Written by Patrick Balfe
Few cities match Tokyo’s concentration of world-class cultural facilities. From Edo-period gardens to stunning collections of Japanese National Treasures and sought-after masterpieces, the only major challenge is seeing how many you can visit. Enter the Grutto Pass.
The Grutto Pass gives you free and discounted access to over 100 museums, galleries, parks, and zoos around Tokyo for only ¥2,500.
Here, we’ll give you the lowdown on how to get your hands on the pass, some of our favorite participating venues, and a guide to a recommended half-day itinerary.
Where to get a Grutto Pass — and how to use it
Online
The easiest way to snag the Grutto Pass is to buy a digital pass online. After payment, you’ll receive a QR code via email that you can scan at participating facilities.
Note that the pass is valid for 2 months from the day you first use it, and is non-refundable. It cannot be combined with other discounts and can be used once per facility.
Fun tip: In addition to the digital ticket, you can also download an English information pamphlet from the Grutto Pass website, which has info on each of the partner venues organized by area with a useful transport map.
At a participating museum or attraction
You can also purchase a physical Grutto Pass at all participating facilities, as well as major tourist information centers like the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, Ueno Park, and Asakusa.
At a convenience store
The third option is to buy an exchange ticket at convenience stores like 7-Eleven, Lawson, and FamilyMart, and then swap it for a physical pass at one of the participating museums or other facilities.
Participating major museums by category
The following museums are some of the 2026 Grutto Pass participants, but they might choose to revise their participation in the future. The line-up can fluctuate year on year.
If there are any museums you are particularly interested in, feel free to ask the museum staff or check their website in advance.
World-class Tokyo art museums
These are the places for art enthusiasts who want big international collaborations and sought-after collections.
The National Museum of Western Art
Discount of ¥100 for permanent exhibitions (regular price ¥500)Ueno
Masterworks from the Renaissance to the mid-20th century
Since 1959, the NMWA has been at the center of Western art in Japan.
Based in Ueno and originally established to showcase Kojiro Matsukata’s large collection of Impressionist paintings and sculptures, it has since grown to a permanent collection of over 6,000 works — ranging from the Renaissance to the mid-20th century.
Highlights include 19th-century paintings by artists such as Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and sculptures by Auguste Rodin, as well as 14th- to 17th-century Gothic and Renaissance pieces by artists such as Joos Van Cleve and Giorgio Vasari.
The NMWA generally holds several special exhibitions each year.
Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
Free entry to the MOT Collection exhibition (regular price ¥500); discounts for thematic exhibitions (regular price varies)Kiyosumi-shirakawa
A huge collection of contemporary, postwar art from Japanese and international artists
Situated in Kiyosumi-shirakawa, Koto, an area known for its shitamchi (downtown) vibes and concentration of trendy cafés, the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo features a Collection Gallery that spans approximately 3,000 square meters across two floors.
The museum was established in 1995 to house the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum’s contemporary art collection, and has since expanded to include over 6,100 works.
The collection centers on postwar art and innovative period-defining pieces from Japanese and international artists. Popular works in the MOT Collection include pieces from artists such as Andy Warhol, Yayoi Kusama, Tadanori Yokoo, and Chim↑Pom. The MOT Collection Exhibition showcases 100-200 pieces at a time.
The museum holds six to eight special exhibitions per year.
Mori Art Museum
Discount of ¥200 for thematic exhibitions (regular price varies)Roppongi
Showcasing contemporary art from Japan and around the world
Since 2003, Mori Art Museum located on the 53rd floor of Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, has attracted visitors from around the world with a diverse array of art exhibitions.
With an emphasis on Asia-Pacific-focused global contemporary art, the museum presents solo and group exhibitions by leading artists from Japan and abroad, as well as exhibitions dedicated to architecture, design, and fashion.
Past major solo exhibitions have featured world-renowned artists such as Yayoi Kusama, Takashi Murakami, Ai Weiwei, and Louise Bourgeois.
