#Museums

Who Was Toshusai Sharaku? The “Mystery Artist” Who Vanished After Ten Months: Major Actor Prints, Theories on His Identity, and Where to See Them

Toshusai Sharaku debuted suddenly in 1794 with 28 mica-ground okubi-e actor portraits and disappeared about ten months later. A guide to his four periods and major works, the theories about who he was, and where to see his prints.

Who Was Kitagawa Utamaro? The Life and Major Works of the Ukiyo-e Master of Beauties Behind “Three Beauties of the Kansei Era,” and Where to See Them

Kitagawa Utamaro won fame with okubi-e close-up portraits of women, working with the publisher Tsutaya Juzaburo. A guide to his life and major works, his clash with the shogunate’s censorship, and where to see his work, including the British Museum’s Edo painting exhibition.

[Autumn/Winter 2026] Hiroshima Art Guide: Hiroshima Castle Winter Wander, Dreamination, and the Hiroshima Museum of Art, Prefectural Art Museum and Museum of Contemporary Art

“Hiroshima Castle Winter Wander 2026” brings the first projection mapping to the castle keep from December 18, and “Hiroshima Dreamination” has moved to December 4–January 24. A guide to the winter night events, exhibitions at three city museums in the same period, and New Year closing days.

Who Was Utagawa Hiroshige? The Life and Major Works of the Ukiyo-e Master of “The Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido,” and Where to See Them

Utagawa Hiroshige won fame with “The Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido,” and his “One Hundred Famous Views of Edo” was copied by Van Gogh. A guide to his life and major works, the color known as “Hiroshige blue,” and where to see his prints, from the Tokyo National Museum’s Hiroshige exhibition to museums named after him.

[Autumn/Winter 2026] Aizuwakamatsu Art Guide: Tsuruga-jo Castle Projection Mapping, Sazaedo, Oyakuen Garden and the Fukushima Museum

For three nights from November 20, “Tsuruga-jo Castle Projection Mapping 2026” lights up the keep and stone walls with imagery inspired by Aizu crafts. This guide covers the castle keep, the Fukushima Museum, Oyakuen Garden and the double-spiral Sazaedo to visit by day, with admission, hours and the last loop bus.

Who Was Katsushika Hokusai? The Life and Major Works of the Ukiyo-e Master Behind “The Great Wave,” and Where to See Them

Known worldwide for “Under the Wave off Kanagawa,” Katsushika Hokusai kept painting until his death at 90. A guide to his life, his major works from “Hokusai Manga” and “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji” to the paintings of his final years, and where to see them, including The Sumida Hokusai Museum and the Hokusai-kan Museum in Obuse.

[Autumn/Winter 2026] Yanaka, Nezu and Sendagi Art Guide: Asakura Museum of Sculpture, Takehisa Yumeji Museum, Mori Ogai Memorial Museum and More

A roundup, as of October 31, of exhibitions at eight museums, galleries and other sites in and around Yanaka, Nezu and Sendagi (“Yanesen”). The special exhibition at the Asakura Museum of Sculpture runs until December 27, and SCAI THE BATHHOUSE opens a Nobuko Tsuchiya exhibition on November 4. We also sort out the different closing days and suggest routes.

[Autumn/Winter 2026] Shinjuku, Hatsudai and Waseda Art Guide: Tokyo Opera City, ICC, SOMPO Museum of Art, Yayoi Kusama Museum and More

A roundup, as of October 31, of exhibitions at eight museums in Hatsudai/Nishi-Shinjuku and Waseda/Bentencho. ICC Annual 2026 runs until November 8 and the Albert Marquet exhibition at the SOMPO Museum of Art until December 13. Waseda University’s three museums are free, and the Yayoi Kusama Museum is by advance reservation only.

[Autumn/Winter 2026] Ebisu, Shirokanedai and Meguro Art Guide: Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, Yamatane Museum of Art and More

A roundup, as of October 31, of exhibitions at seven museums in the Ebisu, Shirokanedai and Meguro area. The Marimekko exhibition at the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum runs until December 20, and the Yamatane Museum of Art’s 60th-anniversary exhibition until December 6. We also sort out the different closing days and how to get around from the stations.

