Museum · Ueno
Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum 東京都美術館
Ueno Park's big-ticket exhibition hall: blockbuster international shows plus dozens of affordable artist-group exhibitions in a brick Kunio Maekawa building.
Group/society exhibitions: Free
About
Tobikan, as everyone calls it, has no famous permanent collection; instead it is Tokyo's busiest venue for touring blockbusters, from Van Gogh and Vermeer to Egyptian treasures, typically one or two at a time in the special exhibition halls. The rest of the building is a democratic space where art societies, calligraphy clubs and university graduation shows rent galleries, so on any day you can wander into several small exhibitions for free or a few hundred yen. The 1975 building by Kunio Maekawa, Le Corbusier's Japanese protege, is half sunk below ground with sunken courtyards and a giant silver sphere sculpture at the entrance. There is a decent restaurant and an excellent design shop.
Highlights
- Major international touring exhibitions several times a year
- Free or cheap artist-society shows in the lower galleries
- Kunio Maekawa's red-brick modernist architecture with sunken plazas
- The mirrored "Cosmic Elements" sphere outside the entrance
- Shop with smart museum goods and Ueno-themed souvenirs
Tips
- Check the website for what is on: the building's character changes completely between exhibitions.
- Blockbusters sell timed tickets online, weekday mornings are calmest.
- Special exhibitions usually stay open until 20:00 on Fridays.
- Combine with the National Museum of Western Art and Tokyo National Museum, both under 5 minutes away.
Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09
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Open in the appNearby
- Sogakudo Concert Hall of the Former Tokyo Music SchoolLandmark & Tower · 120 m away
- Ueno ZooZoo & Aquarium · 170 m away
- Ueno Toshogu Peony GardenGarden · 190 m away
- Former Hakubutsukan-Dobutsuen StationPhoto Spot · 190 m away
- Ueno ToshoguShrine · 260 m away
- Ueno ParkPark · 260 m away
- National Museum of Western ArtMuseum · 330 m away
- National Museum of Nature and ScienceMuseum · 350 m away