Museums Ginza Japan - Attractions

As one of the four National Museums of Tokyo, the National Museum of Modern Art has art galleries in its main building in Kitanomaru Koen, near the Imperial Palace and in Kyobashi. The museum aims at promoting modern Japanese art in and beyond Japan—primary activities include collecting and preserving artworks and films of the 20th century, conducting surveys and research on art, and organising exhibitions throughout the year. Other initiatives consist of arranging art lectures on specific themes, holding gallery talks and publishing exhibition catalogues. Check the website for more information.

The objective of this museum is to provide a venue for international artistic and cultural exchange. It is the only museum in Tokyo that systematically brings together foreign and domestic contemporary art. The Permanent Collection Gallery displays around 3,800 works. Established in 1995, the building's architecture is strikingly contemporary. Facilities include galleries for temporary exhibitions, a lecture room, an art library, museum shop, restaurant and a cafeteria.

This is the museum to visit if you are fascinated by communications. Exhibits include a huge number of postage stamps and displays related to telephone, telegraph, and more recent telecommunications technologies. Numerous Japanese companies have contributed to this museum to enable the visitor to learn more about the country's sophisticated technology.

I don`t like art, but this is the most beautiful museum i`ve ever seen. Once you enter the building, you can feel the Japanese culture all around you. This is one of Japan`s most important museums, and it holds over 100 000 objects.

Directly in front of the main entrance of Hotel Okura's parking lot, is Kihachiro Okura's contribution to the museum world. Set in an exquisite Japanese-style building and established in 1917, this private museum is notable for being the first of its kind in Japan. Changed seasonally, the eclectic collection includes screens, Noh masks and costumes, ancient books, paintings, ceramics and imposing sculptures. Admission: JPY700

The Kite Museum is an example of a businessman's hobby which has been rendered available for public perusal. There are works in progress by an on-site kite maker. Amid the miscellaneous Japanese and international kites and kite supplies is an eye-catching model of a Japanese war-plane! Step gingerly throughout the museum so that you do not damage any of the fragile works.

The Japan Camera and Optical Instruments Inspection and Testing Institute established this museum in 1989 to support the culture and preservation of both photography and imaging. The displays are divided into three areas: cameras, photographs and a library. Noteworthy examples in the collection include a Photosphere, an Escopette, a Sutton Panoramic, a pre-war Togo and a Soho Reflex Tropical. The only 1839 "Giroux Daguerreotype Camera" in a Japanese museum is here. Special exhibitions are held periodically categorized by country or type of camera.

This is the place to learn about Tokyo's 19th century common folk. In those days, the city was known as "Edo," and native Tokyoites (Edo-ko) pride themselves on their connections to this plebian past. Everyday life is reproduced in a rather constricted display area, but the replicas of row houses which were integral to living in shitamachi (the "lower" town) are nevertheless noteworthy. The fire water tower is also impressive. Take a good look at the maps to see how Tokyo has grown. The museum remains closed on the second and fourth Mondays of every month.

School children always enjoy the interactive displays at this museum, which opened in 1964. The aim of the museum is to give visitors an opportunity to learn about changes in science and technology. An excellent recent addition to the fifth floor is a collection of seven exhibits named: "Universe", "Mechanics", "Works", "Access", "Illusions", "Optics" and "Orienteering" under the central topic called, "Forest of Fun".

The Bank of Japan has amassed 160,000 pieces to archive Japan's currency history. The careful observer will leave the museum having learned that during the early Meiji Era (1868-1911) more than 240 han (feudal domains) were producing paper money. Pure gold oban and koban, pre-yen sen coins, counting boxes and wartime currencies (such as ceramic coins) are samples of what you will find on display. Examples of paper money and coins from overseas are included in the collection.

The largest room in the museum concentrates on Japanese artifacts. China is also well represented in a separate section where there are statues from the Han and Tang dynasties. Many pieces from the collection are the result of Meiji University's active on-site excavation programs both in Japan and overseas. Admission is free.

Since its 1966 opening, the Idemitsu has earned a reputation for excellent ceramics--the Chinese portion of which is among the most extensive to be found in Japan. The collection also includes byobu (folding screens), lacquer, painting, Chinese bronzes, scrolls, calligraphy, and tea utensils. For study and research, representative shards from various Japanese kilns are on display in a separate room. The first museum director, Sazo Idemitsu acquired this collection over a 70-year span. In addition, the Idemitsu owns more than 400 works of the French religious and expressionist painter Georges-Henri Rouault (1871-1958).

A visit to this local ward museum will give you a chance to see ancient shards excavated from the Shiba area, some dating back to the 3rd and 4th centuries. These include fishing utensils, farming implements and various pottery and porcelain pieces. During the Edo Period, Tokyo pre-1868, the area from Toranomon to Akasaka was an exclusive samurai residential area and this can be seen in the style of some crockery pieces held in the museum collection. There is also a map from this period showing the various estates of former feudal lords, or daimyo.

The museum offers an overview of Japanese crafts, many executed by famous artisans. The contemporary world of Japanese handicrafts is thriving as can be seen by viewing the collection which covers lacquer, metal and glass work, textiles, ceramics and of course, bamboo. The visitor might decide to return again because the exhibits change often or just to enjoy the adjacent park.

Acoustics and aesthetics team up at this museum where there is the opportunity to beat on drums from several countries. Drums have been used in Japan to emit sound to expel demons and evilness. Indeed, as a symbol of Shinto shrines, drums are considered sacred. Drum adornment is an art form, and the breadth of the collection here is impressive. However some of the instruments are fragile and are off limits.