[Autumn/Winter 2026] Omotesando, Aoyama and Harajuku Art Guide: Nezu Museum, Ota Memorial Museum of Art, Taro Okamoto Memorial Museum and More

A roundup, as of October 31, of exhibitions at five museums and galleries in the Omotesando, Aoyama and Harajuku area. The Nezu Museum’s “Bugaku Costumes” runs until November 23, and the Katsushika Oi exhibition at the Ota Memorial Museum of Art until December 6. We also sort out the different closing days and how to get around from the stations.

[Autumn/Winter 2026] Marunouchi, Kyobashi and Nihonbashi Art Guide: Artizon, Mitsubishi Ichigokan, Tokyo Station Gallery and More

Around Tokyo Station, museums are clustered in the station building and in buildings designated Important Cultural Properties. We summarize exhibitions at six museums, including the Artizon Museum and the Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum, as of October 31, three exhibitions opening in November and December, opening hours, admission and walking routes, along with the current status of the closed Idemitsu Museum of Arts.

[Autumn/Winter 2026] Ryogoku and Kiyosumi-Shirakawa Art Guide: The Sumida Hokusai Museum, Edo-Tokyo Museum and Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo

Ryogoku and Kiyosumi-Shirakawa, two stops apart on the Oedo Line, are home to museums devoted to Hokusai, Edo history, Japanese swords and contemporary art. The Maruyama Okyo exhibition opens at the Edo-Tokyo Museum on November 28, and the two special exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo run until December 6 and 13. We summarize exhibitions, admission and how to get around.

[2026] Free Museums on Culture Day: 10 Venues Including the National Museum of Western Art and Tokyo National Museum on November 3

We put together 10 national museums and other facilities in Tokyo, Kanazawa, Kyoto and Osaka that offered free admission on Culture Day, Tuesday, November 3 (national holiday). In most cases only collection or permanent exhibitions were free, and special exhibitions remained charged, but the National Crafts Museum and the National Film Archive of Japan also made their special exhibitions free.

[Autumn/Winter 2026] Gifu Park Art Guide: Ukiyo-e Immersive Art Exhibition, Gifu Light Story and the Reopened Museum of History

At Gifu Park at the foot of Mount Kinka, an immersive ukiyo-e exhibition and a light event follow one after the other from November to February. We put together a route that also takes in the Gifu City Museum of History, which reopens on November 3, and the Gifu Great Buddha, along with the closure of Gifu Castle and the ropeway’s suspension dates.

[2026 Edition] Tokyo Museums Chosen for Their Architecture: 12 Venues by Le Corbusier, Kunio Maekawa, Yoshio Taniguchi and More

From Le Corbusier’s National Museum of Western Art to Kazuyo Sejima’s Sumida Hokusai Museum, we selected 12 Tokyo museums worth visiting for their buildings alone. We summarize architectural highlights, exhibitions as of October 30 and opening hours, along with routes by area.

“Hakuin World” at the Eisei Bunko Museum and Waseda University’s Aizu Museum: The First Joint Project Linking the Collections of Moritatsu Hosokawa and Shigenori Tomioka

The first joint project of the Eisei Bunko Museum (Bunkyo City) and the Waseda University Aizu Museum (Shinjuku City) presents paintings and calligraphy by the Edo-period Zen monk Hakuin Ekaku at both venues. The Eisei Bunko Museum’s exhibition runs until Sunday, November 29, and the Aizu Museum’s until Tuesday, December 8; admission to the latter is free.

[Autumn/Winter 2026] Tennoz Art Guide: WHAT MUSEUM, Warehouse TERRADA’s Galleries and Canal-Side Murals

Tennoz, home base of Warehouse TERRADA, has a concentration of museum and gallery complexes and large murals along its canals. Until December 20 it is also a venue for the international art exhibition “TOKYO ATLAS,” with many free exhibitions. We summarize exhibitions, opening information and routes as of October 30.

[2026–2027] Tokyo Museums Open over the Year-End and New Year Holidays: Closing Days and New Year Opening Dates for 33 Venues

For 33 major museums in Tokyo, we checked their last opening day of the year, closure periods and first opening day of 2027 against official announcements. On New Year’s Day, Tokyo National Museum and the Okura Museum of Art are open, and on Saturday, January 2, eight museums, including the National Museum of Western Art, reopen.

DATALAND, a Museum of AI Arts, Opens in Los Angeles: Inaugural Exhibition Runs Through January 31, 2027, with Tickets from $49

DATALAND, a “museum of AI arts” co-founded by Refik Anadol, opened in Los Angeles in June 2026. Its inaugural exhibition, in which AI trained on data from nature generates images and scents, runs through January 31, 2027.