exhibition room that introduces new artists. There is also a 30-meter-high Mother Tower that's a symbol of the facility. The nearest station is Mukogaoka-Yuen Station on the Odakyu Odawara Line.

A small museum which collects and exhibits the work of Taro Okamoto. If youve art and/or like the work of Taro Okamoto, then you need to visit this small museum. There are original sketches...
Tokyo Fuji Art Museum

4.0

66 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Tokyo Hachioujishi Yanomachi 492-1

An art museum located close to Soka University in Yano-machi, Hachioji City, Tokyo. The museum was established by Soka Gakkai International founder Daisaku Ikeda. The museum's collection of some 30,000 paintings, photographs, prints, sculptures, and crafts covers a broad array of periods and regions, including Western art from the Renaissance to the modern day and photographs dating back to the birth of the art form.

This museum has the largest collection of Western art of any museum we have been to so far. The collection is very well balanced as far as major schools of art being represented across a historical...
Setagaya Art Museum

4.0

94 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Tokyo Setagaya-ku Kinutakouen 1-2

This art museum located within Kinuta Koen Park in Tokyo’s Setagaya City has a distinctive building designed by architect Shozo Uchii which integrates into its surrounding lush scenery. The museum has approximately 15,000 works in its collection including Henri Rousseau’s “Portrait of Frumence Biche in Uniform,” Kitaoji Rosanjin’s “Figure of Sweetfish,” and works of artists with some connection to Setagaya City. In addition to exhibits of collections which change according to theme of the artifacts, it also hosts exhibitions in collaboration with museums and art museums inside Japan and around the world. The French restaurant that offers views of Kinuta Koen Park is also popular.

砧公園内にある小規模な美術館です。外観から、展示室に利用されるスペースは広めに設定されていると感じるかもしれませんが、実際に利用すると、1階及び2階にある展示室は、外観からのイメージと比較すると小さいように感じるでしょう。展示内容によっては、パーティション等を活用してさらに狭くなることがあるため、特に休日を中心に混雑することがあります。近現代のアートをメインに展示していることが多く、また、いわゆ...
Kirishima Open-Air Museum

4.5

83 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Kagoshima Pref. Airagunyusuichou Koba 6340-220

An expansive outdoor art museum located on a plateau 700 meters above sea level on Mt. Kurinodake (1,094 meters) in Yusuicho, Airagun, Kagoshima Prefecture. The extensive grounds are dotted with 23 works of art by Japanese and international artists which make use of the local terrain and natural beauty. One of the distinguishing features of the museum’s pieces is that in addition to be able to be enjoyed visually, visitors are free to touch and even lean on them. Most museum goers enjoy taking photos together with the unique exhibits. The distinctive rectangular art hall contains the museum’s indoor exhibits and special exhibitions as well as a cafeteria where visitors can take a break.

I had wanted to see Kusama’s work but didn’t realize how much more there was to see at this museum. My son and husband expected to be finished very quickly but we were there for a couple of hours...
Oita Prefectural Art Museum

4.0

132 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Oita Pref. Oitashi Kotobukimachi 2-1

"An art museum situated along Showa-dori Avenue in Kotobuki-machi, Oita City. The museum's collection spans some 5,000 items, including Bungo Nanga paintings which were flourishing in the Oita area from the late Edo through the Taisho periods; as well as examples of modern Japanese and Western style paintings, crafts, and contemporary art by artists affiliated with Oita. Dedicated to being a ""Museum of Encounters and of the Five Senses,"" the museum holds collection exhibitions as well as special exhibitions."

Shigeru Ban’s pretty and pristine jewellery box in Oita. The layout is unconventional for an art museum where much of the space appears to be earmarked for public and community use. That’s on the...
Hirayama Ikuo Museum of Art

4.5

133 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Hiroshima Pref. Onomichishi Setodachousawa 200-2

The museum is located in the town of Setoda in Onomichi City. The Hirayama Ikuo Museum of Art opened in 1997. The museum has a permanent exhibition of works by the Japanese painter Ikuo Hirayama, who is from Setoda Town. Through his childhood sketches and adolescent work it introduces the characteristics of Ikuo Hirayama. At the tea lounge original juices made with Setouchi citrus can be enjoyed.

