This summer, several of Tokyo’s most prestigious museums will be extending their opening hours on Friday. Dubbed the Summer Night Museum 2024, the event sees five art and cultural institutions – Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo and Tokyo Shibuya Koen-dori Gallery – opening until 8pm or 9pm on Fridays from July 18 to August 30.
That’s not all. You can also expect reduced admission fees after 5pm (or free for students in certain cases), plus a host of evening programmes and activities to help you make the most of the long summer days. The museum shops and restaurants, likewise, will open late on those Fridays.
Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum
Friday opening hours extended until 8pm
Enjoy ¥200 discount to the exhibition ‘The Whispering Land: Artists in Correspondence with Nature’ after 5pm (students get in for free) on July 26 as well as August 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30. There will also be 5 percent discount at the museum restaurants after 5.30pm every Friday during the event period.
Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum
Friday opening hours extended to 9pm from July 19 to August 30
Adults can enter the ‘Takehisa Yumeji: Taisho Romanticism and the New World’ exhibition for ¥1,120 instead of ¥1,400 after 5pm on July 19 and 26 as well as August 2, 9, 16 and 23. It’s free for students, however, and ¥560 for senior citizens 65 years and older.
The museum’s beautiful garden is also open at night, and entry is included in your exhibition ticket. Otherwise, on Fridays during the event period, garden-only admission is free for students, or ¥160 (regular ¥200) for adults and ¥80 for seniors aged 65 and above.
Tokyo Photographic Art Museum
Late opening on Thursday and Friday until 9pm from July 18 to August 30
There will be several exhibitions running concurrently at the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum in Ebisu, including ‘Imamori Mitsuhiko Satoyama’, ‘TOP Collection: The Resonance of Seeing', ‘Wonder Mt Fuji’ and ‘The Light and Movement House with 100 Stories’.
After 5pm on the above mentioned dates, adult admission will be reduced by 20 percent while students can enter for free.
Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo
Friday opening hours extended until 9pm from August 9 to August 30
Every Friday after 5pm during the abovementioned period, you’ll enjoy 20 percent discount on these exhibitions: ‘A Personal View of Japanese Contemporary Art: Takahashi Ryutaro Collection’, 'Yoshiaki Kaihatsu: Art is Live' and ‘MOT Collection’. Students with valid ID, of course, will be able to enter for free.
Tokyo Shibuya Koen-dori Gallery
Friday opening hours extended until 9pm from July 19 until August 30
With the late opening on Fridays during the abovementioned period, you'll receive a special sticker when visiting the exhibition ‘Imagining the Unseen Everyday’ after 5pm. Admission is always free, even outside the event period.
Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum
For two nights on August 3 and 4, the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum will be decked out with beautiful lanterns after dark. You’ll be able to stroll around its atmospheric premises studded with heritage and historical buildings until 8.30pm.
For more information about Summer Night Museum, check the event website.
This article was originally published on July 6 2023 and updated on July 16 2024.
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