List of museums in Japan + ranking

Japan has numerous museums spread throughout the country. Here you can find art museums, historical museums, traditional museums, cultural museums, and even strange museums. In this article, we will see a list of the best museums in Japan.

The Japanese appreciate a lot of culture, tradition, knowledge, and art, a country where museums are not flashy and unique attractions that draw thousands of visitors. One of my favorites is the Panasonic museum in Osaka and the Mori Digital museum in Odaiba.

The Museums I Visited in Japan

I wanted to make a list of museum recommendations in Japan, but I haven’t had the opportunity to visit many, so I intend to go into detail only about those museums that I had the chance to visit. They are not the best, but they are epic.

The museum that caught my attention the most was the Mori Building Digital Art Museum teamlab borderless located in Odaiba. A completely digital museum with lights, holograms, a beautiful room full of LED strips, and many incredible things to behold.

If you are visiting Tokyo, make the Mori Digital Art Museum a priority. Odaiba is an artificial island full of attractions; I also visited the science and space museum Miraikan, and I believe there are other interesting museums in the region.

I also had the chance to visit an airplane museum at the Air Base in Hamamatsu with my friend Roberto Pedraça. It was amazing to see all those airplanes and enter some of them. If you are passing through this city full of Brazilians, visit this museum.

Many castles in Japan have a mini museum nearby or inside the castle, with many exhibits of pieces, artifacts, weapons, clothing, and things related to the castle or the periods when everything happened. There are many castles that I can’t comment on.

In Nagoya, I had the chance to go to another perfect science museum full of interesting experiences to test and play with. It had a planetarium, low-temperature experiences, and many other things.

In Sapporo, I had the chance to visit the Sapporo Museum, learn a bit about the history of beer, and drink some. We also visited the Shiroi Koibito factory, which also had a museum. In Osaka, I visited the Panasonic museum, which I found very interesting.

Practically every tourist spot in Japan has at least one mini museum with some highlighted items. Traveling through Japan is like living inside a museum, full of unique things on display to take photos of.

Another must-visit museum is the Peace Museum in Hiroshima, very moving. Besides museums, take the opportunity during your trip to visit numerous temples, castles, aquariums, and other tourist attractions spread throughout the country.

List of Museums in Tokyo

In Tokyo alone, the city where most tourists visit, there are over 50 museums of different types. Below we will share a list of museums in the city of Tokyo:

