Tokyo ART Walking: National Museum and Ueno Yanaka ART Area

It was a great time. May was our guide and she showed us the best way to walk through the museum so that it flowed. She also showed us some of the pokemon manhole covers nearby which was a big perk for my husband and I since we play Pokemon Go. May was super kind and after the museum showed us some shrines and other galleries. I doubt I'd be able to plan something like this myself so it meant a lot. We had taken a makie making class a few days before and in the museum we saw amazing makie pieces. The area May showed us had a lot more shrines than I was expecting and was pretty peaceful. I highly recommend this tour for people who are interested in mixed media art and architecture!

We enjoyed our guide, Kyoko. The art tour was eclectic and different from the normal run of the mill tours.

I highly recommend this tour for an introduction to Japanese art and the Ueno area of Tokyo. Yuka was my guide and she did a splendid job. She is both very knowledgeable and an excellent communicator. Very enjoyable!

Great tour with good tourist and cultural spots. Recommended! Special for people who want to know in depth the culture and history of this area

This was a wonderful art and culture tour in Tokyo! The highlight for me was the Tokyo National Museum, which is the largest museum in Japan. The paintings, sculptures, and crafts collection gave a great overview of Japanese history and art. I also enjoyed walking around the Ueno and Yanaka area. Our guide was knowledgeable and made the walk easy and enjoyable. I would recommend this tour to anyone who loves art, history, and exploring a quieter, more creative side of Tokyo.

I would like to express my gratitude for the wonderfully organized and enriching tour through the Ueno and Yanaka districts. Our guide, Kenny, was attentive, knowledgeable, and truly passionate about what he was sharing. The tour offered a well-balanced mix of culture, art, history, and even a bit of relaxation. The itinerary was thoughtfully planned: • We began with brief stops at the Tokyo Metropolitan Festival Hall and the National Museum of Western Art, where Kenny provided concise yet insightful commentary on the cultural importance of these locations. • Then we had a more in-depth visit to the Tokyo National Museum, where we explored key masterpieces of Japanese art on the second floor of the Japanese Gallery. Kenny highlighted the most interesting exhibits and brought history to life through engaging stories. • Afterward, we took a short coffee break — a great moment to recharge and reflect on everything we’d seen. • The second part of the tour led us into the more atmospheric and authentic Yanaka area: • We visited the Tokyo University of the Arts, where the Forms of Urushi 2025 exhibition in Chinretsu-kan stood out for its modernity and creativity. • The Gokoku-in Temple, featuring the deity Daikokuten, left a strong impression with its peaceful and secluded setting — a perfect pause in the day. • We concluded the tour at SCAI THE BATH HOUSE, a contemporary art gallery uniquely housed in a former public bathhouse. The space itself had a remarkable atmosphere, and the solo exhibition by Tomoaki Suzuki was both thought-provoking and memorable. Everything was well-paced and smoothly coordinated, and Kenny maintained a friendly, engaging, and informative atmosphere throughout. I highly recommend this tour to anyone looking to gain a deeper understanding of Tokyo’s cultural landscape.

A very informative and personable tour! Our guide Kenny was friendly, knowledgeable, and easy to follow, which was perfect for someone like me with almost no background in Japanese art or architecture. We saw a huge variety—sculptures, paintings, textiles, lacquerware, modern exhibitions, and even a shrine—so it really felt like we explored Japanese culture, from traditional to modern. If you go in summer, bring an umbrella for the walking bits. There’s a lot to take in, but it’s a fun and immersive way to dive into Japan’s art and history.

Yuka was very kind, she helped us with all the questions and took us to wonderful places around the museum. If you are interested in art we highly recommend this tour. Great!!!! :)

Our guide’s name was Kyoko, ask for her. She is amazing and was very helpful getting us to the meeting point and making sure we got back to our hotel aggravation free. She is a super guide , the next level a total wealth of knowledge and enthusiastic to share her knowledge with her clients. I wish we would have hired her days ago. Thanks for making our day with you a high point in our trip. Clearly ART is her passion. Michael and Veronica from Mexico 🇲🇽

If you love art, this is a tour to consider. Kenny is an excellent guide to the Ueno Park buildings and the Tokyo National Museum’s Japan Gallery as well as some neighboring galleries. He was a thoughtful companion for a long walk and accommodated our needs by meeting us at our hotel and arranging for a taxi back.