The diversity and variety of Japan’s museum culture are reflections of the country’s extensive cultural, historical, and technical legacy. The country’s museums provide an exceptional window into its history, culture, and future via various mediums, from classical art to state-of-the-art digital exhibits. The harmonious combination of old and contemporary components in Japan’s museums captures the country’s rich history and forward-thinking innovation.

The Tokyo National Museum is one example of a traditional art museum; it displays the artistic development of Japan over the ages via the preservation of antiquities, samurai relics, pottery, and traditional crafts. One of Tokyo’s top museums, the Mori Art Museum is a haven for fans of pop culture and contemporary art.

The museums of Japan provide an enthralling exploration into the core of Japanese culture with their diverse collections ranging from priceless artifacts to cutting-edge multimedia experiences.

10 Best Museums in Japan:

Here is the list of top 10 museums in Japan to visit:

1. Tokyo National Museum
2. Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
3. Edo Tokyo Museum
4. Hakone Open-Air Museum
5. Ghibli Museum
6. Mori Art Museum
7. TeamLab Museum
8. The Fukui Dinosaur Museum
9. Toyota Automobile Museum
10. Nezu Museum

1. Tokyo National Museum

When it comes to national museums in Japan, the oldest is the Tokyo National Museum. Founded in 1872 at Yushima Seido Shrine, it was relocated to its present site in Ueno Park in 1874. Following that, the Museum has evolved during the last 150 years as a result of administrative shifts and organizational changes, reflecting the policies of the times. 

With almost a hundred national treasures among its more than 100,000 objects, the Tokyo National Museum has one of Japan’s finest collections of art and archaeological relics. It is one of the largest museums in the world, housing over 120,000 objects, including 89 national treasures and 649 significant cultural resources. 

It has six exhibition buildings, including the Honkan (Japanese gallery), the Heiseikan and Hyokeikan (temporary exhibition halls), the Toyokan (Asian gallery), the Gallery of Horyuji Treasures (presenting significant artifacts from Nara prefecture’s Horyuji Temple), and Kuroda Memorial Hall (displaying a collection of works by Seiki Kuroda, a painter and pioneer of Western-style painting in Japan).

2. Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum opened in 1955 to show the world the destruction created by the atomic bomb and promote the elimination of nuclear weapons and global peace, the spirit of Hiroshima. The Peace Memorial Museum presents artifacts from survivors, images of the bomb’s destruction, and information on Hiroshima’s past, present, and future in relation to the nuclear era. Lectures given by bombing survivors are one of the activities that take place there. After undergoing renovations in 1994, the museum was split into two parts to better accommodate educational activities.

The newest addition, the East Wing, recounted Hiroshima City’s history before the bomb, the development and choice to drop the bomb, the lives of Hiroshima residents during World War II, and the nuclear era and worldwide peace efforts. A model depicting the city’s destruction was included in this section. It included crucial correspondence between scientists and high authorities regarding atomic progress and its projected effects.

Bomb damage was the main focus of the former museum’s West Wing. There was Material Witness, which included items such as watches, hair, and clothes that bomb victims wore. Damage by the Heat Rays examined the effects of the heat on various materials including wood, stone, metal, glass, and flesh. Damage by the Blast concentrated on the devastation caused by the blast’s aftershocks, and Damage by the Radiation describes in depth the health effects experienced by humans.

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3. Edo Tokyo Museum

The Edo-Tokyo Museum is located in a remarkable building in Ryogoku. Featuring artifacts from the Edo Period (the name of the capital city until 1869) to more modern times, the museum’s permanent display provides an engaging overview of Tokyo’s (formerly Edo) history.

As part of the “My Town Tokyo” campaign for the 70th anniversary of the Expo, Tokyo governor Suzuki Shun’ichi came up with the idea of an Edo-Tokyo Museum in the early 1980s. The museum was built by nine different businesses, all coordinated by Kajima Corporation. The site was primarily selected because Katsushika Hokusai, a Ukiyo-e painter, was born in the Sumida ward, and that Edo culture originated and thrived in Ryogoku.

Visitors may immerse themselves in an interactive experience that teaches them about the history, culture, politics, economy, and more of Edo Period Tokyo, including the people’s way of life, the city’s architecture, and more. The museum provides an engaging way to learn about the history of town construction via its many models of towns, miniatures, and life-sized people.