Museum Name	Neighborhood	Type
Ichiyo Memorial Museum	Taito, Tokyo	Literature
National Art Center	Roppongi	Art
Japanese Folk Crafts Museum	Meguro	Art
National Showa Memorial Museum	Chiyoda	History
Ghibli Museum	Mitaka	Art
Kodansha Noma Memorial Museum	Bunkyō	Art
Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum	Minato	Art
National Museum of Western Art	Ueno	Art
Japanese Sword Museum	Shibuya	Military
Tokyo National Museum	Ueno	Art
Ancient Orient Museum	Ikebukuro	Art
National Astronomical Observatory of Japan – Observatory History Museum	Mitaka	Science
Safety Promotion Center	Ōta	Space
Museum of the Imperial Collections	Chiyoda	Art
Hatakeyama Memorial Museum of Fine Art	Minato	Art
Gotoh Museum	Setagaya	Art
Hasegawa Machiko Art Museum	Setagaya	Art
Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre	Toshima	Art
Bunkamura	Shibuya	Art
Mori Art Museum	Roppongi	Art
Musée Tomo	Minato	Art
Idemitsu Museum of Arts	Marunouchi	Art
Eisei Bunko Museum	Bunkyō	Art
Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum	Marunouchi	Art
Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum	Koganei	Open
Printing Museum, Tokyo	Bunkyō	Media
Waseda University Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum	Shinjuku	Theatre
National Hansen’s Disease Museum	Higashimurayama	Science
Edo-Tokyo Museum	Ryōgoku	History
Kodaira Hirakushi Denchu Art Museum	Kodaira	Art
Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo	Kōtō	Art
Bridgestone Museum of Art	Chūō	Art
Itabashi Ward Public Ecopolis Center	Marunouchi	Science
Kanto Earthquake Disaster Memorial Museum	Sumida	History
Toei Animation Gallery	Nerima	Art
Tokyo Metropolitan Water Science Museum	Kōtō	Science
Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage	Koto	History
Kinunomichi Museum	Hachiōji	History
Katsushika Shibamata Tora-san Museum	Katsushika	History
Sekine Kunen Shodo Museum	Taitō	Art
Tokyo Hongo Ceramics Museum	Bunkyō	Art
Earthquake Learning Center	Meguro	Science
Setagaya Museum of History	Setagaya	History
Tokyo Waterworks Historical Museum	Bunkyō	Science
Daimyo Clock Museum	Taitō	Watchmaking
Suginami Historical Museum	Suginami	History
Fukagawa-Edo Museum	Kōtō	History
Ridai Museum of Modern Science	Shinjuku	Science
Tokyo Fire Museum	Shinjuku	Fire
Tokyo Metropolitan Police Museum	Chūō	Law
Ueno Royal Museum	Ueno	Art
Mitsui Memorial Museum	Chūō	Art
Nezu Museum	Minato	Art
Museum of Maritime Science	Odaiba	Maritime
Currency Museum of the Bank of Japan	Chūō	Currency
Meguro Museum of Art	Meguro	Art
Amuse Museum	Asakusa	Textile
Yūshūkan	Chiyoda	Military
Michio Miyagi Memorial Hall	Shinjuku	Music
Orugoru no Chiisana Hakubutsukan	Bunkyō	Music
NTT InterCommunication Center	Shinjuku	Art
Hara Museum of Contemporary Art	Shinagawa	Art
New Otani Art Museum	Chiyoda	Art
Asakura Museum of Sculpture	Taitō	Art
Exhibition Hall of the Diplomatic Archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan	Minato-ku	Diplomatic archives
Miraikan	Odaiba	Science
National Museum of Nature and Science	Ueno	Natural History
Yamatane Museum	Shibuya	Art
Tokyo Metro Museum	Edogawa	Transport
Nakagawa Funabansho Barge Museum	Koto	History
Koishikawa Annex, The University Museum, The University of Tokyo	Bunkyō	Natural History
Kokugakuin University Museum	Shibuya	Various
Shitamachi Museum	Ueno	History
Ota Memorial Museum of Art	Shibuya	Art
Koishikawa Ukiyo-e Art Museum	Bunkyō	Art
Bicycle Culture Center	Chiyoda	Transport
Industrial Safety Museum & Theater	Minato	Industrial
Meguro Parasitological Museum	Meguro	Medicinal
O Art Museum	Ōsaki	Art
Prince Chichibu Memorial Sports Museum	Shinjuku	Sports
Ryōgoku Kokugikan Sumo Museum	Sumida	Sports
Science Museum, Tokyo	Chiyoda	Science
Sompo Japan Museum of Art	Shinjuku	Art
Space Space Gallery	Komae	Art
Suginami Animation Museum	Suginami	Art
Suntory Museum of Art	Akasaka	Art
University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts	Ueno	Art
Suginami Science Museum	Suginami	Science
Sugino Costume Museum	Shinagawa	Fashion
Banknote and Postage Stamp Museum	Shinjuku	Post
Daimaru Museum	Chiyoda	Art
Min-On Music Museum	Shinjuku	Music
Museum of Logistics	Minato	Transport
Bunkyo Historical Museum	Bunkyō	History
Princess Gallery Handbag Museum	Taitō	Fashion
Gas Science Museum, Tokyo	Kodaira	Industry
Shinjuku Historical Museum	Shinjuku	History
Sumida Heritage Museum	Sumida	History
Rainbow Sewer Museum	Odaiba	Science
Meiji University Museum	Chiyoda	Various
JAXA i	Chiyoda	Science
Museum of Advertising and Marketing	Shiodome	Science
Katsushika City Museum	Katsushika	Science
JCII Camera Museum	Chiyoda	Technology
Matsuoka Museum of Art	Shirokanedai	Art
Bunka Gakuen Costume Museum	Shibuya	Fashion
NHK Museum of Broadcasting	Minato	Media
Pen Station, Tokyo	Chuo	Writing
Beer Museum Yebisu	Shibuya	Food
Tokyo Fuji Art Museum	Hachiōji	Art
Tei-Park	Chiyoda	Media
TEPCO Electric Energy Museum	Shibuya	Science
House of Shiseido	Chūō	Fashion
Japan Football Museum	Bunkyō	Sports
Meiji Jingu Treasure Museum	Shibuya	Art
Okura Shukokan	Minato	Art
Kite Museum (Tokyo)	Chūō	Sports
Shoto Museum of Art	Shibuya	Art
Emperor Showa Memorial Museum	Tachikawa	Biographical
Paper Museum	Kita	Industry
Philatelic Museum, Tokyo	Toshima	Treasures
TeNQ	Bunkyo	Science
Tobacco and Salt Museum	Sumida	Industry
Mitsuo Aida Museum	Chūō	Art
Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame	Bunkyō	Sports
Kobo Gallery	Chūō	Art
Kyodo no mori	Fuchū	Open
National Museum of Modern Art	Chiyoda	Art
Setagaya Art Museum	Setagaya	Art
Tobu Museum of Transport & Culture	Sumida	Railway
Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum	Ueno	Art
Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography	Meguro	Art
Watari Museum of Contemporary Art	Shibuya	Art
Zoshigaya Missionary Museum	Toshima	Historic house

