Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo

The Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo (or MOT) is the first art museum in Tokyo dedicated to the preservation and study of contemporary art and was established in March 1995 near the Sumida River. While art promotion and preservation has been done at other museums in Tokyo, none had focused solely on the post-WWII era art, and as of now holds an impressive 5400 art pieces and over 27,000 literatures on contemporary art. Like many museums in Tokyo, the MOT hosts seasonal exhibitions that rotate each quarter, and architectural elegance of the facility is already worthy of a visit to this modern museum. Access to MOT is about 40 minutes on foot or 10 minutes by taxi from the hotel. Like many museums in Tokyo, it’s closed on Mondays usually, unless there is a national holiday on Monday, in which case they are closed on the following Tuesday (check here for closed days). Open 10:00am to 6:00pm with last admission 30 minutes prior to closing.

Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery

Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery is a contemporary museum located inside the Tokyo Opera City building in Shinjuku. It opened its doors in 1999, and is connected with the Hatsudai station. The museum features special exhibitions 4 times a year, but its permanent exhibits focus on emerging Japanese artists of the modern times as wished by the one of the main artists exhibited in the halls of the Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery, Mr. Tatsuoki Nambata. The gallery features some 2500 works collected by Mr. Kotaro Terada, one of the original operators of Tokyo Opera City. As with other art museums, Mondays are closed (except on national holidays) and is open from 11:00am to 7:00pm with last admission 30 minutes prior to closing. Access from the hotel is 50 minutes by train.

Tokyo Photographic Art Museum

Tokyo Photographic Art Museum is an art museum located inside the Ebisu Garden Place near the Ebisu JR Station. The museum opened its doors in 1995 at the current location with the goal of enhancing the art and culture of photography. Since then, the museum has not only served as a venue to showcase all aspects of photography, but also as a place to collect and preserve photography, as well as popularizing photography through workshops and other participatory activities. There are 4 floors at the gallery, each hosting a different exhibition at any given time. Unfortunately, photography and videography is prohibited, so please enjoy the museum with your eyes and mind. The museum is closed on Mondays (except when it’s a national holiday) and open between 10:00am and 6:00pm (with extended hours on Thursdays and Fridays until 8:00pm). Access from the hotel is about 45 minutes by train.