The museum also provides plenty of excellent photo possibilities, such as with vintage cars and objects. Various languages are offered by the volunteer guides. In addition to the ongoing display, there are also rotating special exhibits that focus on different aspects of Tokyo every so often. In addition, the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Museum, located in Tokyo’s western suburbs, is a sibling institution that also maintains several ancient buildings.

4. Hakone Open-Air Museum

Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park is home to Hakone. In 1969, the Hakone Open-Air Museum was inaugurated in this picturesque setting by Fujisankei Communications Group. The initial director and creator of the museum, Nobutaka Shikanai, had the noble goal of making sculpture accessible to a wider audience in Japan. 

The museum’s grounds have a number of sculptures, and the views of the valley and mountains beyond them help to create a harmonious blend of art and nature. One of the biggest sculptures is the Symphonic. The interior of the towering stained-glass tower-like artwork offers visitors the opportunity to ascend to a platform that offers a breathtaking perspective of the museum grounds.

Whether indoors or out, the museum offers a wide variety of display halls and sections. One such location is the Picasso Exhibition Hall, which features the artist’s ceramic works, paintings, sculptures, and photographs from throughout his life on two floors. 

The museum has more than just galleries showcasing the work of artists. There are stores and cafés with views of the installations, as well as several areas for children to play. It includes Zig Zag World, an outdoor foot bath, and other interactive art projects.

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5. Ghibli Museum

The Ghibli Museum showcases the art and animation of Studio Ghibli, one of Japan’s most renowned animation companies founded by Miyazaki Hayao. My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, and many more feature-length films have been created by them.

Fans of the movie must visit the museum, which is located in Mitaka, a neighborhood just outside of downtown Tokyo, not far from Kichijoji. The museum showcases the whimsical style of the studio’s films and has several iconic characters, such as a life-sized robot from “Castle in the Sky” displayed in the rooftop garden.

The museum’s first floor has an animation history and technique display as well as a tiny theatre that screens rare short films from Studio Ghibli. A number of Ghibli Museum-made short films are shown at The Saturn Theater. There are unique temporary exhibits on the second floor. Another display shows the steps used to make an animated film, including storyboarding, drawings, cleaning, coloring, and backdrop painting. A rooftop garden, a café, a gift store, and a children’s play area are also available at the museum.

6. Mori Art Museum

The Mori Art Museum (MAM) is a world-renowned modern art museum situated on the 53rd floor, the very top of Roppongi Hills Mori Tower.  It was established by Minoru Mori, a real estate businessman. Modern and contemporary art, architecture, and design from all over the globe are shown in the museum’s diverse and thought-provoking shows.

“Happiness: A Survival Guide for Art and Life” was the first major show at the museum. Modern installations, sculptures, and paintings by Anish Kapoor, Heri Dono, Jeong So-yoon, and Jeff Koons were shown alongside historic Asian art from Japan and China. The exhibition was a hit that showed Mori and Elliott’s goal of creating a worldwide and contemporary metropolis of “‘art intelligence'” at the museum.

The museum also hosts the “MAM Collection,” “MAM Screen,” “MAM Research,” and “MAM Project,” which feature international artists in experimental projects. Everyone from elementary school kids to elderly people, from neighbors to visitors in the area and beyond participates in these educational programs. Public art in Roppongi Hills and Toranomon Hills is overseen by MAM, and the museum also hosts art activities in partnership with local communities, all under the slogan of “Art + Life” – making modern art more accessible.

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7. TeamLab Museum

In 2001, a group of artists from various backgrounds came together in Tokyo, Japan, to create TeamLab, an international art collective. This collective calls itself “ultra-technologists,” and its members include architects, computer scientists, engineers, programmers, and animators. Digital technology is used by TeamLab to produce artwork. Pace Gallery has been the representative for TeamLab since 2014.  

The Tokyo, Japan-based TeamLab Borderless museum is home to one of their most renowned installations. The museum’s focus on a “borderless” experience encourages artworks to interact with visitors in real-time, moving from room to room and erasing physical barriers between the two spaces. The goal of TeamLab Borderless is to promote artistic cooperation and the exploration of alternative worldviews. Additionally, they have additional permanent exhibits such as TeamLab Planets, which offer even more hands-on and interactive experiences, such as digital flower farms and waterwalks.

Among the many places that have hosted TeamLab displays are Silicon Valley, Beijing, Singapore, New York, London, Paris, and Melbourne. Additional TeamLab museums and large-scale permanent artworks are set to open in cities such as Utrecht, Abu Dhabi, Beijing, Jeddah, and Shanghai. 

