Tokyo National Museum: opening hours, last entry and gallery closures

The hours below come from the museum’s English access and hours page. The dated closures described are announced plans for future dates, and the page marks its closing-day information as subject to change.

Hours and last admission

The museum is usually open 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with last admission at 4:30 p.m., 30 minutes before closing.

The museum stays open until 8:00 p.m. every Friday and Saturday, and on Sundays when the following Monday is a holiday. On those evenings last admission is 7:30 p.m. The page also lists May 4 and May 5 as open until 8:00 p.m., without saying which year this applies to, so check the museum’s page before planning an evening visit on those dates.

Not every building follows the late schedule. Kuroda Memorial Hall closes at 5:00 p.m. Hours for special exhibitions and for the Research and Information Center may also differ from the general hours, so check those separately if one of them is your reason for going.

Mondays and Monday holidays

The museum is normally closed on Mondays. When a Monday is a holiday, the museum opens that Monday and closes the following day instead. Check Japan’s national holiday dates for your travel week, because that decides which day is the closed one.

The museum will also be open on Monday, March 29, 2027, a date its closing-days notice lists as an exception.

Announced closures for late 2026 and early 2027

The museum gives exhibition environment maintenance as the reason for these gallery closures.

Dates	What is closed
October 26, 2026 to April 26, 2027	Honkan (Japanese Gallery) Room 4
November 30 to December 31, 2026	Honkan Rooms 17 to 20 and the Toyo Kan (Asian Gallery)
December 14, 2026 to April 26, 2027	Honkan Rooms 2 and 3

The museum notes that these periods include its scheduled closing days.

Hyokeikan is listed separately with no dates given: it is closed unless special exhibitions and events are held inside.

Year-end dates, in order:

Date	Status
December 15, 2026	Museum closed for facility inspection and maintenance
December 22 to 25, 2026	Only the Horyu-ji Treasures Gallery and Kuroda Memorial Hall are open
December 25, 2026	Last open day of 2026
December 26 to 31, 2026	Year-end closure
January 1, 2027	Hours not yet determined as of late September 2026

Regular Monday closures still apply on top of these dates.

Getting in: security, bags and ticket queues

Visitors enter through the Main Gate. Security screening there uses metal detectors and baggage inspections, and suitcases are not allowed in the museum. Leave suitcases at your hotel rather than counting on storage at the museum.

There is no parking at the museum, so plan to come by train. The museum lists these walking times:

• 10 minutes from JR Ueno or Uguisudani Station
• 15 minutes from Ueno Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza or Hibiya Line
• 15 minutes from Nezu Station on the Chiyoda Line
• 15 minutes from Keisei Ueno Station

The museum says waits at the Main Gate ticket counters may exceed 30 minutes during busy periods and recommends buying tickets online for smoother entry. Because ticket-counter waits can exceed 30 minutes at busy times, don’t leave it until just before last admission: buy online, and still aim to reach the Main Gate well before 4:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m. on late-opening days), since security screening also takes place there.

If you still need to check

For January 1, 2027 hours, or to find out whether Hyokeikan has an event on your date, contact the museum’s Hello Dial line at (050)5541-8600 for domestic calls or +81-(50)-5541-8600 from outside Japan.