BankArt Station, spread out over 1,500 square meters inside Shin-Takashima Station, is the largest of several Yokohama galleries run by the government-supported BankArt 1929 arts program, and it's probably the best venue for contemporary art in...

After a three-year hiatus for renovation work, Tokyo's premier contemporary-art museum finally reopened in March 2019, incidentally giving a boost to the handful of small independent galleries that have gathered in the neighborhood. The museum's...

One of several museums and other attractions located in Kitanomaru Park just across the moat from the Imperial Palace, MOMAT displays an extensive collection spread out over three floors, and is well worth a visit for those with an interest in art. ...

By assembling several major galleries in two massive warehouse buildings, Terrada Art Complex has rather successfully pursued their mission of "making Tennoz Isle into a hub of artistic culture." The complex is now an important stop on any...

This small local museum is run by Meguro Ward, and focuses on modern Japanese and contemporary foreign artists, with frequently changing temporary exhibitions.

After a three-year hiatus for renovation work, Tokyo's premier contemporary-art museum finally reopened in March 2019, incidentally giving a boost to the handful of small independent galleries that have gathered in the neighborhood. The museum's...

The work of 56 contemporary Japanese artists is presented on two indoor floors and four spacious outdoor areas, with over 200 pieces in all. There's a small tearoom inside the museum, although it isn't always open. Admission is free - just sign...

One of several museums and other attractions located in Kitanomaru Park just across the moat from the Imperial Palace, MOMAT displays an extensive collection spread out over three floors, and is well worth a visit for those with an interest in art. ...

The museum has a collection of over 10,000 works of modern and contemporary art, although the exhibition space is relatively small. The building was completed in 1985, and was designed by architect Shozo Uchii. Set in the tranquil urban oasis...

Located inside the historic Tokyo Station building, the gallery puts on regular shows of contemporary art, modern art, traditional Japanese art, graphic arts and architectural design. English-language audio guides are available. In addition to...

Best known internationally for her prolific work with orange polka dots, the avant-garde sculptor, painter and novelist Yayoi Kusama now has a new museum (as of October 2017) devoted to her work and life. There's a lot to see, with closely packed...

The former home and studio of sculptor Fumio Asakura (1883-1964) now houses a surprisingly large museum dedicated to his work. The sprawling building was designed by Asakura himself, and consists of a European-style studio wing, where he ran an art...

This city-run museum is famous for its permanent collection of ukiyoe woodblock prints. Extensive gallery spaces spread out over two floors offer a chance to see quite a bit of art in one visit. In addition to the permanent collection there are...

One of the few museums in the world dedicated exclusively to printmaking, this spacious and well-curated museum has amassed a collection of some 30,000 prints from around the world, some dating back to the eighth century. After you've toured the...

Calligraphy students, former calligraphy students and hard-core calligraphy fans would appear to be the main audience for this specialized museum, which showcases the work of calligrapher and poet Mitsuo Aida (1924-1991).

Japanese printmaker Yozo Hamaguchi (1909-2000) was perhaps the most renowned mezzotint artist of the twentieth century. This small private museum exhibits sixty of his works, and has frequent shows devoted to the work of printmaker Keiko Minami,...

Completed in 1982, this was the first museum building designed by architect Kisho Kurokawa, who was also responsible for the Nakagin Capsule Tower and the National Art Center, Tokyo. A lattice-like structure frames the outer perimeter of the...

Specializing in ukiyoe (woodblock prints), this three-story museum puts together thematic exhibitions every month showcasing portions of their collection of 12,000 woodblock prints. Around half the prints on display any given month have...

The museum specializes in contemporary Nihonga - Japanese-style painting using traditional techniques and materials. There are four or five exhibitions held each year and there's also a permanent collection, which consists of several large-scale...

This lovely museum is devoted to the work of Katsushika Hokusai, Japan's most famous ukiyoe artist, who lived and worked for most of his life here in this traditional neighborhood. The wide-ranging permanent collection provides a good overview of...