The museum also runs smaller programs, including MAM Collection, which showcases the museum’s collection; MAM Screen, which features screenings of video works; and MAM Research, which presents research-based exhibitions.
Mori Art Museum is a favorite among Tokyoites for staying open late at night.
Honorable mention:
Discount of ¥300 for thematic and special exhibitions (regular price varies)
Nihonbashi Muromachi
Japanese culture and history
These venues are the places to go for a taste of old-world local history, traditional arts, crafts, and cultural heritage.
Edo-Tokyo Museum
Free entry to permanent exhibitions (regular price ¥800); 20% discount for special exhibitions (regular price varies)Ryōgoku
Experience Tokyo’s history from the Edo period to today
Opened in 1993 in Sumida’s Ryoguku neighborhood, the Edo-Tokyo Museum is a stunning seven-floor building showcasing Tokyo’s history.
Designed by Kiyonori Kikutake, one of the founders of the Metabolism architectural movement, the museum’s exhibits trace the history of the city from the early 17th century to the present day through life-size replicas, scale models, artifacts, and interactive exhibits.
Closed for major renovations in 2022, the museum reopened on March 31, 2026, with redesigned exhibition spaces, new interactive elements, and updated historical reconstructions that further spotlight daily life and the city’s evolution over the past 400 years.
Tokyo National Museum
Discount of ¥100 to the TNM Collection Exhibitions (regular price ¥1,000)Ueno
View a collection of National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties
Established over 150 years ago, the Tokyo National Museum is the country’s oldest and largest.
The museum, home to six exhibition buildings as well as gardens and teahouses, houses over 120,000 artworks and antiques from Japan and Asia, which collectively comprise a large portion of the country’s National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties. They regularly rotate the exhibits.
Spanning thousands of years of Japanese and Asian history, the museum’s highlights include ancient and medieval Japanese art, Buddhist statues and religious art, samurai swords and armor, paintings and calligraphy, and lacquerware and Asian art along the Silk Road.
Sumida Hokusai Museum
Free entry to Education Room—Discover Hokusai— exhibits (regular price ¥400); 20% discount on thematic exhibitions (regular price varies)Kamezawa
Glimpse a rare collection of Hokusai works
The creator of some of the country’s most recognizable imagery, like The Great Wave Off Kanagawa, Katsushika Hokusai, is synonymous with Japanese art.
The Sumida Hokusai Museum, built in 2016 in Sumida, where Hokusai spent 90 years of his life, honors the artist’s contributions to Japanese culture and houses over 1,800 works, including ukiyo-e woodblock prints, prints, sketches, and artifacts.
The museum also hosts seminars, lectures, workshops, and special exhibitions dedicated to research and studies on Hokusai and his hometown.
Honorable mentions:
- Fukagawa Edo Museum
Free entry to regular and special exhibits (regular general admission price ¥400)
Shirakawa - Shitamachi Museum
Free entry to all exhibitions (regular general admission price ¥300)
Ueno
Niche and specialty museums
For fun and quirky locations that go beyond conventional art and museum collections.
Metro Museum
Free entry to permanent and special exhibitions (regular general admission price ¥220)Higashikasai
A mecca for train fans
If you’re a tetsudoufan (train geek), the Metro Museum (Chikahaku for short) is the niche museum for you.
Opened in Edogawa in 1986 and operated by Metro Cultural Foundation, the museum is a veritable shrine to the city’s subway system and a mecca for train enthusiasts, young and old.
Entering through the automated subway ticket gate, visitors can peruse exhibits like a section of the city’s first subway line, actual rolling stock used in the metro system, scale models, and interactive exhibits like training simulators.
While there, you’ll learn about the history of the city’s subway, how it was built, and the mindblowing systems that keep it running day-to-day.
