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Free museums

Free museums in Tokyo, and when

Official sources checked Oct 5, 2026

Tokyo has no weekly free evening at its big museums. Free access comes in three forms. Small institutional museums such as the Currency Museum, Intermediatheque, Ad Museum Tokyo and the Fire Museum are free every open day. The National Museum of Western Art opens its permanent collection free on the second Sunday of each month. The Tokyo National Museum is free year-round for under-18s and over-70s, and for everyone on a few dates such as 3 November. Most museums close on Mondays.

At a glance

Museum	Free when	For whom	Booking
National Museum of Western Art, second Sundays	Free on the 2nd Sunday of every month (Kawasaki Free Sunday), plus 18 May and 3 November · 9:30–17:30, last entry 30 minutes before closing. Covers the permanent collection only.	Everyone on free days. On any open day: high school students and younger, under-18s, and visitors aged 65 or over, with ID.	Not needed for the permanent collection.
Tokyo National Museum, under 18 and over 70	Conditional · Tue–Sun 9:30–17:00, until 20:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. Closed Mondays. Free for everyone on a few set dates: in 2026 these were 19 May, 21 September and 3 November.	Under-18s and school students up to high school, and adults over 70, with proof of age. Everyone else pays except on the free dates. Special exhibitions always cost extra.	Not needed. Show a passport at the gate for the age-based free entry.
Ad Museum Tokyo	Always · Tue–Sat 12:00–18:00. Closed Sundays and Mondays, and it shuts now and then between shows.	Everyone	Not needed
Meguro Parasitological Museum	Always · Wed–Sun 10:00–17:00. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays (open if a holiday, then closed the next weekday) and over New Year.	Everyone. Entry is free and there is a donation box.	Not needed
Bank of Japan Currency Museum	Always · Tue–Sun 9:30–16:30 (last entry 16:00). Closed Mondays (open when Monday is a holiday) and 29 Dec–4 Jan. In 2026 it is also closed on 20, 21 and 27–29 October.	Everyone	Not needed. There is a bag check at the door.
Intermediatheque	Always · Tue–Sun 11:00–18:00, until 20:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. Closed Mondays (Tuesday instead when Monday is a holiday) and at year end, with occasional extra closures.	Everyone	Not needed
Tokyo Fire Museum	Always · Tue–Sun 9:30–17:00 (last entry 16:30). Closed Mondays (open if a holiday, then closed the next weekday) and 29 Dec–3 Jan.	Everyone	Not needed
Sumo Museum	Always · Mon–Fri 10:00–16:30 (last entry 16:00). Closed weekends and national holidays, with a few exceptions, and at year end. During the Tokyo tournaments in January, May and September it opens daily 12:30–16:00 but only to people holding a tournament ticket.	Everyone, outside tournament days. On tournament days, ticket holders only.	Not needed. Check the museum calendar, since it closes between exhibitions.

Museums with a free day or free hours2

~~¥500~~FREE

National Museum of Western Art, second Sundays

Ueno

Free on certain daysIndoorGood with kidsArtArchitecture

Japan's national collection of European art, from Rodin bronzes to a room of Monets, in a building by Le Corbusier that is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The permanent collection is free one Sunday a month.

Monet's Water Lilies in the upstairs gallery
Rodin's Gates of Hell in the free forecourt
Le Corbusier's top-lit central hall and ramp

Free when: Free on the 2nd Sunday of every month (Kawasaki Free Sunday), plus 18 May and 3 November · 9:30–17:30, last entry 30 minutes before closing. Covers the permanent collection only.
Free for whom: Everyone on free days. On any open day: high school students and younger, under-18s, and visitors aged 65 or over, with ID.
Reservation: Not needed for the permanent collection.
Time needed: 1h to 1h30
How to get there: JR Ueno, Park Exit, 1 minute on foot

Worth it? Yes.An easy win if your trip includes a second Sunday. Any other day, the Rodin sculptures in the forecourt, including The Thinker and The Gates of Hell, are outside the ticket line and free.