Five of the six galleries in this city-run facility are rental galleries, used by local artistic associations for temporary exhibitions, and thus the shows here cover a wide range of genres and levels of quality. The museum itself runs the...

Established in 1988 by Musashino Art University, this non-profit gallery is a platform for guest curators to introduce talented new artists. When you visit, don't miss the smaller exhibition room behind the reception desk, which also includes a...

This small one-room gallery puts on some interesting shows and installations from their roster of Japanese and international artists. It's worth checking out for a few minutes if you're making a coffee pilgrimage to the Allpress Espresso Roastery...

BankArt Station, spread out over 1,500 square meters inside Shin-Takashima Station, is the largest of several Yokohama galleries run by the government-supported BankArt 1929 arts program, and it's probably the best venue for contemporary art in...

Since its debut at the Tokyo Contemporary Art Fair in 2009, the mission of this small gallery has been to showcase work that "treads the boundary between art and non-art," representing an interesting group of both international and Japanese artists....

Consisting of two large gallery spaces and a small library nook where you can look over artists' scrapbooks, MoMo puts on regular shows of their mostly Japanese contemporary artists. They also take part in international art fairs in Basel, Miami...

This small, three-room rental gallery has frequent short-running group shows of up-and-coming Japanese artists and art students. Although the space is small, there are a number of other galleries in the immediate neighborhood, so this can be one...

This local gallery puts on regular shows of up-and-coming international artists in their compact one-room exhibition space. It can be combined with visits to the nearby Gallery Niw and other galleries in neighborhing Kagurazaka, but you might want...

Koki Arts' gallery director grew up in New York City, and his gallery represents both American and Japanese contemporary artists at various stages of their careers, with the goal of introducing American artists to Japan and vice versa. In addition...

This small building on a Bakurocho side street looks like it's midway through the process of being demolished, but it's actually home to three cutting-edge contemporary art galleries on its three floors. It's definitely worth stopping by if you're...

Manga, anime, toys and other aspects of pop culture are the inspiration for many of the shows at this international gallery. The exhibition area is comfortably spacious and can accommodate fairly large shows. As with all independent galleries,...

With a history dating back to 1993, Ota has established itself as a pioneer in the world of Japanese contemporary art, and was an early promoter of artist Yayoi Kusama, among others. One of the gallery's goals is to support art with a regional...

Parisian art dealer Emmanuel Perrotin, known abroad as the man who introduced Takashi Murakami to the world (he has represented Murakami since 1993), opened this gallery in 2017 after expanding from Paris to New York, Hong Kong and Seoul. The...

A small gallery located on a Bakurocho side street, San Ai regularly puts on one-week shows of up-and-coming Japanese artists. Hours and days of operation may vary depending on the exhibition.

This small gallery hosts a few shows a year to showcase the artists they represent, and it's generally worth stopping by if something is on. Represented artists include Ikezaki Takuya, Mitsuhiro Ikeda, Tadasuke Iwanaga, Shinichiro Kano, Makiko...

Founded in 2001, Taguchi puts on six or seven shows a year, showcasing established German and other international artists as well as artists from Japan. They also produce occasional pop-up projects in Osaka, Germany and elsewhere.

Taro Nasu first opened his namesake contemporary art gallery in 1988, moving it in 2019 to its current location alongside several other galleries in the very arty Piramide Building in Roppongi. The gallery represents two dozen well-established...

By assembling several major galleries in two massive warehouse buildings, Terrada Art Complex has rather successfully pursued their mission of "making Tennoz Isle into a hub of artistic culture." The complex is now an important stop on any...

Wako represents a roster of major contemporary European and international artists like Gerhard Richter and Wolfgang Tillmans, and aims to introduce important artists who have not been shown very often in Japan. The gallery is located in the...

Founded in 2015, this small gallery represents mostly up-and-coming Japanese contemporary artists in all visual media. This is one of several contemporary art galleries located in Roppongi's Piramide arts complex.

