Museums and attractions over New Year 2026–27
The table puts each venue's own published closure next to the days of the week. Note that 28 December 2026 is a Monday and 1 January 2027 a Friday.
| Venue | Closed | First day back | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo National Museum (Ueno) | 26–31 December 2026 | 1 January 2027, 12:00–20:00 | TNM hours |
| National Museum of Western Art (Ueno) | 28 December – 1 January | 2 January (by the published rule) | NMWA visitor page |
| National Museum of Nature and Science (Ueno) | 28 December – 1 January | 2 January (by the published rule) | Kahaku visitor page |
| Edo-Tokyo Museum (Ryogoku) | "Year-end and New Year holidays", dates not given | Not published | Edo-Tokyo hours |
| Tokyo Skytree | No closure listed | Open every day | Skytree tickets |
| teamLab Planets (Toyosu) | No closure listed | Open; 31 December 8:00–20:00 | teamLab Planets |
The Western art and science museums both state their year-end closure as 28 December to 1 January as a standing rule, without a year attached. Neither page shows a day-by-day January calendar, so "2 January" is the next day under that rule rather than a separately announced date.
Tokyo National Museum: a longer break, then New Year's Day
The Tokyo National Museum starts winding down before Christmas. From 22 to 25 December only the Gallery of Horyuji Treasures and Kuroda Memorial Hall are open, and the whole museum then closes from 26 to 31 December 2026. It reopens on 1 January 2027, a national holiday, from 12:00 to 20:00, with last admission 30 minutes before closing.
That makes it the one large Ueno museum open on New Year's Day. The main Honkan building also has rooms closed for works this winter, and the Toyokan (Asian Gallery) is closed until 31 December; our Tokyo National Museum guide has tickets, prices and the gallery closures.
Edo-Tokyo Museum: closure dates still to come
The Edo-Tokyo Museum hours page lists 9:30–17:30 (Saturdays to 19:30), closure on Mondays, and closure "during the year-end and New Year holidays", without dates. Treat late December and the first days of January as uncertain until the museum publishes its calendar.
Ghibli Museum: the calendar is on the ticket site
The Ghibli Museum ticket page says the museum closes every Tuesday and that other closed days and long closures change from year to year. It points to the opening calendar on the Lawson Ticket site, which we could not read, so we cannot confirm any year-end dates. If a date is not on sale in the booking calendar, take that as closed. Booking steps are in our Ghibli Museum tickets guide.
Skytree and teamLab: open, with shorter hours possible
Tokyo Skytree says it is open 365 days a year, 10:00–21:00 with last admission at 20:00, but that hours can change at times such as New Year. teamLab Planets lists 8:00–22:00 with last entry one hour before closing, and an earlier 20:00 close on Thursday 31 December. For which teamLab venue to book, see our Planets vs Borderless comparison. We could not read Borderless's holiday hours.
How to plan museum days around the closures
Put the Ueno museums at the start of your stay. Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 December are the last days the Western art and science museums are open before the break, and the Tokyo National Museum is already closed by then.
On New Year's Day, the Tokyo National Museum's afternoon opening pairs well with a shrine visit in the morning; our Meiji Jingu hatsumode guide covers the crowds and access. If you want a ticketed indoor sight on 28–31 December, Skytree and teamLab Planets are the published options among these venues.
If you are leaving Tokyo by train during the holidays, our New Year Shinkansen guide explains the reserved-only Nozomi period.
Cash and ATMs from 31 December to 3 January
Japan Post Bank, whose ATMs take most foreign cards, says its machines at post offices and its own branches run on Sunday and holiday hours, 7:00 to 21:00, from 31 December to 3 January, compared with 7:00 to 23:00 on weekdays and Saturdays. The bank warns that hours over New Year can differ by location because of system updates and site conditions.
If you are timing a shopping day around the New Year first sales (hatsuuri), wait for the stores' own announcements: no 2026–27 holiday schedule was published when we checked, and Isetan Shinjuku's access and hours page still showed only its normal 10:00–20:00 hours.
