Museum · Yayoi / Nezu

Yayoi Museum & Takehisa Yumeji Museum 弥生美術館・竹久夢二美術館

Twin small museums near Todai devoted to Japanese illustration, Taisho romantic Takehisa Yumeji's dreamy beauties next door to a century of magazine, manga and girls'-culture art.

About

Hidden on a backstreet behind the University of Tokyo's Yayoi campus, these two linked museums were founded by lawyer Kano Kazuo, who fell for the work of illustrators as a boy. The Yayoi Museum stages lively themed shows on Japanese illustration and popular print culture, Taisho-era magazine covers, shojo manga, kimono design, early comics, while the Takehisa Yumeji Museum focuses on the painter-poet whose languid, big-eyed women and graphic designs defined Taisho romanticism. Exhibitions change roughly every three months, so even regulars keep coming back. One ticket covers both, the galleries are intimate, and the small café next door serves cakes inspired by Yumeji's designs.

Highlights

• Two museums under one ticket, linked by a corridor
• Takehisa Yumeji's Taisho-romantic paintings, prints and graphic design
• Rotating shows on illustration, magazines, shojo manga and fashion history
• Kasho Takabatake's elegant illustrations from the Yayoi collection
• Small, quiet galleries ideal for a rainy afternoon

Tips

• Check the current exhibition online, themes swing from Taisho kimono to 1980s girls' magazines.
• Closed Mondays and during installation periods between exhibitions.
• Combine with Nezu Shrine (5 min) and the Hebimichi lane into Yanaka.
• Payment has been cash-only at times; bring yen.

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

Nearby

• Yasuda Auditorium and University of Tokyo Hongo CampusLandmark & Tower · 70 m away
• The University Museum, The University of TokyoMuseum · 70 m away
• Hachiko and Professor Ueno StatueStatue & Monument · 440 m away
• Yokoyama Taikan Memorial HallMuseum · 530 m away
• Nezu ShrineShrine · 640 m away
• Ueno ToshoguShrine · 660 m away
• Kyu-Iwasaki-tei GardensLandmark & Tower · 700 m away
• Ryokan SawanoyaStay · 700 m away