The oldest and largest museum in Japan holds 120,000 objects, including nearly a hundred National Treasures, spread across five buildings in the north of Ueno Park. The Honkan surveys Japanese art from Jomon pottery to Edo lacquer, with samurai armour, Buddhist sculpture and Hokusai prints rotating through its galleries. The Toyokan covers the rest of Asia, and the Horyuji gallery displays gilt-bronze statues given to the emperor in 1878.
Pick one building and do it properly. The Honkan alone can fill a morning, and the collection changes regularly, so repeat visits reward. The garden behind the Honkan opens in spring and autumn with old teahouses among the trees.
Tips
- Concentrate on the Honkan's second floor, the Highlights of Japanese Art route, which covers swords, screens and ukiyo-e in an hour
- The Gallery of Horyuji Treasures by Yoshio Taniguchi is a serene glass box of seventh-century bronzes and the museum's quietest room
- Special exhibitions sell timed tickets separately, and the regular collection is cheap and far less crowded