The appearance of the wavy glass of The National Art Center of Tokyo is like something from the future!

On the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda line go to the Aoyama cemetery station, exit 6. As you depart you will see the National Art Museum (国立新美術館) of Tokyo in front of the entrance. You will immediately notice the appearance of the curved angles of the building forming ‘a wave” that welcomes you to this collection of “national art.” The building was designed by Mr. Kisho Kurokawa’s (黒川紀章). The atmosphere is spacious, yet cozy. Lit mostly by natural light, it nicely highlights the artwork. There are no permanent displays, rather a collection of current independent exhibitions and joint exhibitions here in Japan’s largest exhibition space.

Enjoy a large variety of exhibitions!

The museum serves to give new artists a chance to exhibit their art. The “national art” on display is a broad representation of many different styles present in Japan. In addition, the museum attracts exhibitions from around the world such as the exhibition from the Louvre Museum in Paris. A popular exhibition has been one which expresses the evolution of technology and social values throughout the subcultures of Japan. It was created in 2015, and focuses on “Japan’s manga, anime, and video games.” It creates food for thought for young and old, nostalgic about the past and excited for the future of Japan. To attract more “students of the “national art” they provide various discounts. Please check their homepage for more info.

Enjoy the elegant cafes and restaurants!

One of the national arts in Japan is their food. So the cafes and restaurants created a menu with “culinary works of art.” Guests can sit down on comfy sofas that are scattered about. We recommend coming to the 3rd floor to the ”Brasserie Paul Bocuse Musee.” It is a French style restaurant created by the famous chef-owner Paul Bocuse of France. The lunch course menu goes for around 2200 yen (tax not included). There are also three cafés. On the second floor check out the “Salon de the Rond!” It sits atop of a huge inverted cone and specializes in elegant sweets with high-quality tea.

The Museum Shop is a great place for souvenirs

On Basement 1st floor is “Souvenirs from Tokyo” (SFT). It has Museum art related products such as manga comic books, cartoon art and craft works from young designers. You may find work of some young designers that become Masters in the future. Also in the 1st-floor lobby SFT sells original art and design products by Kashiwa Sato. They also sell sweets and snacks created as a collaboration of famous long-established shops and the museum.