Source: National Museum of Western Art · checked Oct 5, 2026Open in Maps

~~¥1,000~~FREE

Tokyo National Museum, under 18 and over 70

Ueno

Free on certain daysIndoorGood with kidsArtHistory

The country's biggest museum, with samurai armor, swords, screens and Buddhist sculpture across several buildings. The regular galleries are free for anyone under 18 or over 70, whatever passport they hold.

Samurai armor and swords in the Honkan
Gallery of Horyuji Treasures, dim and nearly empty
Painted folding screens, changed every few weeks

Free when: Conditional · Tue–Sun 9:30–17:00, until 20:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. Closed Mondays. Free for everyone on a few set dates: in 2026 these were 19 May, 21 September and 3 November.
Free for whom: Under-18s and school students up to high school, and adults over 70, with proof of age. Everyone else pays except on the free dates. Special exhibitions always cost extra.
Reservation: Not needed. Show a passport at the gate for the age-based free entry.
Time needed: 2h
How to get there: JR Ueno or Uguisudani, 10 minutes on foot through Ueno Park

Worth it? Yes.If you are travelling with teenagers or grandparents, this is the best value in Tokyo. For everyone else, 3 November is the date to aim for. Start in the Honkan, the main building, and do not try to see all of it.

Source: Tokyo National Museum · checked Oct 5, 2026Open in Maps

Museums that are always free6

FREE

Ad Museum Tokyo

Shiodome

Always freeIndoorArtHistoryLocal life

Japan's only advertising museum, in the basement of the Caretta Shiodome tower. It runs from Edo-period shop prints to decades of TV commercials you can watch on screens.

Edo-period woodblock flyers for kimono shops
Wall of postwar posters for beer and cosmetics
Booths playing vintage TV commercials

Free when: Always · Tue–Sat 12:00–18:00. Closed Sundays and Mondays, and it shuts now and then between shows.
Free for whom: Everyone
Reservation: Not needed
Time needed: 45 min to 1h
How to get there: Toei Oedo Line or Yurikamome to Shiodome, or 5 minutes on foot from JR Shimbashi

Worth it? Yes.A good rainy afternoon stop and much better than it sounds. The old commercials need no Japanese to enjoy. Note the late start: nothing happens before noon.

Source: The Ad Museum Tokyo · checked Oct 5, 2026Open in Maps

FREE

Meguro Parasitological Museum

Meguro

Always freeIndoorGood with kidsLocal lifeHistory

Two floors of parasites in jars, founded by a doctor in 1953 and still a research institute. The star is an 8.8 meter tapeworm, displayed next to a ribbon of the same length that you can unroll.

The 8.8 meter tapeworm on the second floor
Hand-drawn research notebooks of the founder
Parasite T-shirts in the tiny shop upstairs

Free when: Always · Wed–Sun 10:00–17:00. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays (open if a holiday, then closed the next weekday) and over New Year.
Free for whom: Everyone. Entry is free and there is a donation box.
Reservation: Not needed
Time needed: 30 to 45 min
How to get there: JR Meguro, West Exit, 12 to 15 minutes on foot down Meguro-dori, or any bus from the station to Otori-jinja-mae

Worth it? Yes.Small, strange and memorable. Not for the squeamish, and oddly popular for dates. Drop a coin in the box, since donations are what keep it free.

Source: Meguro Parasitological Museum · checked Oct 5, 2026Open in Maps

FREE

Bank of Japan Currency Museum

Nihonbashi

Always freeIndoorGood with kidsHistory

The central bank's own museum of money, across the street from its headquarters. It covers everything from ancient coins and Edo gold plates to today's banknote security tricks.

Large oval gold oban coins from the Edo period
Feel the weight of 100 million yen
Magnifiers showing the hidden details on banknotes

Free when: Always · Tue–Sun 9:30–16:30 (last entry 16:00). Closed Mondays (open when Monday is a holiday) and 29 Dec–4 Jan. In 2026 it is also closed on 20, 21 and 27–29 October.
Free for whom: Everyone
Reservation: Not needed. There is a bag check at the door.
Time needed: 45 min
How to get there: Hanzomon Line to Mitsukoshimae, exit B1, 1 minute. Ginza Line exit A5, 2 minutes.