Printing Museum, Tokyo
Free entry to permanent and thematic exhibitions (regular general admission price ¥500)Suidō
Discover the history and future of printing culture
Located in the Toppan Holdings headquarters in Bunkyo, the Printing Museum, Tokyo is dedicated to education on, and preservation of, printing culture and the role it plays in our lives.
Home to around 70,000 items related to typography, graphic design, and Japanese print culture, including the Hyakumanto Dharani, said to be the world’s oldest printed work, the museum has around 300 on display at any one time.
In addition to the general exhibition, the museum also hosts special exhibitions and hands-on workshops where visitors can create their own printed materials.
Tobacco and Salt Museum
Free entry to permanent and special exhibitions (regular general admission price ¥300)Yokokawa
Three floors of specialty browsing
When it comes to niche museums, it doesn’t get much more niche than the Tobacco and Salt Museum in Sumida, a short walk from Tokyo Skytree.
Want to see a 1.4-ton block of rock salt from Poland? What about a replica Mayan shrine? These are just two of the 36,000 items that the Tobacco and Salt museum has collected since opening in 1978, ranging from pipes, tobacco cases, and other smoking paraphernalia to obscure poster art, ukiyo-e woodblock paintings, and, yes, salt from around the world.
Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum
Free entry (regular price ¥400)Sakuracho, Koganei
A journey through Tokyo’s architectural history
The Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum is one of Tokyo’s most unique and endearing museums.
Located inside Koganei Park in western Tokyo, it allows visitors to walk through full-scale houses, shops, and public buildings from different eras, recreating parts of old Edo and early modern Tokyo.
The museum is split into three areas — the West Zone with traditional farmhouses and Western-style Meiji-era architecture, the Center Zone with notable historic buildings, and the East Zone, a reconstructed downtown streetscape with small shops, an inn, a bathhouse, and retail spaces.
The museum has become famous for helping inspire elements of the film Spirited Away.
Honorable mentions:
- The Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
Free entry to permanent and thematic exhibitions (regular general admission price ¥800)
Kōrakuen - Japan Olympic Museum (Jingu Gaien)
Free entry to permanent and thematic exhibitions (regular general admission price ¥500)
Jingu Gaien
Gardens, historic residences, and park museums
Explore traditional gardens and cultural estates that are treated as museum spaces — great for combining nature and cultural history.
Hama-rikyū Gardens
Free entry (regular price ¥300)Hamarikyuteien
Edo-period garden with views of the city
Located near Shiodome in Chūō, near the mouth of the Sumida River, Hama-rikyū Gardens is one of the city’s most historically significant landscape gardens.
Opened in 1946, it captures the essence of Tokyo’s duality with Edo-period landscaping, teahouses, ponds, and ancient pines set against a backdrop of modern office buildings and skyscrapers.
No matter the time of year, the gardens have something special to offer, from plum and cherry blossoms to fields in bloom, verdant greenery, and red and orange maple leaves.
Rikugien Gardens
Free entry (regular price ¥300)Honkomagome
A poetically designed strolling garden
Known for its poetic design, Rikugien Gardens in the Komagome area of northern Tokyo is one of the city’s best examples of a traditional Japanese strolling garden.
Created in 1695 by feudal lord Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu as part of his Edo residence, the garden’s design references scenes from Man’yōshū and other Japanese poetry traditions.
Key design elements include a large central pond, artificial hills recreating famous landscapes, winding paths and stone bridges, and carefully framed views that change as you walk. Although popular year-round, the garden is especially nice in spring, fall, and winter.
Kyū-Iwasaki-tei Gardens
Free entry (regular price ¥400)Ikenohata
A mix of traditional Japanese, Meiji-era, and Swiss-chalet-style buildings
Once home to the Iwasaki clan, founders of Mitsubishi, the Kyū-Iwasaki-tei Gardens are an historical estate near Ueno.
Once spanning nearly 50,000 square meters and around 20 buildings, today’s gardens, while smaller, are a great way to get your fix of Meiji-style architecture.
