The 31 best history museums in Toshima (2024)

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Came to see the CLAMP exhibition. And I highly recommend it. It was excellently curated.But plan ahead, and give yourself plenty time.We got here about 10am when it opens, but by the time we got our tickets and find the line for the special exhibition and then got the number, we are 600 in line.It took about an hour for our number to be called, there is more waiting in line to get to the exhibition.The exhibition has an audio guided tour. But if you wish to follow it, it can be somewhat crowded, especially at the very beginning of the exhibition (the furst room).

First time visiting in Tokyo and I was seriously impressed with this place! It’s massive inside, well organized and the Yves Saint Laurent exhibition they have on right now was spectacular! A must have for anyone interested in couture fashion. The gift shop at the end of the exhibit was okay, wish it had more exclusive items for Japan. Only the book was exclusive.

Happened across this museum while wandering the Roppongi area. Paid for an exhibit, which turned out to be an interesting one. A nice woman who was viewing it herself told me it was an art contest showcasing all the entries. Surprisingly, there was some really fantastic work. I spent a good two hours viewing the exhibit, then grabbed a fresh grapefruit juice at the first floor café. It was the highlight of my morning.

I loved this place.During my visit they had a huge Exhibition of the different art shools from Tokyo.and that was very inspiring. I am sure that the Museum will have great Shows at other times too, because its huge and very well known.

This was a fantastic experience. I was there while a the participants in a national competition, and I have to say the museum was far from the usual staid and boring national museums. It was fresh, with diverse artwork well exhibited, helped by an impressive and modern building, that was well organized and easy to navigate. I left very impressed. Also helps that the museum shops had interesting stuff at a variety of price points.

Gallery is huge but,but. For me it missing spirit. There ware huge rooms with art but it felt so sterile. There are much better galleries in Tokyo that this. Sorry :(. But there are tho restaurants. Use that one at -1F food is good and relatively cheap.

Recommend to drop off at 乃木板站 as there is a direct access to the museum.The Clamp exhibition fulfils one of my Comic dreams, much improvement is needed for the crowd control. Even with the advanced reservation system, it is still hard for us to enjoy the first part of the show because the whole venue is flooded with visitors. The photo shows the latter parts , which have less visitors.

The art center is huge with up to 3 floor and many vast exhibition rooms. I went there to visit Henri Matisse Special Exhibition, which was hosted in Japan for the first time after 1950, and it is truly one of the greatest exhibitions with many art pieces involving life of the artist, including the replica of the cathedral with the glass windows, the artist designed. There was also an outdoor exhibition, titled the Forbidden Fruit, by Reijiro Wada. This sculptural installation work crystallizes the fundamental themes of life and time as a landscape, integrating elements of architecture and gardens.The architecture of the building itself is also very modern and stylish, it is highly recommended for art lovers!

Was here for the CLAMP Exhibition and it was amazing! 🤩 The exhibition content was pretty well organized with several different themes and contained of a lot of original drawings. However the entrance hall had no AC and was hot on busy summer days - had to stand in huge lines sweating for nearly an hour. Better bring a handy fan and drinking water.

Amazing gallery featuring local art collectives, presenting diverse world-class art. I’d recommend skipping the special exhibition unless you’re a fan of the featured artist. Nice and relaxing atmosphere.

Visited the Henri Matisse exhibition with family. Enjoyed the well-curated collection spanning his early to late years. Gallery is a bit far from transportation; expect a short walk. Tickets: ¥2,200/person.

American Family VisitingChecked out the Clamp exhibition at this location. It gets hot waiting in line during the summer so you'll want a hand fan of some type. Bathrooms were clean and maintained and staff was friendly.The Clamp exhibit was amazing and was the only thing we were there for but it was setup well with decent traffic flow for something that was so busy.

It was pretty exceptional as the museum invited various small (comparably unknown...) artists. That made the Museum outstanding, not to mention the beautiful architecture.

I came here because I was a fan of the movie Kimi No Na Wa but ended up enjoying the art displays. You have to huy a ticket to get inside the art gallery. When you get tired from walking around, there is a cafe inside the museum which became so popular due to a famous anime.If you would like to visit this place, i suggest you come here a bit early (i came at around 3:30pm) so you can go around with lesser crowd.

