Museum · Toranomon

Okura Museum of Art 大倉集古館

Japan's oldest private art museum, founded in 1917, housed in a Chinese-style 1927 pavilion by Chuta Ito in the forecourt of The Okura Tokyo hotel.

About

Businessman Kihachiro Okura opened the Shukokan in 1917 to keep Asian art from leaving Japan, and after the Great Kanto Earthquake destroyed the first building, architect Chuta Ito designed the present one: a two-storey pavilion with a tiled roof, carved beams and strange beasts on the eaves that he loved to sculpt. Renovated and reopened in 2019 when the neighbouring hotel was rebuilt, it shows its collection of Japanese and Chinese painting, Buddhist sculpture, calligraphy and decorative arts in themed exhibitions, along with the National Treasure Fugen Bosatsu on an Elephant when on view. From Oct 3 to Dec 20, 2026, Beautiful Moments brings together about 70 works on beauty, centred on bijinga paintings of women. The rooftop terrace and the quiet courtyard of Buddhist stone sculptures are pleasant extras.

Highlights

• Chuta Ito's 1927 Chinese-style building, a Registered Tangible Cultural Property
• Beautiful Moments: bijinga beauty paintings (Oct 3 – Dec 20, 2026)
• Ito's carved mythical creatures on the eaves and pillars
• National Treasure Fugen Bosatsu on an Elephant (shown periodically)
• Courtyard of stone Buddhist sculpture beside The Okura Tokyo

Tips

• Pair with afternoon tea or lunch at The Okura Tokyo, a 1960s modernist hotel lobby rebuilt in 2019.
• Paintings rotate mid-exhibition; the bijinga show swaps works on Nov 10, 2026.
• Kamiyacho and Roppongi-itchome stations are both a short walk; follow signs for The Okura Tokyo.
• Admission is set per exhibition; usually about ¥1,000–1,300.

Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09

Nearby

• The Okura TokyoStay · 70 m away
• Orchid Bar (The Okura Tokyo)Bars & Nightlife · 70 m away
• Suntory HallLive Music & Karaoke · 160 m away
• Minato Science MuseumMuseum · 250 m away
• Gold Bar at EDITIONBars & Nightlife · 310 m away
• The Tokyo EDITION, ToranomonStay · 320 m away
• Sen-oku Hakukokan Museum TokyoMuseum · 330 m away
• Toranomon HillsLandmark & Tower · 370 m away