Worth it? Yes.Better than a bank museum has any right to be, and well signed in English. Try lifting the bundle that weighs the same as 100 million yen in notes. It pairs well with the East Gardens, a 15 minute walk away.

Source: Bank of Japan Currency Museum · checked Oct 5, 2026Open in Maps

FREE

Intermediatheque

Marunouchi

Always freeIndoorGood with kidsArtHistoryArchitecture

The University of Tokyo's scientific collections, laid out in old wooden cabinets inside the former Central Post Office beside Tokyo Station. Skeletons, minerals, stuffed birds and instruments, shown more like an art installation than a classroom.

Whale and giraffe skeletons in the long gallery
Century-old wooden cabinets from university labs
KITTE roof garden upstairs, facing Tokyo Station

Free when: Always · Tue–Sun 11:00–18:00, until 20:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. Closed Mondays (Tuesday instead when Monday is a holiday) and at year end, with occasional extra closures.
Free for whom: Everyone
Reservation: Not needed
Time needed: 45 min to 1h
How to get there: Tokyo Station, Marunouchi South Exit. It is on floors 2 and 3 of the KITTE building, entered from the 2nd floor.

Worth it? Yes.One of the best free rooms in the city, and five minutes from the Shinkansen platforms. Afterwards take the escalators to the KITTE roof garden on the 6th floor for a free look down at the red brick station.

Source: Intermediatheque, JP Tower Museum · checked Oct 5, 2026Open in Maps

FREE

Tokyo Fire Museum

Yotsuya

Always freeIndoorGood with kidsHistoryLocal life

The Tokyo Fire Department's museum, above Yotsuya fire station. Old engines fill the basement, Edo firefighting gear is upstairs, and children can climb into a real helicopter.

Vintage fire engines parked in the basement
Sit in the cockpit of a rescue helicopter
Edo-period firemen's coats and standards

Free when: Always · Tue–Sun 9:30–17:00 (last entry 16:30). Closed Mondays (open if a holiday, then closed the next weekday) and 29 Dec–3 Jan.
Free for whom: Everyone
Reservation: Not needed
Time needed: 1h
How to get there: Marunouchi Line to Yotsuya-sanchome, exit 2, which opens into the building

Worth it? Yes.The best free hour in Tokyo with small children, and decent without them. English labels are thin, but fire engines explain themselves. Start in the basement.

Source: Tokyo Fire Department · checked Oct 5, 2026Open in Maps

FREE

Sumo Museum

Ryogoku

Always freeIndoorHistoryLocal life

One room on the ground floor of the Kokugikan arena, run by the Japan Sumo Association. It shows ceremonial aprons, woodblock prints and ranking sheets, with the display changed three times a year.

Embroidered ceremonial aprons worn by past champions
Edo-period woodblock prints of wrestlers
Portraits of every yokozuna along the wall

Free when: Always · Mon–Fri 10:00–16:30 (last entry 16:00). Closed weekends and national holidays, with a few exceptions, and at year end. During the Tokyo tournaments in January, May and September it opens daily 12:30–16:00 but only to people holding a tournament ticket.
Free for whom: Everyone, outside tournament days. On tournament days, ticket holders only.
Reservation: Not needed. Check the museum calendar, since it closes between exhibitions.
Time needed: 20 to 30 min
How to get there: JR Sobu Line to Ryogoku, West Exit, 2 minutes on foot

Worth it? Depends.Only for people who already care about sumo. It is a single 150 square meter room, labels are mostly in Japanese, and you do not get to see the arena. Combine it with a walk around Ryogoku, where wrestlers go shopping in their robes.

Source: Nihon Sumo Kyokai · checked Oct 5, 2026Open in Maps

PAID · ONE PER CITY

If you spend on one thing in Tokyo, make it this.

Shibuya Sky at sunset

The free city hall observatory gives you the height, but through glass and from Shinjuku. Shibuya Sky is an open-air roof directly above the scramble crossing, with wind, no reflections and the whole city turning on its lights around you. Book the sunset slot well ahead, since it sells out first.

Everything above is free. This is the only paid pick on the page, chosen because no free option replaces it.