Tokyo National Museum or Tōkyō Kokuritsu Hakubutsukan, is the largest, oldest, and one of the major and top-level museums in Japan.
It houses over 110,000 art pieces and archeological artifacts, which 87 are national treasures. The large museum complex is made up of disparate six buildings, specializing in different types of art and exhibitions, such as:
Honkan, the main building that exhibits a wide array of Japanese art from the ancient times up to 19th century, including antique Buddhist statues, painted sliding doors, scrolls, ceramics and maps. Cultural items such as masks, costume, armor and weapons among other historical artifacts.
Hyokeikan, located on the left of Honkan, is intended for temporary exhibitions, which is designed following the western architecture.
Toyokan, located on the right of Honkan, is designed by Taniguchi Yoshiro. It exhibits Asian art and artifacts from China, Korea, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, India and Egypt.
Heiseikan stands behind the Honkan. It is built to commemorate the Crown Prince's wedding in 1993. Now, it exhibits ancient Japanese cultures, as well as a venue for large-scale exhibitions.
Horyuji Homotsukan, the newest addition to the buildings, houses the religious crafts and objects consisting mostly of small, intricate statues and copper relief images donated by Horyuji Temple in Nara.
Kuroda Memorial Hall, located outside the museum grounds, was built from donations of Kuroda Seiki, a Japanese artist who is known as the father of modern Western-style painting in Japan.
The Museum is within the proximity of Ueno Park, and other attractions such as Ueno Zoo. Another museum can also be found near, specializing on Western art, the National Museum of Western Art.
Aside from exhibitions of art, Tokyo National Museum also offers Japanese garden, tea houses, cafes and restaurants nearby.
Tokyo National Museum is within Ueno Park, which is 5-20 minutes on foot from Ueno Station.
The museum is open from 9:30-17:00 (extends until 20:00 on most Fridays, until 18:00 on most weekends and holidays). It is closed on Mondays, except if Monday is a Holiday, closes on the following day.
Admission costs 620 yen (permanent exhibition), and usually 1000-1500 yen for special exhibitions.