Tokugawa Art Museum
Tokugawa Art Museum
4
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
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4.0
455 reviews
Excellent
166
Very good
208
Average
67
Poor
10
Terrible
4
thelonious22
Seongnam4,383 contributions
Jan 2020
While the Tokugawa Art Museum doesn't have much in quantity of what is on display, it has nine items that are designated as national treasures which includes 12th century handscrolls. The items that have been passed down in the Owari Tokugawa family are nicely displayed with good English explanations. The 1500 yen admission is still a bit high though.
Written January 27, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ryanteo
Guangzhou, China7,737 contributions
May 2018 • Couples
This museum was opened in 1935 after being donated by the Tokugawa family. It has 10,000 artworks, eg. bequests, treasures, etc., with great variety, quality and thoughtful preservation.
There are 9 displays being designated as National Treasures, 59 objects being designated as Important Cultural Properties and 46 artworks selected as Important Art Objects.
A highly recommended attraction for historical and cultural followers.
Admission fee: 1400 yen
Open hours: 10 am to 5 pm (admission till 4:30 pm)
Closed: every Monday
(Open on Mondays that fall on National holiday, in which case it is closed on the following Tuesday. Also closed between late Dec and New Year period.)
There are 9 displays being designated as National Treasures, 59 objects being designated as Important Cultural Properties and 46 artworks selected as Important Art Objects.
A highly recommended attraction for historical and cultural followers.
Admission fee: 1400 yen
Open hours: 10 am to 5 pm (admission till 4:30 pm)
Closed: every Monday
(Open on Mondays that fall on National holiday, in which case it is closed on the following Tuesday. Also closed between late Dec and New Year period.)
Written June 7, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
geckopoo
Queensland, Australia715 contributions
Jan 2017
I was so looking forward to visiting this museum after doing research on things to do in Nagoya. As a history buff, the hype and information on the web was irresistible. With over 1000 historical items in their collection, including several suits of armour worn by Ieyasu Tokugawa himself, we thought wow this place is certainly worth checking out and scheduled a whole afternoon for it. How wrong we were.
At 1200¥ per person, I thought this place was overrated and overpriced. There's virtually nothing special about it. 5 huge rooms with about 10 to 20 items in each, very little English information on the labels (of course I can see it is a 'bowl' but what century is it from? Who owned it? I would not even call the labels basic, they were simply perfunctory). The English leaflets they foisted on us at the door (the ladies were definitely trying to help by rushing about getting them for us) were actually not that useful as they're exactly what we have read in the web already and only served as a general background to the theme of each room. As for the contents? Nada. Room 1 was supposed to be the armour and weapons of Tokugawa, well, only one full samurai suit of the 11th Tokugawa ruler in the 19th century, almost at the end of their reign, how useless and uninteresting is that? If you go on the web, they claim to have a number of Tokugawa Ieyasu's armour from the 17th century, so why didn't they put one out at least? That would have been an awesome and significant display. And only about 6 samurai swords (thankfully 4 were owned by Ieyasu himself so really really special). Room 2 was all about the Tea Ceremony, even then about 7 bowls and a full dining set, what the? These appear to be very very old too, from the 17th century, but meh, nothing in context for us. Who, what, why? We enjoyed Room 3 on the Noh theatre ,with 3 masks and 5 costumes and some musical instruments, at least we got to watch a short film of a Noh performance, quite interesting actually, although we much preferred the Kyogen plays, they're funny! The other rooms were basically of the same ilk, not much to look at and pretty generic labels. We even got lost and wandered into the library section which had a rather uninspiring display on Japanese script. Even the museum shop (often my favourite destination in museums) was hideously expensive I dared not pick up anything in case I dropped it and had to pay for it. Overall, we were pretty underwhelmed, especially as it also cost us to get a taxi to and from this place to the train station. Pity as all the staff there were really nice and friendly, albeit with basic English, it didn't make up for a truly disappointing visit.