8. The Fukui Dinosaur Museum

The Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum is a world-class museum that focuses on dinosaurs and shares its knowledge with visitors. Among the world’s most prestigious dinosaur museums, this one holds the title of the largest of its type in Japan. 

The Fukui Dinosaur Museum is spread out across four floors. With more than 40 skeletons on display and excellent English explanations, the Dinosaur World exhibition is the focal point of the museum’s main floor. Among them are various life-size animatronic dinosaurs, including a lifelike Tyrannosaurus Rex that welcomes guests at the entryway, and specimens of the adjacent Fukui-raptor and Fukui-saurus.

The Earth Sciences exhibit comprised of everyday objects, films, and interactive displays to educate people about the earth and the origins of life. The History of Life section showcases additional fossils and life-size dinosaur models to show the history of life from one-celled animals to humans from a balcony overlooking Dinosaur World. 

The museum has a hands-on zone where visitors can pick up and handle fossils and a research lab where visitors can observe scientists and technicians wash and study fossils via a glass window. The museum has a movie theatre, café, store, and annex for temporary exhibits. There are a number of more prehistoric animal replicas scattered across the museum grounds.

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9. Toyota Automobile Museum

The Toyota Automobile Museum is popular in Nagakute, near Nagoya, Japan. The museum, which began as a celebration of Toyota’s 50th anniversary in 1989, now honors the evolution of vehicles from all corners of the globe. Despite Toyota’s prominence in Japan’s automobile industry, the museum’s collection includes cars from a wide range of European, American, and Japanese manufacturers.

More than 140 vintage automobiles spanning 120 years are on exhibit at the museum. These automobiles serve as examples of significant design trends and technical developments that affected the automobile industry worldwide. Viewers may get a glimpse of steam-powered vehicles from the early 1800s, classic models from the middle of the 20th century, and even contemporary automobiles.

Displays of technical equipment, design drawings, and artifacts about vehicles are part of the museum’s offerings, which also include exhibitions on the social and cultural effects of automobiles. Visitors of all ages, from car enthusiasts and historians to curious onlookers, may enjoy a thorough exploration of the development of vehicles at the Toyota Automobile Museum.

10. Nezu Museum

Kaichiro Nezu was an entrepreneur and president of Tobu Railway. In 1941, the Nezu museum bearing his name opened its doors on the family’s private estate to preserve his private collection. Redesigned in 2009 by the acclaimed Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, the museum’s exterior harmoniously integrates with its natural environment while reflecting a contemporary take on traditional Japanese aesthetics. Elegant and austere in design, the building itself is a sight to see. 

At present, it is home to more than 7,000 pieces of art from pre-modern Japan and Asia, including pottery, paintings, sculptures, and calligraphy. The majority of the collection is derived from the passionate purchase of exceptional pre-modern art by Kaichirō Sr., which he started in his twenties. 

Among private collectors, he stood out for collecting an unusually diverse collection that included textiles, armor, metallurgy, pottery, lacquerware, wooden and bamboo crafts, paintings, calligraphy, sculpture, and archeological artifacts. A substantial component of his collection consists of tea items that he acquired in his latter years under the name Seizan, which he used during the tea ceremony. 

Conclusion

To conclude, museums in Japan are must-visits for history enthusiasts and cultural seekers due to the fascinating mix of artifacts, exhibits, and performances that they provide. Museums in Japan provide something for everyone, from traditional art forms and historical artifacts shown at the Tokyo National Museum to modern, interactive exhibits at sites like TeamLab Borderless. Its distinctive cultural dualism is on display in the country’s capacity to hold on to its old ways of life while still welcoming modernity with innovative technologies.

Visitors may connect to both the old and contemporary worlds by exploring Japan’s feudal history, admiring its traditional crafts, or experiencing cutting-edge digital art. These museums are an integral aspect of Japanese culture since they teach, motivate, and shed light on the changing face of Japanese identity.

FAQs

Japan Has How Many Art Museums?

There are 1,087 art museums in Japan. 

Which City In Japan Is Well-known For Its Art? 

Tokyo and Kyoto are well-known for their art in Japan. 

Which Country Has The Greatest Number Of Museums?

There are over 33,082 museums in the United States, making it the country with the most museums overall. Germany and Japan are in second and third rank, respectively, with around 6,741 and 5,738 museums. 

Which Japanese Museum Is The Largest?

The Tokyo National Museum is Japan’s oldest and largest museum.