Ranking of the Best Museums in Japan

This numbered ranking is the result of a survey with about 900 votes. It does not represent my opinion nor the opinion of most people. It was just the result of an online poll.

1. Nara National Museum
2. National Museum of Western Art
3. Tokyo National Museum
4. National Museum of Modern Art
5. The National Art Center
6. Mori Art Museum
7. Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
8. Nagi Museum of Contemporary Art
9. Inujima Seirensho Art Museum
10. Ghibli Museum
11. Teshima Art Museum
12. Miho Museum
13. Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum
14. Ohara Museum of Art
15. Oya History Museum
16. Ken Domon Museum of Photography
17. Shoji Ueda Museum of Photography
18. 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art
19. The Sand Museum
20. Chiran Peace Museum for Kamikaze Pilots
21. Omiya Bonsai Art Museum
22. Mount Unzen Disaster Memorial Hall
23. Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum
24. SCMAGLEV and Railway Park
25. Yamato Museum
26. Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum
27. Kyushu National Museum
28. Towada Art Center
29. Adachi Museum of Art
30. Otsuka Museum of Art
31. Aomori Museum of Art
32. Tohoku History Museum
33. Okinawa Prefectural Museum
34. Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum
35. Sagawa Art Museum

The Most Popular Museums in Japan According to Google

Now let’s share a list of popular museums according to Google itself:

Museum Name	Location
Tokyo National Museum	Tokyo
Edo-Tokyo Museum	Tokyo
Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum	Nagasaki
Mori Art Museum	Tokyo
Samurai Museum	Tokyo
National Museum of Science and Innovation	Tokyo
MIHO MUSEUM	Kōka
National Museum of Science of Japan	Tokyo
Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum	Katsuyama
Teshima Art Museum	Tonoshō
Himeyuri Peace Museum	Itoman
Itchiku Kubota Art Museum	Fujikawaguchiko
Railway Museum	Saitama
Sand Museum	Tottori
teamLab☆Planets	Tokyo
Chiran Peace Museum	Minamikyūshū
Shikinen Sengu Memorial Sengu Museum	Ise
Kitakyushu Museum of Natural History & Human History	Kitakyushu
National Art Center, Tokyo	Tokyo
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum	Hiroshima
National Museum of Western Art	Tokyo
SAMURAI & NINJA MUSEUM with EXPERIENCE	Kyoto
Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims	Hiroshima
Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum	Kobe
Nara National Museum	Nara
Kyoto Railway Museum	Kyoto
National Museum of Ethnology	Suita
Tokyo National Museum Heiseikan	Tokyo
Fujishiroseiji Museum	Nasu
Japanese Immigration Historical Museum in Brazil	São Paulo
Ainu Museum of Shiraoi	Shiraoi
Chihiro Art Museum Azumino	Matsukawa
Nezu Museum	Tokyo
National Institute of Cultural Heritage	Tokyo
Gallery Marusan	Tokyo
Pola Museum of Art	Hakone
Nakamura-za	Tokyo
teamLab Borderless	Tokyo
National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo	Tokyo
Tokyo National Museum Hyokeikan	Tokyo
The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Memorial Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution	Kobe
The shortest letter museum in Japan Ippitsukeijou	Sakai
SCMAGLEV and Railway Park	Nagoya
Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum	Yokohama
Tachineputa Museum	Goshogawara
Sapporo Beer Museum	Sapporo
Benesse House	Naoshima
Tokyo National Museum Toyokan	Tokyo
Inujima Seirensho Art Museum	Okayama
John Lennon Museum	Saitama

List of Museums in Japan

Below we have a complete list of museums in Japan. We do not know if all museums are on this list, but a large part of the most popular and well-known ones are here. We will not go into detail; this is just a loose list.

