About Tokyo National Museum
Founded in 1872, it is the country's oldest national museum and holds about 120,000 cultural properties, 89 of them classified as National Treasures, according to 2023 figures. Don't try to see everything. The main building, the Honkan, tells the history of Japanese art in sequence and fills a whole morning on its own.
If you have energy left, cross over to the Gallery of Horyuji Treasures, opened in 1999, with 319 pieces from a temple in Nara. On a day of heavy rain or August heat, this is the smartest refuge in the city: silence, cool air and centuries of art in well-lit display cases. On the way out, Yanaka is a walk away.
