Tokyo National Museum, Ueno: free English audio guide

The Tokyo National Museum is Japan's oldest museum, which grew out of an exhibition held in 1872 and opened in Ueno in 1882. Walk from the main gate through the Honkan to the Horyuji Treasures gallery with this free audio guide in your earphones: stories, hidden spots and things to look for at each stop.

Tokyo National Museum, Ueno audio guideFor earphones, as you walk (10 tracks)

PochikaYour guide around Tokyo

Sagi-senseiTemples, gardens and history

ChunOld town, shops and festivals

KasukeHidden spots and surprises

▶ Play from the startNext ▶▶

1. WelcomePochika
2. How the museum beganSagi-sensei
3. The tulip tree and a shared birthdayChun
4. The HonkanKasuke
5. Second floor, Rooms one to tenSagi-sensei
6. The Hyokeikan lionsKasuke
7. The Black Gate and the Horyuji TreasuresSagi-sensei
8. Time for a breakChun
9. The garden and its teahousesSagi-sensei
10. GoodbyePochika

Keeps playing with the screen off. It stops after each spot: when you arrive at the next one, tap “Next” or ▶▶ on your lock screen. Voices: Kokoro (open-source text-to-speech)

Visiting info

Checked on 2026-10-27 against the official pages. Hours can change; please check the official page before you go.

Transcript

1. Welcome (Pochika)

Welcome to the Tokyo National Museum, the oldest museum in Japan! I'm Pochika, your guide. It holds about one hundred and twenty thousand objects, including eighty-nine National Treasures. It opens at nine thirty and closes at five, or at eight on Fridays and Saturdays. It is closed on Mondays. Adults pay one thousand yen, and anyone under eighteen, or seventy and over, gets in free. Let's start right here, inside the main gate.

2. How the museum began (Sagi-sensei)

I'm Sagi-sensei. This museum began with an exhibition. In March 1872, the Ministry of Education held Japan's first exhibition at Yushima Seido, a hall not far from here. That is counted as the museum's founding. Ten years later, on March 20, 1882, the museum opened here in Ueno, in a brick building designed by the British architect Josiah Conder. Emperor Meiji came that very day, and March 20 is still the museum's birthday. This land, by the way, once belonged to Kan'eiji Temple.

3. The tulip tree and a shared birthday (Chun)

Hi, I'm Chun! Look at the big tree just inside the main gate, on the left. It's a tulip tree, the museum's symbol tree. Here's a fun one. On the same day the museum opened in Ueno, Japan's first zoo opened too. Today's Ueno Zoo started as part of the museum! So the two share a birthday. And the museum's mascot, Tohaku-kun, is based on a Dancing Haniwa, a clay figure dug up in Kumagaya, Saitama.

4. The Honkan (Kasuke)

Hey, I'm Kasuke. Straight ahead is the Honkan, the main building. Conder's brick building was badly damaged in the great earthquake of 1923. This one was finished in 1937, based on Watanabe Jin's winning design. See the tiled roof on a concrete building? That's called the Imperial Crown style. It took about five years and some nine hundred thousand workers. Its push-button system to lock the whole building, and its air conditioning, were described as a first among the world's museums at the time.

5. Second floor, Rooms one to ten (Sagi-sensei)

Climb the grand staircase to the second floor. Rooms one to ten walk you through Japanese art in order, from the Jomon period to the Edo period. One loop takes about thirty minutes. Don't miss Room two, the National Treasure room. It shows just one National Treasure, changed about once a month. One work, all to yourself. The displays here change every four to eight weeks, so each visit is likely a little different. Afterwards, the first floor has themed rooms, like sculpture in Room eleven and lacquer in Room twelve.

6. The Hyokeikan lions (Kasuke)

Kasuke again. This domed building is the Hyokeikan, the oldest gallery building here. It opened in 1909 and was designed by Katayama Tokuma. He also designed the main hall of the Nara National Museum. The Hyokeikan opens only for special exhibitions, but look at the entrance. Two lions sit on either side, finished in 1908. One has its mouth open, and one has it closed. This pair is called a-un. You can see them any time.

7. The Black Gate and the Horyuji Treasures (Sagi-sensei)

On the way to the Horyuji Treasures gallery, look for the Black Gate. It was the main gate of the Edo residence of the Ikeda lords of Tottori, and it came to the museum in 1954. Now, why are treasures from Horyuji, a temple in Nara, kept in Tokyo? After the Meiji Restoration, the temple lost its lands and struggled to look after them. In 1878 they were donated to the imperial household, and in 1947 they moved here. Inside, look for the forty-eight small gilt-bronze Buddhas.

8. Time for a break (Chun)

Chun here! Feeling tired? On the ground floor of the Horyuji Treasures gallery there's a cafe, the Garden Terrace. It's a nice place to rest. The building itself was designed by Taniguchi Yoshio and opened in 1999. If you still have energy, the Toyokan has Asian art, and the Heiseikan has archaeology. And here's a tip. The Kuroda Memorial Hall, built following the will of the painter Kuroda Seiki, is free. No ticket needed!

9. The garden and its teahouses (Sagi-sensei)

Behind the Honkan is a garden that opens only in spring and autumn. It has five teahouses, and every one of them was moved here from somewhere else. Rokusoan was built at Kofukuji Temple in Nara. Tengoan was built in Kyoto by the tea master Kobori Enshu. Okyokan has ink paintings said to be by Maruyama Okyo, now shown as replicas. In spring, about ten kinds of cherry bloom here. In autumn, look for yellow ginkgo and red maples reflected in the pond. And look for the gravestones of the Arima family. No one knows why they were left behind.

10. Goodbye (Pochika)

That's the end of the Tokyo National Museum guide. Thanks for walking with us! If you have time, the National Museum of Western Art is right here in Ueno Park. Its main building was designed by Le Corbusier, so you can compare Japanese and Western art in a single day. Check Kyochika for events near your next stop. See you again!

FAQ

Is the audio guide free?

Yes, completely free. No app and no sign-up: just open this page in your phone browser and press play.

Where does the tour start?

Just inside the main gate, about 10 minutes on foot from JR Ueno Station (Park Exit). The tracks follow the walk through the Honkan, past the Hyokeikan and the Black Gate to the Horyuji Treasures gallery, and end with the garden behind the Honkan. Each track stops at the end, so tap “Next” when you reach the next spot.

When is it closed?

Mondays (if Monday is a holiday, open that day and closed the next). Year-end closure December 26–31, 2026. Temporarily closed December 15, 2026; December 22–25 only the Horyuji Treasures gallery and Kuroda Memorial Hall are open

Sources

• Tokyo National Museum: Access, Admission & Hours (Japanese, official)
• 文化遺産オンライン「旧東京帝室博物館本館」 (Japanese)
• 大林組「旧東京帝室博物館本館」 (Japanese)
• ニッポン旅マガジン「3月20日は東京国立博物館開館記念日」 (Japanese)
• ニッポン旅マガジン「阿吽のライオン像（東京国立博物館・表慶館）」 (Japanese)
• ウォーカープラス「東京国立博物館の楽しみ方」 (Japanese)
• コトバンク「四十八体仏」 (Japanese)
• 東京国立博物館「庭園散策マップ2024」（PDF） (Japanese)
• ことりっぷ「東京国立博物館」 (Japanese)
• ニッポン旅マガジン「東京国立博物館」 (Japanese)
• Japan Guide: Tokyo National Museum
• ジョルダン「博物館でお花見を」2025 (Japanese)
• ウォーカープラス「東京国立博物館の紅葉」 (Japanese)

This page in Japanese