This compact Harajuku gallery is devoted to showcasing the work of Japanese illustrators, and there are generally fresh new shows every week. Much of the work is quite affordably priced, and there are usually postcards and other goods for sale as...

Established by Toto, the manufacturer of bathroom appliances, Gallery Ma is a small two-story gallery located above a Nogizaka showroom. They specialize in modern architecture and contemporary design, with frequent exhibitions devoted to...

Occupying a one-room gallery space across from Aoyama Cemetery, this intimate gallery puts together correspondingly small-scale exhibitions, focusing on the works of up-and-coming architects and landscape designers.

Run by the Tokyo metropolitan government, this first-rate museum showcases both Japanese and international photographers. Around twenty exhibitions a year are held in the museum's three gallery spaces. A branch of Nadiff bookstore, located on the...

Open since 2008, this contemporary photography gallery runs a program of frequent regular exhibitions, usually lasting a week or two, of member artists.

With an emphasis on contemporary photography from China and Japan, Zen Foto shows a mix of both established and up-and-coming young photographers from the two countries, and publishes a number of limited-edition books to go with its shows. The...

Run by the nearby National Museum of Modern Art, the small gallery focuses on early and mid twentieth-century crafts. The six gallery rooms are filled with gorgeous ceramics and lacquerware, room-divider screens, metalwork and fabrics. The museum...

If you are looking for a tranquil relic of old Tokyo, the Japan Folk Crafts Museum (Nihon Mingei-kan) is for you. This tiny but enchanting museum, hidden away in peaceful Komaba, displays folk crafts (mingei) from all over Japan. The founder,...

This small museum will mostly be of interest to Japanese sword enthusiasts and collectors. The facility is run by the Society for Preservation of Japanese Art Swords, and there are usually several dozen swords and other objects from their 190-piece...

Tomo Kikuchi has assembled one of the best collections of contemporary Japanese ceramic art in the world, including works by many recognized master potters, and her collection is still growing with the addition of newly added pieces each year. ...

Pre-modern art from Japan, China, and other Asian countries is the focus of the collection here, with some 7000 items including painting and sculpture, calligraphy, ceramics and lacquerware. The stunning building was designed by architect Kengo...

Although it's called a Calligraphy museum, the collection here focuses mainly on the early history of the Chinese (and later Japanese) written language through its use in inscriptions on ancient Chinese jade, bronze and ceramic objects. There are...

Japanese and Chinese paintings, ceramics, calligraphy, tea ceremony implements, swords and mirrors - there are over 5,000 items making up the museum's impressive collection. Unfortunately, though, we'll probably only get to see most of these...

The Gallery of Horyuji Treasures is part of Tokyo National Museum in Ueno Park. It houses more than 300 historical artifacts, mainly from the seventh and eighth centuries, which were donated to the Imperial Household by Horyuji Temple in Nara in...

Seijiro Matsuoka was an art collector with many and varied interests, and these are reflected in the museum that houses his collection. The three main permanent galleries are devoted to ancient Egyptian art and artifacts, ancient Buddha statues...

The Mitsui family's immense collection of Japanese and Asian art sounds impressive in the catalog, but in reality the exhibition space is quite small and the Y1000 admission price seems rather steep considering how little you get to see. It might...

An extensive collection of Chinese pottery and porcelain, covering several dynasties, is at the heart of this century-old museum's holdings. The 6500-item collection also includes swords, tea ceremony utensils, Chinese and Japanese paintings,...

The permanent collection of this local art museum includes ceramics and lacquerware, tea ceremony utensils, Buddha sculptures, bronzeware and jade pieces, although the small size of the galleries means that only a small fraction of the works will be...

The museum's impressive 7000-piece collection focuses on ancient Chinese, Japanese and Korean ceramics, although it includes some modern works as well. They put on four thematic shows per year, but unfortunately with only three small exhibit rooms...