About The National Art Center, Tokyo
Located in Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan, and built on the former site of the University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Production, the New National Art Museum was established in 2007 as Japan’s fifth national art museum.
Designed by Kisho Kurokawa, the building covers an area of 30,000 square meters and has a floor area of 47,960 square meters, making it the largest art museum in Japan. The New National Art Museum is a unique art museum with the concept of an “art museum in the forest,” and was established to hold exhibitions, display works from the collection, and popularize art education. The exterior of the museum is made entirely of glass, and the building is surrounded by a garden with many plants. The museum is equipped with many facilities such as a truck loading dock, parking lots, a reviewing room and a reviewers’ lounge in order to move, unpack, and review works for multiple public exhibitions at the same time.
The Museum of Fine Arts has organized more than 600 exhibitions, focusing on 20th century paintings and modern art, making it an attractive place for lovers of modern art, and the ideal place to view, study and research art.
How to get there
7-22-2 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-8558
Train: Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line “Nogizaka Station” Aoyama Reien direction ticket gate Exit 6 (directly connected to the museum) / Toei Oedo Line “Roppongi Station” Exit 7 (approx. 4 min. walk) / Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line “Roppongi Station” Exit 4a (approx. 5 min. walk)
Bus: Toei Bus: approx. 7 min. walk from Roppongi Ekimae Bus Stop, approx. 5 min. walk from Aoyama Saijo Bus Stop / Minato-ku Community Bus “Chii Bus” Akasaka circulation route: approx. 4 min. walk from Roppongi 7-chome Bus Stop.
Tips
It is a little difficult to find on the map, but it is almost directly accessible from the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line Nogizaka station.
I like Western paintings, but it was honestly a great experience. I was worried that there might not be enough exhibits. I was worried that there might not be enough paintings on display, but each piece was so good that it could have been the main attraction in any other art exhibition, and I could have spent the entire time looking at all of the exhibits. Even I, who am not very knowledgeable about art, could have spent a long time looking at the exhibits. The admission fee was 2,100 yen, but I think it was a great deal for the content. The audio guide was only 650 yen, which is a reasonable price.
As for the time required to visit the exhibition, since re-entry is not allowed, I spent about 3 hours there, including the time I spent going back to the first painting and looking at it again, and the time I spent in the rest room because I was tired of standing up. I think I was there for quite a long time. Photography is not allowed except in the last room, and there are no drinks sold in the museum.
Because of the theme of the exhibition, it is not an exhibition for children, and surprisingly, I think it is not for couples. When I visited, there were couples there, but some couples were sitting there because their girlfriends were interested but their boyfriends were not, while others entered with me and left at the same time, so I guess it depends on the level of mutual interest. Surprisingly, there were many men and women alone, so in a sense, it was probably the most enjoyable. However, due to the popularity of the exhibition, there were about 10 times as many people as in other museums even on weekdays, so I think there is a high possibility that you will not be able to see the exhibition calmly on weekends and holidays.