At 1200¥ per person, I thought this place was overrated and overpriced. There's virtually nothing special about it. 5 huge rooms with about 10 to 20 items in each, very little English information on the labels (of course I can see it is a 'bowl' but what century is it from? Who owned it? I would not even call the labels basic, they were simply perfunctory). The English leaflets they foisted on us at the door (the ladies were definitely trying to help by rushing about getting them for us) were actually not that useful as they're exactly what we have read in the web already and only served as a general background to the theme of each room. As for the contents? Nada. Room 1 was supposed to be the armour and weapons of Tokugawa, well, only one full samurai suit of the 11th Tokugawa ruler in the 19th century, almost at the end of their reign, how useless and uninteresting is that? If you go on the web, they claim to have a number of Tokugawa Ieyasu's armour from the 17th century, so why didn't they put one out at least? That would have been an awesome and significant display. And only about 6 samurai swords (thankfully 4 were owned by Ieyasu himself so really really special). Room 2 was all about the Tea Ceremony, even then about 7 bowls and a full dining set, what the? These appear to be very very old too, from the 17th century, but meh, nothing in context for us. Who, what, why? We enjoyed Room 3 on the Noh theatre ,with 3 masks and 5 costumes and some musical instruments, at least we got to watch a short film of a Noh performance, quite interesting actually, although we much preferred the Kyogen plays, they're funny! The other rooms were basically of the same ilk, not much to look at and pretty generic labels. We even got lost and wandered into the library section which had a rather uninspiring display on Japanese script. Even the museum shop (often my favourite destination in museums) was hideously expensive I dared not pick up anything in case I dropped it and had to pay for it. Overall, we were pretty underwhelmed, especially as it also cost us to get a taxi to and from this place to the train station. Pity as all the staff there were really nice and friendly, albeit with basic English, it didn't make up for a truly disappointing visit.
Written April 6, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
John Maruyama
Calgary, Canada24 contributions
Apr 2019 • Solo
Museum houses artifacts from the Tokugawa Shogun era including a black armour suit, katana, wakizashi, and tanto. A very enjoyable walk back into history when samurai served their lords in Japan. Use the free Nagoya Guide service. No need to book expensive tours. Be sure to treat your English speaking guide to lunch or dinner as a small token of thanks.
Written April 15, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Belatu
Newcastle, Australia69 contributions
Apr 2014 • Couples
This was a nice mix of history and the traditional gardens. The peonies were in full bloom so the gardens were full of enthusiastic photographers and even a few sketch artists. Watching the pre school kids feed the Koi was interesting in itself. The museum was mostly swords and armour with some artifacts and lots of books and animated pieces. The exhibits were well marked in English so that helped. Special hint.... If you have a day travel pass for subway and bus you get a nice discount on the combined ticket.
Written April 23, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
paullings
Singapore, Singapore93 contributions
Nov 2013 • Family
It is the resting place for treasures belonging to the Owari Tokugawa family, whom the 1st Daimyo is Yoshinao Tokugawa (9th son of Tokugawa Ieyasu). The first thing that greets you will be the beautiful armor belonging to the Daimyo seated grandly on his stool, and surrounded by the wonderful swords of the era. Some dating back to the Kamakura era. On display will be various pieces of fixtures and furniture that the ruling family had used in various rooms, which includes a Noh theatre. They have one of the largest collection of poetry from the 38 immortal poets. Definitely worth a trip for those who enjoy these treasures that we do.
Written November 11, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bruce H
Brisbane Region, Australia78 contributions
Apr 2019 • Couples
The Museum has a wide selection of Samurai arms and armor as well as broader Japanese art. We learned that the Japanese take their culture and history very seriously and are rightly proud of their traditions. Nagoya is a beautiful place that needs longer than a few hours to inspect. It was worth the tour and gives us reason to visit again for a longer stay to immerse in the friendliness of the locals.
Written May 23, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
faithlu
Puerto Princesa, Philippines51 contributions
Aug 2018 • Couples
We were able to tour this museum for several hours and got alot of inspiration mainly from the structural built of the place. The rich history of the samurai in the early period of Japan brought insights to tourists such as myself. After touring around the building, we did stopped by a garden cafe few steps down the exit path. It was a unique experience
Written April 21, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Silvirin T
Singapore, Singapore57 contributions
Aug 2018 • Solo
Fascinated by the displays of Samurai armors and swords, there's other things like scrolls and household items as well..outside this building there's a beautiful garden on the right side of it.
Its best to allocate about 2hrs here so u can take your own sweet time to immerse yourself into the artifacts and strolling around in the garden.
Its best to allocate about 2hrs here so u can take your own sweet time to immerse yourself into the artifacts and strolling around in the garden.
Written October 24, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jacfrancoise
Singapore, Singapore40 contributions
Jan 2018 • Solo
This is a very well laid-out museum with clear explanations in English as well! From swords to artifacts and a section for the Genji Monogatari scroll, it is worth the trip. There is even a nice garden though we did not manage to complete walking around it as it was very cold in winter. The museum shop is great and I wish we could have spent more time there. There's a nice cafe and two restaurants to take a break at too!
Written February 23, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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