While there, you can check out the Western-style mansion designed by Josiah Conder, considered the father of modern Japanese architecture, which was built in 1896 and features stained glass, parquet floors, and spiral staircases.
The gardens are also home to a rare Swiss-chalet-style billiards house and a Japanese residence, originally a large complex of traditional buildings attached to the estate.
Jindai Botanical Gardens
Free entry (regular price ¥500)Jindaiji Motomachi
Tokyo’s oldest botanical garden
Jindai Botanical Gardens is Tokyo’s oldest botanical garden, and one of its largest and most diverse.
Located in Chōfu, west of central Tokyo, the park was opened in 1961 and covers over 500,000 square meters. Home to over 100,000 trees and shrubs from roughly 4,800 plant species, the park is divided into 30 blocks based on specific plant species or habitats.
The centerpiece is an award-winning rose garden, which features around 5200 bushes of 400 varieties, best viewed in early May or mid-October. The park also includes a conservatory exhibiting tropical and subtropical plants, an aquatic garden, and natural woods preserving native vegetation.
The Gardens are best paired with a visit to Jindaiji Temple.
Honorable mention:
Free entry to the garden and Looking at Architecture exhibition; 20% discount on thematic exhibitions (regular price varies)
Shirokanedai
Science, nature, and hands-on museums
For those with kids, or who enjoy interactive exhibits and science.
Miraikan — The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation
Free entry to the permanent exhibition (regular price ¥630)Aomi
Hands-on science and nature exhibits
The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, also known by the less wordy Miraikan (“future museum”), couldn’t be more aptly named.
Located in a futuristic-looking building on the artificial island of Odaiba, the museum’s vision is to “consider the future together through cutting-edge science and technology” — and it’s been doing just that since opening in 2001.
The museum has permanent exhibits that study the earth, environment, and society, featuring large-scale hands-on and interactive installations. Special exhibitions have in the past covered topics such as robotics, life on the moon, and art, and often involve partnerships with international museums, universities, and research organizations.
The museum also often showcases advanced robots from Japanese research labs, and acts as an active science communication hub.
*The Miraikan will be closed for renovations from October 2026 to April 22, 2027.
Tamarokuto Science Center
Free entry to permanent and thematic exhibitions + one viewing of either the planetarium or film screening (regular price ¥1,040)Shibakubocho
Home to one of the world’s largest planetarium domes
The Tamarokuto Science Center is a large interactive science museum in western Tokyo. Opened in the early ‘90s, it’s designed as a hands-on learning space where visitors can explore science through experiments, exhibits, and one of the world’s largest planetarium domes.
The Science Egg giant planetarium dome is the center’s crown jewel, and uses advanced projection systems to display over 140 million stars as well as regular screenings of science and nature films, some of which feature English audio.
In addition to the planetarium dome, the Science Center has around 100 hands-on exhibits spread across its five themed exhibition halls. These include Meet the Science, Body and Senses, System and Mechanism, Life and Environment, and Geoscience.
Designed to encourage participation in science, hands-on experiences also include moon gravity simulations, science experiments, and workshops.
Honorable mention:
Free entry (regular price ¥400)
Gotenyama, Musashino
A sample half-day out in Ueno with the Grutto Pass
To test out the Grutto Pass, we spent half a day in Ueno visiting the Shitamachi Museum, Tokyo National Museum, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Art. The pamphlet is conveniently organized by location with a handy transport guide, so we recommend checking it out to see what appeals to you in each area.
We visited the museums in the order below and found that the Shitamachi Museum gave us some great insight into the Ueno area, Tokyo National Museum was a super intro to Japanese history, and a major blockbuster exhibition at Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Art was the perfect way to end the trip.
Pro tip: We visited from around 10 a.m. on a weekday — this is definitely the best way to do it if you want to avoid big crowds.
Realistically, though, these museums are all so close together that you could visit them in any order you like without walking much more than 10 minutes between them.