• 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art
• Adachi Museum of Art
• Aichi Arts Center
• Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum
• Aizuwakamatsu Castle
• Aomori Museum of Art
• Arai Barrier
• Asahi beer Oyamazaki Villa Museum of Art
• Asahikawa Museum of Sculpture
• Asama Volcano Museum
• Aso Volcano Museum
• Asuka Historical Museum
• Awa Odori Kaikan
• Bandai Museum
• Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ Money Museum
• Bansei Tokkō Peace Museum
• Bizen Traditional Industry Hall, located in Imbe Station
• Chiba Museum of Science and Industry
• Chichu Art Museum
• Chiran Peace Museum for Kamikaze Pilots
• Confucius Shrine, Nagasaki
• Cormorant Fishing House
• Domon Ken Photography Museum
• Eizō & Tōichi Katō Memorial Art Museum
• Electricity Museum, Nagoya
• Enkū Museum
• Fujita Art Museum
• Fukuchiyama Castle
• Fukui Fine Arts Museum
• Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum
• Fukui Prefectural Museum of Cultural History
• Fukuoka Art Museum
• Fukuoka Oriental Ceramics Museum
• Fukuoka Prefectural Museum of Art
• Fukuromachi Elementary School Peace Museum
• Fukushima Prefectural Museum of Art
• Gifu Castle
• Gifu City Museum of History
• Gifu City Science Museum
• Glover Garden
• Gorōyama kofun
• Gunma Insect World
• Hachigata Castle
• Hakone Open-Air Museum
• Hakutsuru Fine Art Museum
• Hamamatsu Castle
• Hara Model Railway Museum
• Hayashibara Museum of Art
• Heijō Palace
• Hida Minzoku Mura Folk Village
• Hijiri Museum
• Hikaru Memorial Hall
• Hikone Castle
• Hirado Castle
• Hiroshima Castle
• Hiroshima Children’s Museum
• Hiroshima City Ebayama Museum of Meteorology
• Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art
• Hiroshima City Museum of History and Traditional Crafts
• Hiroshima City Transportation Museum
• Hiroshima Museum of Art
• Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
• Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum
• Hiroshima Prefectural Museum of History
• Hoki Museum
• Hokkaido University Botanical Gardens
• Honda Collection Hall
• Honkawa Elementary School Peace Museum
• Hyōgo Prefectural Museum of Art
• Ibaraki Prefectural Museum of History
• Idemitsu Museum of Arts
• Iga Ueno Castle
• Iga-ryū Ninja Museum
• Ino Paper Museum
• International Design Centre Nagoya
• Inuyama Castle
• Ishikawa Prefectural History Museum
• Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art
• Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Traditional Arts and Crafts
• Ishinomori Manga Museum
• Iwasaki Castle
• Iwate Museum of Art
• Izumo Science Center
• Japan Coast Guard Museum
• Japan Coast Guard Museum Yokohama
• Japan Spinning Top Museum
• Japan Ukiyo-e Museum
• Japanese battleship Mikasa
• John Lennon Museum
• Jōkyō Gimin Memorial Museum
• Kaichi School Museum
• Kaimei School
• Kakegawa Castle
• Kamakura Museum of Literature
• Kamakura Museum of National Treasures
• Kaminoyama Castle
• Kanazawa Bunko
• Kanazawa Phonograph Museum
• Kanazawa Yasue Gold Leaf Museum
• Kanazawa Yuwaku Yumeji-kan Museum
• Kanrantei
• Karatsu Castle
• Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art
• Kawara Museum
• Kawasaki Medical School
• Kishiwada Castle
• Kitakyushu Municipal Museum of Art
• Kiyosato Museum of Photographic Arts
• Kiyosu Castle
• Kobe Anpanman Children’s Museum & Mall
• Kobe City Museum
• Kobe City Museum of Literature
• Kobe Maritime Museum
• Kokura Castle
• Koromo Castle
• Kumamoto Prefectural Ancient Burial Mound Museum
• Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Art
• Kurita Museum
• Kururi Castle
• Kyoto Art Center
• Kyoto City History Museum
• Kyoto International Manga Museum
• Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art
• Kyoto Museum for World Peace
• Kyoto National Museum
• Kyushu Ceramic Museum
• Kyushu Historical Museum
• Kyushu National Museum
• Kōchi Castle
• Kōsan-ji
• Lafcadio Hearn Memorial Museum
• Lalique Museum Hakone
• Liberty Osaka
• Little World Museum of Man
• Main article: List of museums in Tokyo
• Maizuru Castle Park
• Marugame Castle
• Maruoka Castle
• Masamura Pachinko Museum
• Matsue Castle
• Matsumoto Castle
• Matsurokan
• Matsushita Museum of Art
• Meiji Mura
• Miho Museum
• Minakuchi Castle
• Miyanomori Art Museum
• Miyazaki Prefectural Art Museum
• Miyazaki Prefectural Museum of Nature and History
• MOA Museum of Art
• Modern Transportation Museum
