The oldest museum in Japan
The Tokyo National Museum was my favorite museum in the city and I almost left Tokyo without seeing it! It is the oldest museum in Japan and even the buildings that house the collections are beautiful. I only had time to see the permanent collection, but it was fascinating. In the Honkan gallery, there is a lovely collection ranging from clay figures are from the Jomon period (10,000 BC) to nineteenth century prints and collections from the most important periods in Japanese history. On the second floor, you can see the chronological evolution of art in Japan. In addition to the Honkan gallery, you also have the Toyokan gallery (specializing in Asian art in general), the Hyokeikan gallery, the Heiseikan gallery (used for temporary exhibitions) and the Horyu-Ji gallery (with objects recovered during the Meiji Restoration).
