[Free Day of Museum at Tokyo] The National Museum of Western Art

The National Museum of Western Art is located a one-minute walk from the Park Exit of JR Ueno Station. The main building was designed by Le Corbusier and was registered as a World Heritage Site in 2016. In the front yard of the museum, Rodin’s “The Thinker” and “Gates of Hell” are iconic sculptures.

Based on the Matsukata Collection (a collection of French art, including Impressionist paintings and Rodin sculptures), the museum houses a wide range of French art, particularly Impressionist paintings and Rodin sculptures, as well as Western art works from the Renaissance to the early 20th century.
Paintings by Monet, Renoir, Picasso, Cézanne, Gauguin, Van Gogh, and others, located a short distance before the exit, are especially wonderful.

In addition to the permanent collection, the museum holds special exhibitions several times a year, mostly featuring works on loan from museums in Europe and the United States.

The Fee for permanent exhibition is inexpensive at 500 yen for adults and 250 yen for college students. Furthermore, high school students and younger and those over the age of 65 are free. I thought that even 1,000 yen was inexpensive considering the content of the exhibition.

Free admission days are the 2nd Sunday of every month, International Museum Day (May 18) and Culture Day (November 3)

The National Museum of Western Art

Free days for art galleries, museums, and metropolitan parks in the Tokyo area

The following is a summary of free admission days for museums, museums, gardens, and parks in and around Tokyo.
Museums and art museums are often free on International Museum Day (5/18) and Culture Day (11/3).
Also, many metropolitan parks, zoos, and botanical gardens are free on Greenery Day (5/4) and Tokyo Citizens’ Day (10/1).
Please refer to the following information for your excursion.

Museum at Tokyo

Ueno Park Fountain Square

The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
5/18 (International Museum Day), 11/3 (Culture Day)
Japan’s first national art museum, opened in 1952. It is located in Kitanomaru Park in Chiyoda-ku, near the Imperial Palace.

The National Museum of Western Art
2nd Sunday of each month, 5/18 (International Museum Day), 11/3 (Culture Day)

Tokyo National Museum
5/18 (International Museum Day), 9/16 (Respect-for-Senior-Citizens Day), 11/3 (Culture Day)
Founded in 1872 (Meiji 5), it is the oldest museum in Japan. It is located in Ueno Onshi Park.

National Museum of Nature and Science
May 18 (International Museum Day), 11/3 (Culture Day)
Founded in 1877, this is one of the largest science museums in Japan. It is located in Ueno Onshi Park.

Zoo at Tokyo

Ueno Zoological Gardens
3/20 (Opening Day), 5/4 (Greenery Day), 10/1 (Citizens’ Day)
Opened in 1882 (Meiji 15), it is the oldest zoo in Japan. It is located in Ueno Onshi Park.

Tama Zoological Park
5/4 (Greenery Day), 5/5 (Greenery Day), 10/1 (Citizens’ Day)
The zoo covers a vast area of 60 hectares. Visitors can observe animals in the natural environment of the Tama Hills.

Aquarium:
Kasai Waterfront Aquarium
5/4 (Greenery Day), 10/1 (Citizens’ Day), 10/10 (Opening Day)
This is a large-scale urban aquarium where visitors can closely observe Tokyo’s marine life and sea creatures from around the world.

Botanical garden at Tokyo

Yumenoshima Tropical Botanical Garden
5/4 (Greenery Day), 10/1 (Citizens’ Day)
This botanical garden is located in Yumenoshima, Koto-ku, Tokyo, and breeds and exhibits more than 1,000 kinds of tropical plants.

Jindai Botanical Garden
5/4 (Greenery Day), 10/1 (Tomin’s Day)
Located in Chofu City, Tokyo, this metropolitan park covers a vast area of about 480,000 square meters.

Mukojima Hyakkaen
5/4 (Greenery Day), 10/1 (Tomin’s Day)
This is an Edo period flower garden created in 1804 by an antique dealer, Sawara Balliwoo.

Japanease Garden at Tokyo

Hamarikyu Garden
5/4 (Greenery Day), 10/1 (Tomin’s Day)
This garden was built in the early Edo period as a villa of the Tokugawa Shoguns, and later developed into a daimyo’s garden.

Rikugien Garden
5/4 (Greenery Day), 10/1 (Tomin’s Day)
Rikugien was created in 1695 by Yoshiyasu Yanagisawa, the personal servant of Tsunayoshi Tokugawa, the 5th shogun of the Edo Shogunate.

Kiyosumi Garden
5/4 (Greenery Day), 10/1 (Tomin’s Day)
Kiyosumi Garden was created by Yataro Iwasaki, the founder of Mitsubishi Zaibatsu, in 1878 during the late Edo period.

Kyu Shibarikyu Gardens
May 4 (Greenery Day), Oct. 1 (Tomin’s Day)
The garden was built in the early Edo period as the residence of Tadanaga Tokugawa, the younger brother of Iemitsu Tokugawa. Later, it was used as the Edo residence of the Kishu Tokugawa family.

Kyu Iwasaki-tei Garden
May 4 (Greenery Day), October 1 (Tomin’s Day)
It was built in 1896 by Hisaya Iwasaki, the eldest son of Yataro Iwasaki, the founder of Mitsubishi Zaibatsu.

Kyu Furukawa Garden
5/4 (Greenery Day), 10/1 (Tomin’s Day)
The garden was built in 1917 by Toranosuke Furukawa, the head of the Furukawa Zaibatsu.

Koishikawa Korakuen Garden
5/4 (Greenery Day), 10/1 (Tomin’s Day)
Yorifusa Tokugawa, the first lord of the Mito Tokugawa family, started to build this garden in 1629, and it was succeeded by Mitsukuni Tokugawa, the second lord of the Mito Tokugawa family.

Tonogayado Garden
5/4 (Greenery Day), 10/1 (Tomin’s Day)
This private garden was created in the Taisho era (1912-1926) by businessman Reiji Ezaki.

Park at Tokyo

Tokyo Port Wild Bird Park
10/1 (Citizens’ Day)
Tokyo Port Wild Bird Park is a park built on reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay. It was a place where many waterfowl flew in and out of the mudflats and shallows of Tokyo Bay.

Inokashira Park
5/4 (Greenery Day), 5/17 (Opening Day), 10/1 (Citizens’ Day)
In 1917, Inokashira Onshi Koen was opened as Japan’s first suburban park and the first park to receive the Imperial Household’s gift of land.