• Mogami Yoshiaki Historical Museum
• Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum
• Morohashi Museum of Modern Art
• Muro Saisei Kinenkan Museum
• Museum of Ehime History and Culture
• Museum of Fine Arts, Gifu
• Museum of Japanese Art
• Museum of Modern Art, Toyama
• Museum of the Meiji Restoration
• Museum of Tin Toys
• Nagahama Castle
• Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum
• Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture
• Nagoya Castle
• Nagoya City Art Museum
• Nagoya City Museum
• Nagoya City Science Museum
• Nagoya City Tram & Subway Museum
• Nagoya Noh Theater
• Nagoya/Boston Museum of Fine Arts
• Nara National Museum
• National Museum of Art, Osaka
• National Museum of Ethnology (Japan)
• National Museum of Japanese History
• National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto
• Natsumi Temple complex
• Nawa Insect Museum
• Nihon Minka-en
• Nippon Origami Museum
• Nishio Castle
• Nissan Engine Museum
• Noritake Garden
• Number Nine Research Laboratory
• NYK Maritime Museum
• Odawara Castle
• Ohara Museum of Art
• Okawa Museum of Art
• Okayama Castle
• Okayama Orient Museum
• Okayama Prefectural Museum
• Okayama Prefectural Museum of Art
• Okayama Prefecture Bizen Ceramics Museum
• Okazaki Castle
• Okinawa Prefectural Museum
• Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum
• Osaka Castle
• Osaka Contemporary Art Center
• Osaka International Peace Center
• Osaka Maritime Museum
• Osaka Prefectural Chikatsu Asuka Museum
• Osaka Science Museum
• Picture Book Museum, Iwaki City
• Pola Museum of Art
• Railway Museum (Saitama)
• Reimeikan, Kagoshima Prefectural Center for Historical Material
• Ryozen Museum of History
• Saga Castle
• Saga Prefectural Museum
• Saga Prefectural Nagoya Castle Museum
• Sagawa Art Museum
• Saikai Pearl Sea Resort
• Saikū
• Saitama Prefectural Museum of the Sakitama Ancient Burial Mounds
• Saitō Garden (Ishinomaki)
• Saka no Ue no Kumo Museum
• Sakai City Museum
• Sakamoto Ryōma Memorial Museum
• Sakuma Rail Park
• Sand Museum
• Sanuki Kokubun-ji
• Sapporo Beer Museum
• Satohama shell mound
• Science Museum of Map and Survey
• SCMaglev and Railway Park
• Sekiyado Castle
• Sen-oku Hakuko Kan
• Sendai City Museum
• Shijimizuka site
• Shiki Memorial Museum
• Shikoku Mura
• Shimabara Castle
• Shimane Art Museum
• Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo
• Shimonoseki City Archaeological Museum
• Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum
• Shiogama Jinja
• Shōsōin
• Siebold Memorial Museum
• Solar Ark
• Sunomata Castle
• Syusaku Endo Literature Museum
• Tahara Castle
• Taiho Sumo Museum
• Tanabe Art Museum
• Taro Okamoto Museum of Art
• Tateyama Castle
• Tenshin Memorial Museum of Art, Ibaraki
• The Museum of Art, Kōchi
• The Museum of Modern Art, Gunma
• The Tale of Genji Museum
• Tochigi Prefectural Museum
• Tochigi Prefectural Museum of Fine Arts
• Toi Gold Museum
• Tokorozawa Aviation Museum
• Tokugawa Art Museum
• Tokushima Prefectural Museum
• Tomimoto Kenkichi Memorial Museum
• Tosa Yamauchi Family Treasury and Archives
• Toshiba Science Institute
• Tottori City Historical Museum
• Tottori Folk Crafts Museum
• Tottori Nijisseiki Pear Museum
• Tottori Prefectural Museum
• Toyama Castle
• Toyohashi City Museum Art and History
• Toyoma Education Museum
• Toyota Automobile Museum
• Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology
• Toyota Municipal Museum of Art
• Twenty-Six Martyrs Museum and Monument
• Tōhoku History Museum
• Uehara Museum of Modern Art
• Uenohara site
• Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum
• Usui Pass Railway Heritage Park
• Utsunomiya Museum of Art
• Wakayama Castle
• Wakayama Prefectural Museum
• Yamadera Basho Memorial Museum
• Yamagata Prefectural Museum
• Yamaguchi Prefectural Museum
• Yamaguchi Prefectural Museum of Art
• Yamanashi Science Museum
• Yamate Museum
• Yamato Museum
• Yokohama Archives of History
• Yokohama Customs Museum
• Yokohama History Museum
• Yokohama Museum of Art
• Yokohama Port Museum
• Yokohama Science Center
• Yokohama Silk Museum
• Yokosuka Castle
• Yonago City Museum of Art
• Yoshida Castle
• Yoshinogari site
• Yumeji Art Museum
• Zuihōden
• Ōgaki Castle
• Ōita Prefectural Museum of History
• Ōkōchi Sansō
• Ōta-juku Nakasendō Museum
• Ōtaki Castle (Chiba)
• Ōtsuka Museum of Art
• Ōzu Castle