Although this museum is set in the ultra-trendy fashion mecca Laforet in Harajuku, the Laforet is a fairly down-to-earth museum which hosts small film festivals, art installations and launch parties. Check it out after you have shoppeed yourself out.
There's a contemporary Japanese photography gallery run by camera maker Contax in GInza. Exit 1 or 2 of the Maranouchi Ginza stattion.
Map: http://www.ipm.jp/ipmj/gui/gcon-e.html
Metropolitan Fine Art Gallery of Tokyo is a good choice if you've got a free afternoon. It's in Ueno and is free to get in.
It's open every day except Mon from 9-5.
Here's what Tokyo Essentials have to say about it.
There's not a space to spare at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum. From oil paintings to calligraphy, pottery and sculpture, this is the place where contemporary Japanese artists show off their work.
In total there are six galleries. The "Museum Gallery" is reserved for special exhibitions. The other five are hired out to various art groups. Exhibitions change periodically, so for latest details, check the listings magazine, Tokyo Metropolis: http://www.metropolis.co.jp
If the artwork inside the museum requires a lot of interpretation, rest assured, it probably doesn't require half as much as buying your ticket! Minimalism has clearly been the big inspiration behind the presentation of information and signposts in English. Unless you've come with a specific exhibition in mind, great powers of guesswork will be called for. Don't worry though, whatever you choose you'll get a good overview, each gallery is usually crammed from floor to ceiling with a wide variety of work.
Each of the six galleries has a separate admission charge. Having guessed which gallery to go to, confusion is liable to strike. Trying to work out which ticket office to buy your ticket from, can be quite a task. However, keep your wits about you, pay special attention to the numbers written on the ticket booths and it will all become embarrassingly obvious! For example, to buy a ticket for Gallery 1, you need to go to ticket office number 1. Couldn't be more straight forward could it? But make sure you get this right. If you don't, the staff behind the counter are prone to becoming even more confused than you!
Don't forget to go upstairs! Once inside the gallery the exhibits are likely to be displayed on at least two floors. Signposting in English is again more or less non -existent, so advice remains - keep going up, until you can go no further.
Although this museum is set in the ultra-trendy fashion mecca Laforet in Harajuku, the Laforet is a fairly down-to-earth museum which hosts small film festivals, art installations and launch parties. Check it out after you have shoppeed yourself out.
Ginza Graphic Gallery's forte are the excellent exhibitions

featuring graphic design and related artwork.It also hosts
a work shop and talks by visiing artists catering for all tastes
from those interested in typology to achitecture.
Here is a list of exhibitions held there in 2009:
The279thTadahito Nadamoto, Akira Uno, Makoto Wada and
Tadanori Yokoo SHOW September.
The278thLASTSHOW: Gan Hosoya’s Art Direction August.
The277th2009 ADC Exhibition July.
The276thMax Huber - a graphic designer June.
The275thKijuro Yahagi: Magnetic Vision/100 New Works May.
The274th'09 TDC Exhibition Apr.
The273rdDRAFT Exhibition: Branding and Art Directors Mar.
The272ndHelvetica Forever: Story of a Typeface Feb.
The271stBrilliant Rivalry:Works by Outstanding Designers in the DNP Archives of Graphic Design Jan.
Access:
Ginza Graphic Gallery
DNP Ginza Building 1st floor 7-2,
Ginza 7-chome, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0061
TEL:03-3571-5206/FAX:03-3289-1389
THE NEAREST STATION
* GINZA STA.(SUBWAY/GINZA LINE,HIBIYA LINE,MARUNOUCHI LINE)
* YURAKUCHO STA. SHINBASHI STA.(JR LINE)
Map: http://www.ipm.jp/ipmj/gui/gcon-e.html
It's open every day except Mon from 9-5.
Here's what Tokyo Essentials have to say about it.
There's not a space to spare at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum. From oil paintings to calligraphy, pottery and sculpture, this is the place where contemporary Japanese artists show off their work.
In total there are six galleries. The "Museum Gallery" is reserved for special exhibitions. The other five are hired out to various art groups. Exhibitions change periodically, so for latest details, check the listings magazine, Tokyo Metropolis: http://www.metropolis.co.jp
If the artwork inside the museum requires a lot of interpretation, rest assured, it probably doesn't require half as much as buying your ticket! Minimalism has clearly been the big inspiration behind the presentation of information and signposts in English. Unless you've come with a specific exhibition in mind, great powers of guesswork will be called for. Don't worry though, whatever you choose you'll get a good overview, each gallery is usually crammed from floor to ceiling with a wide variety of work.
Each of the six galleries has a separate admission charge. Having guessed which gallery to go to, confusion is liable to strike. Trying to work out which ticket office to buy your ticket from, can be quite a task. However, keep your wits about you, pay special attention to the numbers written on the ticket booths and it will all become embarrassingly obvious! For example, to buy a ticket for Gallery 1, you need to go to ticket office number 1. Couldn't be more straight forward could it? But make sure you get this right. If you don't, the staff behind the counter are prone to becoming even more confused than you!
Don't forget to go upstairs! Once inside the gallery the exhibits are likely to be displayed on at least two floors. Signposting in English is again more or less non -existent, so advice remains - keep going up, until you can go no further.