National Art Center Tokyo: Hours, Tickets & 2026 Shows

Here are the admission fees and exhibition schedule for the National Art Center Tokyo.

The building and its public spaces are free to walk around, while the special exhibitions each charge their own admission.

What the National Art Center Tokyo Is

The National Art Center Tokyo is not only a place to see exhibitions. The architecture and the cafes are reasons to visit in their own right, and it is one of Roppongi's main cultural landmarks.

It opened in 2007 as a national art museum. Rather than showing a permanent collection of its own, it works as an art center running special exhibitions, open-call shows and education programs. With 12 galleries and about 14,000㎡ of exhibition space, several shows often run at the same time.

The building was designed by the architect Kisho Kurokawa together with Nihon Sekkei. The wave-shaped glass curtain wall built on a "museum in the forest" concept, the cone-shaped main entrance and the wide sunlit atrium are the things people come to see. Walking through the space alone feels different from an ordinary exhibition visit.

Salon de Thé Rond, the second-floor cafe that sits on top of the inverted cone in the atrium, appears in the film "Your Name." in the scene where Taki and Okudera-senpai go on a date. It is well known to travelers looking for anime locations and unusual interior architecture, not only to exhibition-goers.

The National Art Center Tokyo has three cafes including Salon de Thé Rond, plus one restaurant. You can use the cafes and restaurant without seeing an exhibition, so a visit built only around the architecture and a coffee works too.

2026 Exhibitions and Admission

The headline special exhibition at the National Art Center Tokyo in summer 2026 is "Picasso meets Paul Smith: Into an Adventure of Play".

Rather than lining Picasso's works up in the usual way, the British designer Paul Smith has composed the whole space with color and pattern. Built around the collection of the Musée national Picasso-Paris, it walks through Picasso's work from his early years to his last in a loose chronological order.

It is an international touring exhibition based on "Picasso Celebration: The Collection in a New Light!", the show held at the Musée national Picasso-Paris in 2023 for the 50th anniversary of Picasso's death, so you get the works and Paul Smith's staging of the space together.

✅ Picasso exhibition schedule

✅ Do you need a reservation for the Picasso exhibition?

There is no mandatory reservation system with a fixed date and entry time. You can buy a same-day ticket at the museum ticket counter or online.

➡️ Check the official ticket sellers for the Picasso exhibition

✅ The Louvre Museum Exhibition: Renaissance, from September

From September 9, 2026, "The Louvre Museum Exhibition: Renaissance" opens in Special Exhibition Gallery 1E.

The Picasso exhibition runs until September 21, so between September 9 and 21 you can see both on the same day. They are separate paid special exhibitions, each needing its own ticket.

※ A date-and-time reservation system is planned for December 7-13.

National Art Center Tokyo FAQ

Q. Can one ticket cover both the Picasso and the Louvre exhibition?

A. No. The Picasso exhibition and the Louvre Museum Exhibition are separate paid special exhibitions, so each needs its own ticket. Between September 9 and 21, 2026, when both are running, you can see them on the same day, but you have to buy the tickets separately.

Q. Can I leave a suitcase or travel bag at the museum?

A. There are lockers in several places inside the museum. For large suitcases or luggage that will not fit in a locker, ask at the first-floor information desk.

Q. Can I take photos inside the galleries?

A. Whether you can photograph the works depends on the exhibition. Even in an exhibition that allows it there may be restrictions on individual works, so check the signs at the gallery entrance and beside the works. Tripods cannot be used.

Q. Can I visit with a child or bring a stroller in?

A. Infants and toddlers can come in and you can bring a stroller. The first-floor information desk also lends strollers. At busy times, though, stroller use inside the galleries may be restricted for safety.

Q. Is there parking at the National Art Center Tokyo?

A. There is no visitor parking at the National Art Center Tokyo. If you come by car you will need to use a nearby paid car park such as Tokyo Midtown, and since the museum connects directly to Nogizaka Station, public transport is easiest.

Q. Can I get a discount with a Mori Art Museum or Suntory Museum of Art ticket?

A. The National Art Center Tokyo, the Suntory Museum of Art and the Mori Art Museum run the Roppongi Art Triangle discount. Show a ticket for a participating exhibition currently running and you get a discount at the other museums; an already-used paper ticket is accepted too. The participating exhibitions and the discount amount can change, and it cannot be combined with other discounts.

The National Art Center Tokyo is a place where you can enjoy the rippling glass architecture, the sunlit atrium and the cafes alongside the exhibitions.

Check the exhibition schedule for the time you are visiting as well. A moment in front of a work, or in the space itself, can stay in your memory of the trip for a long time.

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