I usually whine when I have to go to art museums. However, this art museum was so well done, that I wished we could have spent more time. Some of the art was combined with the garden outside in a...
Mori Art Museum

Leisure / Hobbies

Tokyo Minato-ku Roppongi 6-10-1 Roppongi Hills Mori Tower 53F

This international modern art gallery is located on the 53rd floor of the Roppongi Hills Mori Tower. A variety of planned exhibits are hosted throughout the year during which times the gallery remains open until 10 p.m. (excluding Tuesdays), allowing one to casually stop by after work or dinner. The 52nd floor, Tokyo City View, cafes and restaurants offer a panoramic view of Tokyo while enjoying a meal or tea. The closest station is Roppongi Station.
Chihiro Art Museum Tokyo

4.0

72 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Tokyo Nerima-ku Shimoshakuji 4-7-2

An art museum standing along Metropolitan Road 245 in Shimoshakujii, Nerima City. The museum displays works by Chihiro Iwasaki, a painter with a home and studio in Shimoshakujii known for her watercolors and picture books depicting children. The museum also holds exhibitions on related themes.

子供向けの絵本の挿絵を多く描いていたいわさきちひろさんの自宅兼アトリエの跡地にあります。現在、黒柳徹子さんがこの美術館と安曇野にある美術館、両方の館長を務めているそうです。大きな通りから少しだけ中に入った閑静な場所で、不整形な建物であるゆえにその隙間となる中庭が落ち着いた雰囲気を醸し出していました。実際にご本人が使ったアトリエをそのまま残してあるのが、とても興味深かったです。
Art Tower Mito

4.0

102 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Ibaraki Pref. Mitoshi Gokenchou 1-6-8

The Art Tower Mito is a joint art facility located about 10 minutes by car from Mito Station. It has an art museum with mainly modern art exhibits, a concert hall complete with pipe organ, and a stage for musicals and traditional arts like rakugo. Uniquely composed of equilateral triangular panels, the Symbol Tower features a lookout deck with a view of Mito City and vicinity. You can get a tour of the interior (includes the tower) even as an individual.

We were pleased to see the tower, and the whole art centre complex, but it was very quiet with not a lot going on. The tower was closed, as was the contemporary art gallery. The foyer with the...
Shizuoka Prefectural Museum of Art

4.0

97 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Shizuoka Pref. Shizuokashi Suruga-ku Yada 53-2

This art museum in Suruga Ward, Shizuoka City contains works from local Shizuoka artists including modern sculptures, ukiyo-e wood block prints, and Nihonga paintings as well as both eastern and western landscape paintings from the 17th century onwards. The Rodin Wing has many works of art by master Rodin, including his famous piece, The Thinker. Their permanent collection includes not just works of art but a wide variety of exhibitions including excavated historical relics. They also hold workshops giving you the chance to create your own works of art.

I really enjoyed my visit to the Shizuoka Prefectural Museum of Art. The sculpture park was a lovely stroll and the special exhibition that was on at the time I was there was very interesting...
MIHO MUSEUM

4.0

12 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Shiga Pref. Koukashi Shigarakichoutashiro Momotani 300

This unique design of this art museum in Koka City, Shiga was created by famous architect, I. M. Pei who was also responsible for designing the glass pyramid at the Musee de Louvre. Built to evoke the image of Shangri-La, 80% of the building is underground allowing it to assimilate into the beautiful natural surroundings. Over 3,000 pieces of art are on display in four exhibition rooms which cover Egypt, Western-Asia, Southern-Asia, and the Western Regions of China and special themed exhibits are also held. * The museum is closed for the winter until March 20th, 2019.

Nice food, quite delicious. Self service is a bit surprising with the not so cheap prices... Chairs are not so comfortable.
Yamazaki Mazak Museum of Art

4.5

108 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Aichi Pref. Nagoyashi Higashi-ku Aoi 1-19-30

The art museum is directly connected to Exit 1 of Shinsakaemachi Station. On display are the pieces of art collected by the late Yamazaki Teruyuki, former president of the Yamazaki Mazak Corporation. The collection focusses on French art from the 18th to 20th centuries. Along with paintings are art nouveau works by artists such as Emile Galle including glass pieces and furniture. Relax and enjoy French fine art in the exhibition halls decorated with chandeliers and other adornments giving them the feeling of classical salons.

