Tokyo National Museum ticket prices
The museum's Getting Here, Admission & Hours page sets one price list for the TNM Collection Exhibitions, the museum's permanent display (checked 12 October 2026):
| Visitor | Collection Exhibitions |
|---|---|
| Adult | ¥1,000 |
| University student | ¥500 |
| High school and younger, anyone under 18 | Free, with proof of age |
| Aged 70 and over | Free, with proof of age |
| Visitor with a disability and one caregiver | Free, with a disability certificate |
Visitors going only to the Kuroda Memorial Hall or the Research and Information Center do not pay. The collection galleries are also free on 3 November 2026, the last of the museum's listed free days this year.
How special exhibition pricing works
Special exhibitions are not on the main price list. The admission page says each one is sold through its own exhibition page, and that a special exhibition ticket also admits you to the collection galleries on the same day. If you want to see a special exhibition, its ticket is the only one you need.
The free categories are not the same for every exhibition, so check the exhibition page rather than assuming the collection rules apply. Two exhibitions running this autumn show the difference (checked 12 October 2026):
| Exhibition | Dates and building | Adult | University | High school |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hiroshige: New Perspectives on Edo Japan | 29 Sep–20 Dec 2026, Honkan Room A | ¥1,500 | ¥500 | Free |
| Daitokuji: A Zen Temple Beyond Compare | 14 Oct–6 Dec 2026, Heiseikan | ¥2,300 | ¥1,300 | ¥900 |
For Hiroshige, entry is free for students up to high school, anyone under 18 and anyone 70 or over; the ¥1,300 advance price ended on 28 September. For Daitokuji, only junior high students and younger enter free, so a high school student pays ¥900 there, though they would pay nothing for the collection galleries. Both pages say no reservation is needed, and both warn of waits at the counter when an exhibition is crowded.
On 30 November 2026 the Daitokuji page says only that exhibition is open; the rest of the museum is closed that day.
Example: what a family pays
Two adults with a 16-year-old in high school and a 10-year-old, on prices checked 12 October 2026:
- Collection galleries only: ¥2,000 (both children free)
- Hiroshige exhibition, collection included: ¥3,000 (both children free)
- Daitokuji exhibition, collection included: ¥5,500 (¥4,600 for the adults, ¥900 for the 16-year-old)
Two university students pay ¥1,000 together for the collection, ¥1,000 for Hiroshige or ¥2,600 for Daitokuji. Seeing both exhibitions means two full tickets, because each ticket is for its own exhibition.
Buying tickets online or at the gate
Collection tickets are sold online through asoview, and the admission page says you can buy them on a smartphone or other device. It says they are valid for two months from purchase and are not tied to a date: use one on any open day within that period. The museum recommends buying online because waits at the main gate counter can exceed 30 minutes at busy times.
Special exhibition tickets are sold at the main gate counter and through each exhibition's own ticket link. The Hiroshige page links to asoview; the Daitokuji page does not mention online sales.
At the ticket counters, the admission page lists credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express, Diners, Discover), iD, Suica and WAON e-money, and UnionPay. If you already carry a transit IC card, our guide to Suica, PASMO and foreign contactless cards explains which one to load.
Opening hours and closed days
The admission page gives these hours for the collection galleries (checked 12 October 2026):
- 9:30 to 17:00 on most days
- 9:30 to 20:00 on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays before a holiday Monday, and 4 and 5 May
- Last entry 30 minutes before closing
- Kuroda Memorial Hall closes at 17:00 even on late evenings
Special exhibitions can keep different hours. The Hiroshige page lists late evenings to 20:00 on Fridays, Saturdays and 11 October, 1, 2 and 22 November 2026.
The regular closed day is Monday. When a Monday is a public holiday, the museum opens and closes the next day instead, so 12 October 2026 (a holiday) is open and Tuesday 13 October is closed. The Hiroshige page also lists 2 and 23 November as open Mondays, with 24 November closed.
Suitcases and security screening
Do not bring a suitcase. The admission page says suitcases have not been allowed into the museum since 1 August 2026, and that metal-detector and bag checks have been in place at the Main Gate since 8 September (checked 12 October 2026). The page does not mention lockers or luggage storage, so leave suitcases at your hotel before you come. The home page lists notices on both topics. A notice dated 11 May 2026 said the restaurants in the Toyokan and the Gallery of Horyuji Treasures were closed for renovation and would reopen in stages from summer to autumn 2026; the home page did not give an update when we checked.
Getting there in Ueno Park
The museum is at 13-9 Ueno Park, Taito-ku, and visitors enter through the main gate. The admission page gives these walking times:
- JR Ueno or Uguisudani station: about 10 minutes
- Tokyo Metro Ginza or Hibiya line, Ueno station: about 15 minutes
- Tokyo Metro Chiyoda line, Nezu station: about 15 minutes
- Keisei Ueno station: about 15 minutes
There is no museum car park. If you are heading to Ueno straight from a flight, drop your suitcase first, since it will not be allowed in; our guide to Narita and Haneda to central Tokyo compares the rail and bus options into the city.
When to switch plans
If your free day in Tokyo is a regular Monday, or the day after a holiday Monday, the museum is closed, so put a ticketed attraction on that day instead. Tokyo Skytree is one option with its own ticket rules. If you arrive after 16:30 on a weekday, last entry has passed; Friday and Saturday evenings leave time until 19:30.