The National Art Center
Roppongi, Tokyo
- Mon, Wed to Sun
- 10:00 to 18:00
- Tue
- Closed
Last entry 30 minutes before closing. When Tuesday is a public holiday, it opens and closes the next working day instead.
Source: nact.jp, checked 5 Oct 2026.
The National Art Center is one of Japan's largest exhibition spaces, behind a rippling glass facade by Kisho Kurokawa. There's no permanent collection, just a rolling programme of big exhibitions and one of the most photographed museum interiors in the country.
More photos of The National Art Center
Insider tip
Entering the building is free, you pay per exhibition. The cafe on top of the upside-down concrete cone is a good place to rest. Closed Tuesdays.
What the guides say about The National Art Center
Afternoon. The National Art Center at Nogizaka has no permanent collection and no entry fee for the building itself, just a rolling programme of large exhibitions behind a rippling glass wall, and a cafe perched on an inverted concrete cone. If your legs allow, the Nezu Museum in Aoyama pairs pre-modern Asian art with a garden of tea houses and stone lanterns that feels closer to Kyoto than to anything nearby. The Roppongi neighbourhood guide covers what this day leaves out. teamLab Borderless at Azabudai Hills, fifteen minutes on foot from Roppongi Hills, is the reason you'd have chosen Ginza over Planets on day three.
Roppongi's art triangle is a full day built around three world-class institutions. Start at the Mori Art Museum at the top of Mori Tower, contemporary blockbusters on the 53rd floor, with observation deck access on your ticket. Walk through Roppongi Hills and across to 21_21 Design Sight in Midtown Garden, where Issey Miyake and Tadao Ando built a design museum half-buried underground. Then the National Art Center, which has no permanent collection, just a rolling slate of huge exhibitions inside a glass wave facade. Avoid Tuesdays, when 21_21 and the National Art Center close. The Nezu Museum closes on Mondays.
Tickets and tours
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What's on at The National Art Center
Upcoming events at The National Art Center and within a ten-minute walk, from the weekly Tokyo events calendar.
Masterpieces of the Renaissance from the Musée du Louvre
Major international touring exhibition featuring artistic masterpieces from the Louvre, organized into four thematic sections covering travel, technical innovation, classical revival, and portraiture. A rare window into how the world's most famous art institution documents transformative artistic movements.
Dick Thomas Johnson, CC BY 2.0 50th Tokyo Five Art Universities Joint Graduation Exhibition
2026年度第50回 東京五美術大学 連合卒業・修了制作展
Time Last day closes at 18:00 (entry to 17:30); the National Art Center closes on Tuesdays Station Nogizaka (Chiyoda Line), direct; Roppongi (Hibiya, Oedo Lines), 5 min walk
Free show of graduation work from five Tokyo art universities, filling eight of the National Art Center's galleries and its outdoor areas.
Dick Thomas Johnson, CC BY 2.0 Diva
ディーヴァ
Station Nogizaka (Chiyoda Line), direct from exit 6
The Victoria and Albert Museum's touring show on about 100 singers and performers from the 19th century to now, from Maria Callas to Lady Gaga and Rihanna, with around 60 stage costumes among some 280 objects. Tokyo is its only Asian stop.
Dick Thomas Johnson, CC BY 2.0 Gilbert & George: Art Exhibition
ギルバート＆ジョージ展
Station Nogizaka (Chiyoda Line), direct from exit 6
The London duo's first large show in Japan in 30 years, running from their 1969 Singing Sculpture film to the huge photographic Pictures series of recent years, with photographs and film from their 1970s visits to Japan. It comes to Tokyo after Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art.
Dick Thomas Johnson, CC BY 2.0 Deutschland Festival (German Festival) in Aoyama Park
ドイツフェスティバル
Time About 11:00 to 20:00
A German food and culture festival in Aoyama Park with German beer, sausages, a marche of German goods and stage shows, held around Culture Day.
Smaller local events nearby
Raumlabor Berlin: Water Works - in the Flow of Making Exhibition
On now, until 29 Nov · TOTO Gallery MA, Nogizaka
An architecture exhibition by Raumlabor Berlin at TOTO Gallery MA, closed Mondays and holidays.
Free · 11:00 to 18:00 · Map · Source: TOTO Gallery MA · ラウムラボア・ベルリン展 Water Works - in the Flow of Making
6fes: street art performance and food Festival
31 Oct to 1 Nov · Seijoki-dori, Roppongi
A market and street performances on Seijoki-dori, between Tokyo Midtown and The National Art Center, alongside Roppongi Art Night.
Free · Map · Source: Minato City (shopping street events) · ６フェス2026～ストリートで楽しむアートパフォーマンスとフード～
Nearby
Around Roppongi
Art triangle by day, skyline views by night
Roppongi is in Minato ward, in the middle of Tokyo, and its station is on the Hibiya and Oedo lines. Roppongi's nightlife reputation undersells it. Within a ten minute walk you've got the Mori Art Museum, 21_21 Design Sight and the National Art Center, and between them they make this the strongest art neighbourhood in Tokyo. Finish at the Mori Tower observation deck around sunset and the entry fee suddenly feels cheap.
Roppongi has 5 places on the Roam Tokyo map: 4 museums and 1 viewpoint. Read the Roppongi guide.
Good to know
- What is the address of The National Art Center?
- 7-22-2 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo.
- What are the opening hours of The National Art Center?
- Mon, Wed to Sun 10:00 to 18:00; Closed Tue. Last entry 30 minutes before closing. When Tuesday is a public holiday, it opens and closes the next working day instead.
- How do I get to The National Art Center?
- The nearest station is Nogizaka (Chiyoda Line). The National Art Center is in Roppongi, Tokyo.
- How much does The National Art Center cost?
- The National Art Center is mid-range, marked ¥¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at The National Art Center?
- Plan for 2-3 hours.
- When is the best time to visit The National Art Center?
- Weekdays, closed Tue.
Stay near The National Art Center
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