Tokyo's Art Scene: Galleries, Museums and Emerging Artists

Tokyo has one of the largest art scenes in the world, and much of it is free or cheap: commercial galleries charge nothing, and many museums cost less than a cinema ticket. It is also spread out across the city, so it helps to know where to start.

The major museums

Mori Art Museum (Roppongi). On the 53rd floor of Roppongi Hills, with large, ambitious exhibitions of contemporary art from Japan and abroad, and a view over the city. For art on the scale of a whole island, see our guide to Naoshima.

The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo (MOMAT). Near the Imperial Palace at Takebashi, with the country's leading collection of modern Japanese art, tracing it from the Meiji era through the postwar decades. Its permanent collection is excellent and often quiet.

Nezu Museum (Minami-Aoyama). Pre-modern Japanese and East Asian art in a building by the architect Kengo Kuma, with a large Japanese garden that is as much a reason to come as the collection. The garden café is a pleasant place to stop.

21_21 Design Sight (Roppongi). A design museum founded by Issey Miyake in a building by Tadao Ando, much of it underground. Its exhibitions treat design broadly, from food to engineering.

teamLab (Toyosu and Azabudai). The immersive digital art studio has two permanent museums in Tokyo. Both sell out, so book ahead; see our teamLab guide.

Commercial galleries

Tokyo's commercial galleries are spread across the city rather than concentrated in one district, but a few buildings group several together:

• complex665 in Roppongi houses several leading galleries, including Tomio Koyama Gallery, an early champion of Yoshitomo Nara and Takashi Murakami, Taka Ishii Gallery and ShugoArts.
• TERRADA ART COMPLEX in Tennozu, a converted warehouse by the canal, holds several more.

Galleries are free to visit. Most open from Tuesday to Saturday, roughly 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; check each one's website.

Smaller spaces

Outside the established galleries, Tokyo has a scene of small and artist-run spaces, often with irregular hours:

• Shimokitazawa and Koenji have small galleries, art-book shops and zine events, often in the back of a café or bar. See our Shimokitazawa and Koenji guides.
• Yanaka has ceramics studios, craft shops and small galleries in an older, quieter neighborhood. Its best-known gallery, SCAI The Bathhouse, shows contemporary art in a converted public bathhouse with a history of some 200 years. See our guide to Tokyo for repeat visitors.

Art events

Art Week Tokyo (November). A week of coordinated gallery openings and events across the city, with free shuttle buses linking the venues.

Design Festa (spring and autumn). A huge independent creators' market at Tokyo Big Sight, with illustration, crafts, fashion and performance. Overwhelming, but full of discoveries.

Tokyo Gendai (July). An international contemporary art fair held at Pacifico Yokohama.

FAQ

When are galleries open? Most commercial galleries open Tuesday to Saturday, roughly 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and close on Sundays and Mondays. Check before you go.

Are there entrance fees? Commercial galleries are free. Museum collections usually cost ¥500–¥2,000, and special exhibitions more.

What's the best area for a day of galleries? Roppongi, for the Mori Art Museum, 21_21 Design Sight, the National Art Center and the galleries at complex665. Add Tennozu for TERRADA ART COMPLEX.

How do I find out what's on? Tokyo Art Beat (tokyoartbeat.com) lists current exhibitions across the city in English.