By / MOOK Scenic Spots Editorial Team
Visiting Tokyo isn’t just about food, fun, and entertainment. Sometimes, taking a moment to slow down and visit an art museum allows you to appreciate the refinement of Japanese art and culture in a leisurely and detailed way—offering a different perspective on Tokyo. Below are seven museums, both old and new, lively and serene, where you can discover an unexpected and fascinating side of Tokyo.
Many museums are works of art in themselves. (Photo / Hakone Glass no Mori Museum)
1.Mori Building Digital Art Museum: teamLabLimitless
The interdisciplinary creative team teamLab is known for blending art with technology, immersing visitors in a dreamlike world of light and shadow, and creating the world’s first digital art museum. Unlike traditional museums, it specializes in digital visual art, allowing visitors to experience a boundless world within its space—where technological advancement opens up infinite possibilities.
Specializes in digital visual art, offering a boundary-less world. (Photo / teamLab)
The museum is located in Odaiba’s Palette Town area in Tokyo, covering approximately 10,000 square meters of complex, labyrinth-like interiors. It features 520 computers and 470 projectors, enabling visitors to become part of the art itself.
Address: 3-8-1 Aomi, Koto City, Tokyo
Hours: Monday to Thursday 11:00–19:00 (until 21:00)
Friday and day before a holiday 11:00–21:00 (until 22:00)
Saturday 10:00–21:00 (until 22:00)
Sunday and holidays 10:00–19:00 (until 20:00)
*Hours may vary by season.
2.Glass Forest Museum
In fact, the Glass Forest Museum is located in Hakone, in the outskirts of Tokyo, and is Japan’s first museum dedicated exclusively to Venetian glass. Its collection is divided into two main sections: the Venetian Glass Art Museum displays Venetian glass artworks popular among nobility from the 15th to 18th centuries, while the Modern Glass Art Museum showcases modern Venetian glass from the latter half of the 19th century onward.
The grounds of the Glass Forest Museum. (Photo / Hakone Glass no Mori Museum)
In addition to the exhibition areas, the museum houses a souvenir shop selling glass home decor and lifestyle goods, a workshop offering glass-making experiences, and a restaurant where you can enjoy meals accompanied by Italian music.
Address: 940-48 Sengokuhara, Hakone-machi, Ashigarakami-gun, Kanagawa Prefecture
Business Hours: 9:00 – 17:30
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