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All 60 Taito Attractions »

National Museum of Western Art

7-7 Ueno-koen, Taito, Tokyo Prefecture 110-0007, Japan
+81 3-3828-5131
Ranked #4 of 57 attractions in Taito
4.5 of 5 stars 55 Reviews
Type: Art Museums
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55 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
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    19
    5
    1
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Date Rating
Sydney, Australia
Senior Contributor
26 reviews 26 reviews
Reviews in 12 cities Reviews in 12 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed April 26, 2012
1
person found this review helpful

I was very impressed by the collection of impressionist (and similar era) paintings held in this museum. While it might seem odd to travel to Japan to view European art works I would still reccommend this place as you can get to see it all in under 2hrs. More

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See 2 more reviews by Doras_Eile for Taito
Tokyo, Japan
Top Contributor
68 reviews 68 reviews
Reviews in 20 cities Reviews in 20 cities
19 helpful votes 19 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed April 19, 2012

was there in mid Apr to catch the sakura view but the season was quite over so decided to drop by one of the many museums in Ueno Park. i like the quiet evening thru western arts , was there during the Robert Hubert's exhibition, JPY1300 allows a visit to the special exhibition + the permanent collection. Most art signs... More

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See 3 more reviews by meiyih for Taito
Tokyo, Japan
Top Contributor
61 reviews 61 reviews
Reviews in 26 cities Reviews in 26 cities
120 helpful votes 120 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed April 15, 2012
1
person found this review helpful

There are pretty harsh reviews about this Western arts museum, but if you can allocate 1-2 hours extra apart from visiting the neighboring Tokyo National Museum, this is a good place to see. Perhaps in defense of this museum, I might cite the fact that it is centered on the private collection of Matsukata Kojiro (a businessman who was a... More

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See 9 more reviews by Yobeekool for Taito
Toronto, Canada
Top Contributor
113 reviews 113 reviews
Reviews in 24 cities Reviews in 24 cities
80 helpful votes 80 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed April 12, 2012
1
person found this review helpful

I was excited about visiting this museum. The travel guides promised a chronological review of western art right from medieval times up to the present. But while the building is beautiful and the layout attractive, I came away wondering what the Japanese are really learning about western art when they visit here. To start with, most of the art is... More

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rochester
Top Contributor
60 reviews 60 reviews
Reviews in 22 cities Reviews in 22 cities
31 helpful votes 31 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed April 8, 2012
1
person found this review helpful

Museum is in Ueno Park near other museums. The collection is a diverse collection from the 1500s to modern impressionists. You can go through it in about 1-2 hrs if you take your time. Captions are bilingual. More

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Adelaide
Senior Contributor
45 reviews 45 reviews
Reviews in 13 cities Reviews in 13 cities
26 helpful votes 26 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed March 28, 2012

Being from a western country and having attended several renowned western art galleries, this place was uninspiring. There's nothing wrong with the gallery itself, but (and this is of course subjective) - the collection was boring for us. More

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See 3 more reviews by 4leaf1981 for Taito
Tokyo, Japan
Top Contributor
61 reviews 61 reviews
Reviews in 26 cities Reviews in 26 cities
120 helpful votes 120 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed December 13, 2011
4
people found this review helpful

The NMWA is developed around the core private art collection of Matsukata Kojiro (1865-1950). Matsukata's intention was to create a national museum specializing in Western art. The museum building designed by Le Corbusier houses about 4,500 works, including examples of painting and sculpture from the Renaissance through the beginning of the 20th century. The Main Building displays pre-18th century paintings... More

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See 9 more reviews by Yobeekool for Taito
Singapore, Singapore
Senior Contributor
42 reviews 42 reviews
Reviews in 20 cities Reviews in 20 cities
38 helpful votes 38 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed December 4, 2011
3
people found this review helpful

Warning - my last museum was the Louvre! So maybe I'm a bit spoilt for choice and experience. I have to say though that this museum really touched me, it has a simplicity of layout and the artworks are top class. The Goya exhibition was a treat, and the main features include all the usual suspects - Renoir, Manet and... More

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Manila
Senior Contributor
45 reviews 45 reviews
Reviews in 21 cities Reviews in 21 cities
56 helpful votes 56 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed September 12, 2011
4
people found this review helpful

My wife and I were not very keen on visiting this museum but were almost forced in because of the heavy rain Tokyo was experiencing at the time. Wanting to find a nice, warm space to relax, we entered the museum and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. American or European tourists may not find it as interesting, but... More

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仙台
Senior Contributor
38 reviews 38 reviews
Reviews in 9 cities Reviews in 9 cities
79 helpful votes 79 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 9, 2012
3
people found this review helpful
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