The receptionist had peremptory manners and it made me unpleasant. Its not busy at all even at weekend.
Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and Design

4.5

76 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Toyama Pref. Toyamashi Kibamachi 3-20

The Museum of Modern Art, Toyama displays its international collection through various new perspectives, themes, and exhibitions. With a nice view of Kansui Park and the Tateyama Mountains, people come here to enjoy not only the museum, but also the restaurant and café. And, this museum features many ways to interact with the art, through seeing, creating, and learning. Approximately 15 minutes by car via Toyama Interchange on the Hokuriku Expressway.

MUST, MUST and again MAST ! One of the nicest museums I have seen. Lots of art, including famous artists. Beautiful building, beautiful roof and lots of activity.
The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo

Leisure / Hobbies

Tokyo Chiyoda-ku Kitanomarukouen 3-1

Located close to the South Entrance to Kitanomaru Park, near the Imperial Palace, the National Museum of Modern Art (MOMAT), which opened in 1952, was Japan’s first national art museum. The MOMAT Collection features around 200 items from the more than 12,500 artworks held by the museum, showcasing a wide range of works in various genres—including Nihonga (Japanese-style modern painting), Western-style oil paintings, watercolors, sculpture, photographs, etc.—from the early 20th century to the present day. Several special exhibitions on unique themes are held every year.
Toyo Bunko Museum

4.0

97 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Tokyo Bunkyo-ku Hon-komagome 2-28-21

三菱財閥が収集してきた東洋学関連古書の図書館である。学究の徒でもない限り、それらを閲覧することはまずなかろうという和洋中の膨大な数の文献を所蔵している。図書館機能だけの施設なら行くこともないのだが、美術品の企画展もやることあるので、機会あれば行ってみようかと思っていた。で、上京の折、時間ができたので初訪問した。やってた企画展は「シルクロードの旅展」。美術展ではないけど、高校で日本史取らず世...
Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA)

4.0

86 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Hiroshima Pref. Hiroshimashiminamiku Hijiyamakouen 1-1

This museum is located in Minami Ward, Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture. It is inside Hijiyama Park, which is a well-known cherry blossom spot. It opened in 1989 as Japan’s first public modern art museum. Its collection focuses on postwar modern art and features over 1,600 works, including Henry Moore’s “The Arch” and Andy Warhol’s “Marilyn.” In addition to collection exhibits and planned exhibits, the museum also hosts workshops and other events. The building design by architect Kisho Kurokawa is also not to be missed.

I started walking down river and bumped it a sign and followed it, this is what I found. I was lucky to find a very interesting exhibit on between the wars architecture.
Chiba City Museum of Art

4.0

71 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Chiba Pref. Chibashi Chuou-ku Chuou 3-10-8

The collection at Chiba City Museum of Art focuses on works by artists with a close connection to the Boso Peninsula and paintings of scenes from the Boso Peninsula. Its collection includes paintings from the Edo period (1603?1868), woodblock prints from the Edo through early Showa periods (1926?1989), and Japanese and Western modern art. It has no permanent exhibits but instead sponsors rotating exhibitions and exhibitions of its holdings, lectures, and workshops. The museum is housed in the remodeled and restored Chiba branch of Kawasaki Bank and shares the building with the ward office of Chuo-ku. There is also a restaurant and a library in the building.

Not a grand gallery but provide a good glimpse of works from local artists. The set up is nice and is worth a visit if you are in the area. The very friendly atmosphere made me feeling welcome...
The Miyagi Museum of Art

4.0

97 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Miyagi Pref. Sendaishi Aoba-ku Kawauchimotohasekura 34-1

An art museum located in Kawauchi-Motohasekura, Aoba Ward, Sendai City. Opened in 1981, the museum was expanded in 1990 with the Churyo Sato Gallery thanks to pieces of works and collections donated by Churyo Sato, a sculptor from Miyagi Prefecture. The museum houses pieces of art which have a connection with Miyagi Prefecture and the Tohoku region of Japan, as well as contemporary art from the Meiji period and a collection of Western art with a focus on modern German art.

The Sendai Art Museum is located in a beautiful area and can be reached by bus or by subway. The museum has a great collection of wonderful works. The visitor to Sendai International Center has to go...