Tokyo’s Little-Known Art Museums

It’s no secret that Tokyo is one of the most artistic cities in the world. The museum here is known for its careful preservation of artifacts, carefully curated collections andEndless and incredible rotating exhibits. You can spend your entire trip just admiring art from various periods, from ancient times to contemporary times, and you still won’t get a cursory understanding of what the city has to offer.

But in addition to famous institutions like the Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo National Art Center, and Mori Art Museum, there are countless lesser-known but equally fascinating art museums around the city. While this is by no means a comprehensive list, here are a few to bookmark.

Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Museum of Art (Shiroganedai)

This was the imperial palace built for Asaka Palace in 1933 and is a must-visit for architecture lovers. This is a rare and well-preserved example of authentic Art Deco design, a fusion of French and Japanese art. As you admire the museum’s rotating displays, you can see the ornate decorative touches of French designers—frescoes by Henri Rapin and glasswork by René Lalique, among others. The museum’s gardens are one of my favorite gardens in the city, especially during the fall foliage season. The vast green space, which combines lush Japanese gardens with relaxed Western gardens, can be visited in less than 30 minutes, but a more leisurely stroll is recommended. The on-site Teien Restaurant Comodo and Café Teien are also popular for their beautiful views facing the garden.

Sakurum (wear) of urse regory sular

The museum is the home and studio of Fumio Asakura, one of Japan’s most famous Western-style sculptors, sometimes called “Japan’s Rodin” and the first recipient of the Order of Culture in 1948. Designed by Asakura himself, the building has been registered as a national tangible cultural property and is a masterpiece of spatial design; you can move between a high-ceilinged Western-style studio designed for large bronzes and a quiet traditional Japanese-style living wing with wooden textures and an inviting garden. The museum is located in a quiet, nostalgic neighborhood thingalso features the oldest existing rooftop garden in Tokyo.

Mitsubishi One Museum of Art (Marunouchi)

If you’re in the Tokyo Station area, be sure to visit the Mitsubishi Ikan Museum of Art, an underrated gem that often hosts carefully curated special exhibitions. Designed by British architect Josiah Conder in 1894, the building was the first Western-style office building in Tokyo’s Marunouchi neighborhood. The original building housed the Mitsubishi Bank department and was demolished in the 1960s, only to be rebuilt more than 40 years later. The current structure is a faithful reconstruction, meticulously following the distinctive Queen Anne style adopted by Conde. One of the museum’s most popular features is its cafe slash. Named Café 1894, it is located in the original banking department and attracts many tourists with its cinematic atmosphere (Booking recommend).

Setagaya Museum of Art (Setagaya)

Despite its impressive collection of approximately 18,000 pieces of modern and contemporary art from Japan and abroad, the Setagaya Museum of Art is relatively low-key. Located in the tranquil Kinida Park, the museum building was designed by architect Shozo Uchii, who wanted the low-rise, undulating structure to blend harmoniously with the surrounding greenery. The museum’s main mission is to showcase Setagaya’s art history; to this end, its collection includes important works by artists with ties to the area, such as Mukai Junyoshi and Takayama Tatsuo. You’ll also find a wealth of naïve art—childish yet meticulously modernist works by people without formal training, created by leading figures such as Henri Rousseau, Onio Metaily, and Louis Weaving.

Japan Folk Art Museum (Komaba)

The Japan Folk Art Museum was founded in 1936 by the philosopher Soetsu Yanagi. Mingjia cultural movement that celebrates the beauty of everyday objects made by anonymous artisans. Yanagi coined the term “folk arts” in 1925 with ceramicists Kanjiro Kawai and Shoji Hamada, and personally designed the museum’s main hall, a beautiful wooden and Otani stone structure now designated as a Tangible Cultural Property by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Today, the museum houses approximately 17,000 artifacts from Japan and around the world, including acclaimed Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) ceramics, English slippers, Ainu clothing and Finger Textiles from the Tohoku region of northeastern Japan.

Toan (in front of the shrine)

Designed by Swiss architect Mario Botta, this striking geometric structure is a family-run private museum known for its stunning contemporary exhibitions. The museum’s collection is based on the art accumulated by its first director, Shizuko Watari, who was one of the first to introduce to Japan the work of leading Western contemporary artists such as Andy Warhol and Keith Haring. Watari-um (full name: Watari Museum of Contemporary Art) hosts several special exhibitions each year and has a history of hosting well-known guest curators such as the late Jan Hoet and Harald Szeemann. Since it’s close to areas such as Aoyama, Harajuku, and Omotesando, it’s an ideal place to stop while you’re exploring the city.

Tokyo Photography Museum (Ebisu)

The Tokyo Photography Museum is one of the few art museums in the world dedicated entirely to photography and moving images, and is conveniently located in Ebisu Garden Plaza. Founded in 1995 to preserve and promote visual culture, the museum’s collection of more than 37,000 works traces the evolution of the photographic medium from the 19th century daguerreotypes. In addition to the museum’s carefully curated rotating exhibitions, its permanent collection includes a variety of international and domestic masterpieces, including iconic works by renowned photographers such as Shoji Ueda, Daido Moriyama, Ansel Adams, and Robert Doisneau.

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