Notable museums of art on Embassy Row
The embassies of every nation dot the surrounding area of Roppongi and there are many stores for foreigners. In the neighborhood, there are also plenty of notable art galleries. Let us introduce three of them with some special characteristics.
Mori Art Museum
Located on the 53rd floor of the Roppongi Hills Mori Tower. With an eye toward art from Japan and the rest of Asia, it’s a museum focused on modernity and internationality. Exhibitions of the world’s artists under the theme of contemporary art are held. Open until 10 p.m., audio guides are free for rental. You can get a taste of an extraordinary space high up in a skyscraper. Admission is sold as a set with entry into the Roppongi Hills observation deck.
The National Art Center
This is a new kind of art gallery which doesn’t possess a collection. The largest exhibition space in the country provides a wide space, almost unimaginable in the middle of a city. The exhibition details and the methods behind them are also planned out so that you want to visit the center as many times as possible. At the underground museum shop, there are many handcrafted goods which are very Japanesque with refined taste. No worries about rain since it is directly connected to Nogizaka Station and you can put your belongings into coin-returnable lockers. There is also a café and restaurant so you can spend a high-quality day. To avoid the crowds, purchase your tickets online and visit during noon on weekdays.
Suntory Museum of Art
Located within Tokyo Midtown. The theme is “beauty”. Exhibits with the basic theme of beauty in life are represented by about 3000 examples of paintings, lacquer work, pottery, glass, and dyeing, etc. from the Heian to Edo Eras. Everywhere inside the museum, wood and Japanese paper are lavishly used so the space overflows with natural warmth expressing modern Japan. Open until 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
Please check out the various discount services related to the museum.
Discount services at the museums of art
At the three museums of art in “Art Triangle Roppongi” (Mori Art Museum, The National Art Center, Suntory Museum of Art), when you present a ticket stub from an exhibition at one museum, you will get an admission discount at the other two museums through “ATRo Saving” (only for exhibitions) and there is an “ATRo Map” which provides art information. The “Museum Link Pass” for the Mori Art Museum (Tokyo), the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art (Ishikawa Prefecture) and Benesse Art Site Naoshima (Kagawa Prefecture) is freely available as a passport-sized booklet. When the date of entry into the first museum is stamped into the pass, entry into the other two museums is possible at a discount. The “Grutt Pass” is a ticket booklet that provides admission and discounts at the 78 different art galleries and museums within the city. A one-day pass for public transportation via Tokyo Metro and the Toei Subway is included in a set which costs 2800 yen. The Mori Art Museum and The National Art Center are within the Roppongi area.
Roppongi has Roppongi Hills, Tokyo Midtown and plenty of dining establishments all around. Please visit this rejuvenated area.