All up, including lunch in the park, we visited these three venues in around 3 hours, taking in just the highlights.
At the Tokyo National Museum in particular, you could spend a lot more time if you wanted to. Sadly, the National Museum of Western Art was closed during our visit, but you could also add that to a half-day itinerary.
1. Shitamachi Museum
10–10:30 a.m.Free entry to all exhibitions (regular general admission price ¥300)
While Shitamachi literally means “downtown”, the true nuance of the word is difficult to describe in a few words. Centered around Taito Ward in the northeastern part of central Tokyo, Shitamachi Museum invites visitors to trace the area’s unique history and culture, and discover what makes it the traditional heart of Tokyo.
The first floor features old tenement houses and video recreations of old Tokyo; the permanent exhibit is on the second floor, and the third floor features a small space for special exhibits and a rest area overlooking Shinobazu Pond.
You can breeze through the whole building pretty quickly, or take your time and maybe spend up to an hour, but probably not much more than that. It’s a great way to familiarize yourself with the area’s history and start the day.
2. Tokyo National Museum
10:45 a.m.–12 p.m.Discount of ¥100 to the TNM Collection Exhibitions (regular price ¥1,000)
As we mentioned above, the Tokyo National Museum grounds are huge, spanning multiple buildings. The main building, though, is the Honkan Japanese Gallery.
We followed the recommended first-timer course known as Highlights of Japanese Art, which pretty much covers the second-floor exhibits. Each room covers a different area of Japanese art and history, from Buddhist sculptures to samurai swords and armor, ceramics, and calligraphy.
You can see most of the top floor in 30–60 minutes, as it really is just the highlights. While you’re there, it’s also definitely worth checking out the Museum Garden and Teahouses behind the building on the first floor.
If you wanted to spend more time, you could also check out the bottom floor, which covers quite a lot more history and detail, and, if you still have time, you could also check out some of the other buildings, like the Toyokan Asian Gallery.
2. Lunch
12–1 p.m.By now, you’re probably ready for a bit of a sit-down and a bite to eat; luckily, there are tons of options nearby.
Tokyo National Museum itself has a couple of restaurants and cafés offering quick bites like coffee, matcha, sandwiches, and desserts, as well as sit-down meals like Japanese pork katsu, pasta, udon, and teishoku set meals.
Ueno Park also has a variety of cafés and restaurants to choose from, like Everyones Cafe, Starbucks, Inshotei traditional kaiseki restaurant, and the Green Park building.
Outside the park, near Ueno Station, there’s also the popular Ameya-Yokocho area with street food stalls and casual dining options.
3. Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum
1–2 p.m.
Holding its 100th anniversary in 2026, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum is the place to go in Ueno for high-profile blockbuster exhibitions.
Japan’s first public art museum, it has continued to act as a “doorway to art”, showcasing masterpieces from around the world as well as independently curated shows, open-call exhibitions, and communication programs. The building itself, designed by Kunio Maekawa — a master of Japanese modernist architecture — is worth a visit.
While we were there, we saw the Masters of Swedish Painting exhibit, which took us through the evolution of Swedish art from the late 19th to early 20th centuries and featured pieces on loan from the Nationalmuseum, Stockholm.
The exhibition featured six rooms with between 10 and 20 pieces per room, and we spent around an hour looking at most pieces in detail, but you could easily spend more time if you had it.
The exhibitions here are really thoughtfully curated, and the venue regularly hosts free events and mini exhibitions to check out.
Of course, there are endless combinations and lots of niche museums to scratch your particular itch — like the Basho Museum, the Paper Museum, museums devoted to music, accessories, literature, clothing, and more. Many of the best art museums in Tokyo are also covered by the Grutto Pass. You could visit a museum a day for two months and still have some to spare!
The first version of this post was written by Selena Hoy, and published in 2014. Last updated by Patrick Balfe, in April 2026.