I had a pleasant experience at this venue! The staff were incredibly friendly and provided clear, step-by-step guidance. If you're planning to visit the CLAMP exhibition, here are some tips that may be useful for fellow attendees:Note: I arrived 30 minutes before the museum opened on a weekday, and there was already a short queue of about 20 people at both entrances. I highly recommend arriving early to reduce your wait time inside the museum.1. Best way to get there:- Train: Take the Chiyoda Green Line to Nogizaka Station, Exit 6. This provides a direct walkway to the museum entrance, marked by art flags.- Taxi: You’ll be dropped off at the other entrance. Try GO / Taxi App. Can register with your oversea number.2. Tickets: You can purchase tickets in advance online and pay at Lawson. Note that you cannot buy tickets directly from the museum's website without a local bank account or Lawson account that requires a local phone number (or anyone tried and succeed can share). Alternatively, you can buy tickets at the museum counter upon arrival.- There are four queues to navigate: for museum entry, the escalator, the exhibition, and the gift shop. If you arrive very early, there are only three indoor queues, which can still take over an hour at times. For my case was 20mins on a Wednesday early entry.- Please note that you cannot skip the line. If a friend is already in line, you must join from the start. Leaving the queue for a restroom break means you cannot rejoin. Be prepared before getting in line!- An audio guide is available in four languages, including English, for 800 yen.3. Gift Shop: You need an exhibition ticket to enter the gift shop. Almost 40% items sold out or limited to one purchase per person (no restock). Updates on available merchandise can only be found at the gift shop entrance (no photography allowed). I’ve included a sample image from the entrance of the exhibition, though it may not be up-to-date with what’s available in-store. **Link for exclusive pre-order items, which only ship out in 2025: https://special.movic.jp/shop/special /clamp-ex-goods.aspx4. Photography and Videography: Video recording is not allowed, and while some areas permit photography, others do not. The gift shop has a strict no photography policy.5. Special Events and Merchandise Related to the Exhibition:- The cafe offers a short menu of themed drinks.- The restaurant serves afternoon tea and cakes. When I visited last week, I didn’t see a food set menu, but I previously spotted one online.6. Time Recommendation for the Exhibition: The time you spend can vary based on personal interest, but typically, visitors spend around 1-2 hours to fully appreciate the artworks and presentations. If you're only interested in 1-2 series, you might go through the exhibition in less than an hour. Remember, you need a ticket to access the exciting gift shop!7. Dining Options Nearby: There’s not much around—no convenience stores nearby. You can choose to eat at the museum cafe or restaurant, or take the train to nearby areas for more options.Hope this helps!

While traveling, I discovered an exhibition of Clamp's work at The National Art Center in Tokyo. Since my wife is a fan of several Clamp titles, I suggested we visit. Overall, I was quite impressed with the number and quality of the pieces, as well as the exhibition's layout. The intricate pen work and distinct art style of Clamp are captivating, even for those unfamiliar with their work. Many visitors, including foreigners, seemed to genuinely enjoy the exhibition.However, I can't say the same about the museum's management system. They could have used a ticket reservation system to regulate visitor entry times, but they didn't. Regardless of whether you had pre-booked tickets or bought them on-site, you will still have to wait in line for entry (I waited about an hour). Even though we queued indoors, the uncomfortably high temperature made the experience quite unpleasant. It felt like being exposed to the worst heat imaginable.Moreover, some staff seemed more focused on interrupting the experience. I understand their role is to maintain order and protect the artwork, but they repeatedly stopped people from slightly leaning forward to get a closer look at the tiny pieces. Visitors weren't crossing lines, touching the art, or taking prohibited photos or videos; they just wanted to see the artwork because it was so small. In addition, some staff actively moved behind people and covertly monitored their phone screens.These actions felt excessive. While maintaining order and protecting the art is crucial, not every museum in the world operates this way. I hope this museum can find a way to respect its visitors as much as visitors respect their artworks.

I really enjoyed the CLAMP exhibit. Also, the museum's gift shop is a great source of beautiful and well-designed Japanese art and souvenirs.

Impressive glass front. Inside it also looks nice. Unfortunately it wasn’t build for the heat of the summer, so inside it still feels a bit hot in summer. We didn’t visit the expositions as there was a considerable wait (at least for the temporary CLAMP exposition that we wished to see).

Came here on a Saturday afternoon and can echo what some others have said. This is not a traditional museum where you pay an entry fee and can go through the various exhibits.Entry into the building itself was free, and you only had to pay to enter the special exhibit. During our visit, the special exhibit was cover the works of Yves Saint Laurent.Building itself is extremely modern and has beautiful architecture. I mainly came just so I could capture one picture. But otherwise, I was in for a surprise, as the special exhibit was actually very informative.Would definitely recommend checking out if the special exhibit piques your interest.

国立新美術館, 7 Chome-22-2 Roppongi, Minato City, Tokyo 106-8558, Japan•https://www.nact.jp/•+81 50-5541-8600•Tips and more reviews for The National Art Center, Tokyo