The 4th Cut – Browsing Tokyo Art Scene (Roppongi)

For a long time, Roppongi has been known as Gaijin (foreigner) town. Many foreigners would head for Hard Rock Café to buy their goods and go club hopping, where they could communicate in English most of the time. There are still lots of clubs and bars targeting foreign customers, but the city is changing. The opening of three big museums is quite a breakthrough. On the weekend, many art fans have started to rush to Roppongi!

◆Roppongi Art Triangle
Last few years three new museums have been opened in Roppongi. The area around these museums is now called the Roppongi Art Triangle and attracts many art fans from all over the world. After visiting one museum, don’t throw away your entrance ticket. If you have a ticket from one of these three museums, you can get a discount when visiting the other two museums. Here is a rundown of all three museums.

The National Art Center, Tokyo http://www.nact.jp/
They change their exhibitions almost every 2 months. While it varies from Aboriginal art to Picasso, it always focuses on old well-know painters, rather than young artists. The exterior of the museum is all glass and the neo-futuristic design is very impressive. The closest station is Nogizaka (C05, Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line).
Exit 6 has a direction connection to the museum (closed on Tuesdays).

The Suntory Museum of Art http://www.suntory.com/culture-sports/sma/
Designed by acclaimed architect, Kengo Kuma, this museum mainly exhibits old Japanese art. In the museum, there’s a space to hold tea ceremonies that is open to visitors. You can enjoy the ceremony while enjoying the beautiful sky view of Roppongi. The museum is located in the huge complex called Tokyo Midtown. From The Tokyo National Art Center turn left and walk straight down the narrow street in front of you. You can see Tokyo Midtown just ahead of you after 5 minutes (closed on Tuesdays).

The Mori Art Museum http://www.roppongihills.com/en/
They focus on contemporary art from all over the world. Their exhibitions are always exciting, and it’s one of the best museums in Tokyo to understand what’s happening now in the contemporary art world. To get to this museum from the Suntory Museum of Art, go out from the main exit and turn left, and turn right at Roppongi Crossing. After a few minutes walk, you can see the huge complex called “Roppongi Hills”. The Mori Art Museum is on the 53rd floor of this building and it’s open everyday.