Japan
15 Best Museums in Japan
Tokyo Tower leads, and the rest of Japan's best museums follow, ranked by real visits.
Order reflects review volume from real travelers in Japan. Refreshed monthly.
Tokyo Tower
Museum · TokyoTokyo Tower is a communications and observation tower in the Minato district of Tokyo, Japan.
Read our full guide →SAMURAI NINJA MUSEUM Kyoto
Museum · KyotoThe SAMURAI NINJA MUSEUM Kyoto offers an immersive journey into feudal Japan's warrior culture.
Read our full guide →Edo-Tokyo Museum
Museum · TokyoThe Edo-Tokyo Museum, located in Ryogoku, offers an immersive journey through Tokyo's past, focusing on the Edo period (1603-1868) and its transformation into modern Tokyo.
Read our full guide →Nagoya/Boston Museum of Fine Arts
Museum · NagoyaThe Nagoya/Boston Museum of Fine Arts is a unique collaboration that brings rotating exhibitions of art from the renowned Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, to Nagoya.
Read our full guide →CupNoodles Museum Yokohama
Museum · YokohamaThe CupNoodles Museum Yokohama is a hands-on museum dedicated to the invention of instant ramen by Momofuku Ando.
Read our full guide →Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology
Museum · NagoyaThe Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology is located on the site of Toyota's original textile factory.
Read our full guide →Nagoya City Science Museum
Museum · NagoyaNagoya City Science Museum is a hands-on science center best known for its massive planetarium, which boasts a 35-meter dome, one of the largest on Earth.
Read our full guide →Nezu Museum
Museum · TokyoThe Nezu Museum in Tokyo's Minato district houses a private collection of pre-modern Japanese and East Asian art.
Read our full guide →Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum
Museum · YokohamaThe Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum is a ramen-themed attraction in Yokohama's Shin-Yokohama district.
Read our full guide →Mint Museum
Museum · OsakaFree entryThe Mint Museum, located in the Kita district of Osaka, is a hidden gem for lovers of decorative arts.
Read our full guide →Tokugawa Art Museum
Museum · NagoyaThe Tokugawa Art Museum in Nagoya offers an intimate look into the lives of the Tokugawa shoguns, who ruled Japan for over 250 years.
Read our full guide →Noritake Garden
Museum · NagoyaNoritake Garden is a museum and factory complex dedicated to the history and craftsmanship of Noritake porcelain.
Read our full guide →Yokohama Museum of Art
Museum · YokohamaThe Yokohama Museum of Art, founded in 1989, is located in the futuristic Minato Mirai 21 district next to the Yokohama Landmark Tower.
Read our full guide →Osaka Shiritsu Toyo Toji Museum
Museum · OsakaThe Osaka Shiritsu Toyo Toji Museum is a serene cultural haven located on Nakanoshima, a leafy island in the heart of Osaka.
Read our full guide →Nissan Crossing
Museum · GinzaFree entryNissan Crossing is a flagship brand experience center located in the heart of Tokyo's upscale Ginza district, occupying the first two floors of the Ginza Place building.
Read our full guide →
Good to know
What is the best-known of the museums in Japan?
Tokyo Tower in Tokyo is the most reviewed, with 97,958 traveler reviews and a 4.5 rating. That makes it the safe choice if you are only fitting in one.
Which of Japan's museums is worth going out of your way for?
SAMURAI NINJA MUSEUM Kyoto in Kyoto rates highest at 4.8 out of 5 across 23,741 reviews. Smaller crowds than the headline entry usually explain the gap.
Which city in Japan has the most museums?
Nagoya, with 5 on this list, ahead of Tokyo on 3. The list spans 6 cities in total, capped at three per city so one big city cannot crowd out the rest of the country.
Are any of these museums free to visit?
Yes, 2: Mint Museum, Nissan Crossing. That is based on each place's own visiting information, not an assumption about the category.
How is this list of museums ranked?
By how many travelers reviewed each place, filtered to those rated well enough to be worth your time, drawn from 1,380 tracked places in Japan. No one pays to appear on it, and the order is refreshed monthly as new reviews land.
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