Autumn Night Museum: Tokyo Metropolitan Museums Open Until 20:00 on Fridays in November; Free for Students After 17:00

Six Tokyo metropolitan museums and galleries, including the Edo-Tokyo Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, will extend their opening hours until 20:00 every Friday in November. The event is called “Autumn Night Museum 2026,” and this is its first year. Students entering after 17:00 can see eligible exhibitions free, and adults and people aged 65 and over pay a discounted fee comparable to the group rate. The Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture announced it on September 30.

When and where? Evening opening days and main exhibitions at the six venues

The event runs from Thursday, November 5 to Friday, November 27, with each venue open until 20:00 on eligible days. The evening opening days and the main exhibitions that can be seen at night are as follows.

• Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo (Kiyosumi-Shirakawa): November 6, 13, 20 and 27. “Tada Minami—Still, shimmering light” (until December 6), “Synchronic Constellations: Stars That Shared Time – Perspectives of Border-Crossing Art” (until December 13) and others

• Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum (Meguro/Shirokanedai): November 6, 13, 20, 21 and 27. “Marimekko: The Power of Patterns” (until December 20; timed reservations required) and the gardens

• Tokyo Photographic Art Museum (Ebisu): Thursdays and Fridays during the period. “Duet: Asian Contemporary,” “Reassembling Again: Contemporary Japanese Photography vol. 23” and others. Evening opening for the “50th Kimura Ihei Award Commemorative Photography Exhibition” is until November 20

• Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum (Ueno): November 20 and 27. The 100th anniversary exhibitions “For You to Read the World” and “Opening the Beginning: 100 Years of the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum,” and “What a Wonderful World: Masterworks from the Musée d’Orsay”

• Edo-Tokyo Museum (Ryogoku): November 6, 13, 20 and 27. The permanent exhibition and the special exhibition within it, “A Bridge of Knowledge in Japan–U.S. Exchange: Rutgers College and Japanese Students Abroad in the Late Edo and Meiji Periods” (until December 6)

• Tokyo Shibuya Koen-dori Gallery (Shibuya): November 6, 13, 20 and 27. The Art Brut 2026 touring exhibition (until December 27)

Last entry is 30 minutes before closing (except at the Tokyo Shibuya Koen-dori Gallery). The Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum will also stay open until 20:00 on Saturday, November 28, Friday, December 4 and Saturday, December 5 as its own evening openings.

Tickets and prices: Free for students after 17:00, discounts for adults

Students entering after 17:00 can see eligible exhibitions free. Students include university and graduate students, vocational school students and high school students, and a student ID is required. Adults and people aged 65 and over pay a discounted fee comparable to the group rate, and those aged 65 and over must show proof of age.

Free admission and discounts apply only to tickets bought at the ticket counter on the eligible day. Online purchases are not eligible, except at the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, where tickets can also be bought online. The offers cannot be combined with other discounts.

The NHK Taiga Drama special exhibition at the Edo-Tokyo Museum (until November 8; evening opening on November 6 only) and “What a Wonderful World: Masterworks from the Musée d’Orsay” at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum are not eligible for the free admission and discounts after 17:00. The two 100th anniversary exhibitions at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum and the Tokyo Shibuya Koen-dori Gallery are free at any time during their runs.

Mini concerts and evening perks

Mini concerts planned and produced by Tokyo Bunka Kaikan and Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre are held at five venues: the Edo-Tokyo Museum on November 6, the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum on the 12th and the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo on the 13th, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum and the Tokyo Shibuya Koen-dori Gallery on the 20th. Each performance lasts 20 minutes, with two per day. All are free, and no application is required. At the Edo-Tokyo Museum, the concerts take place in the permanent exhibition galleries, and a permanent exhibition ticket is required.

Shops, cafés and restaurants also offer extended hours, discounts and more. At the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, everyone who makes a purchase at the shop after 17:00 receives a set of two “masterpiece stickers.” After 17:30, bills at the museum’s restaurants and cafés are 5% off.

Why now? Opening up the evening hours in a Tokyo autumn full of art festivals

The press materials present the event as a way for people to enjoy museums at night during the long autumn evenings. The same materials also promote the new art festival “ARTE TOKYO” (until December 31) and the international art exhibition “TOKYO ATLAS” (until December 20), both being held in Tokyo.

The Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum will also hold “Special Evening Opening: Building Light-Up” on Friday, November 6 and Saturday, November 7, from 16:30 to 20:30 (last entry 20:00). Other events in November are summarized in our November 2026 art event calendar.

Overview

Name: Autumn Night Museum 2026
Period: Every Friday from Thursday, November 5 to Friday, November 27, 2026, and other days (varies by venue)
Hours: Until 20:00 on eligible days (last entry 30 minutes before closing, except at the Tokyo Shibuya Koen-dori Gallery)
Participating venues: Edo-Tokyo Museum, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Tokyo Shibuya Koen-dori Gallery
Admission: After 17:00, eligible exhibitions are free for students, and adults and those aged 65 and over pay a discounted fee comparable to the group rate (counter purchases on the day only; online purchase also possible at the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum)
Announcement: Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture
Inquiries: Partnership Section, Planning Division, Planning Department, Arts Council Tokyo, 03-6256-8853 (weekdays 10:00–18:00, excluding weekends and holidays)
Official website: https://www.rekibun.or.jp/crossing/nightmuseum/
*Information as of October 20, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

*Top image: Main visual for “Autumn Night Museum 2026” (from a press release by the Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on press materials from the Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture (September 30, 2026) and information on the official websites of Autumn Night Museum and each venue.

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team