YAYOI KUSAMA Museum

Better make reservation in advance. The museum itself was rather small, yet each floor came with a little surprise. All in all, it’s a nice place for fans or others. It takes about 30 minutes to experience the whole thing.

I went in expecting polka dots (and got them), but what really stuck with me were the early paintings from the ’50s, quietly intense and beautifully obsessive. The whole space is tightly curated, almost clinical, but it works in Kusama’s world. The timed entry and no-photos rules felt a bit rigid, they did help keep things calm. A thoughtful little shrine to a truly singular artist.

For the most part, you can’t take photos inside the exhibit. Overall, it was nice but small. You’ll get to see an inside look of how her process is— however it was everything I knew from reading about her. It was nice to visit and pay homage to the amazing artist, but small and kinda underwhelming. If you have a local exhibit or pop up, it may be more worthwhile to save your time.

This was one of the most anticipated visits we had planned while in Tokyo. While it’s always great to see her work, this gallery is very small and limited. There are not very many works. We assumed that Tokyo would have a much more complete gallery of her work, but it’s ultimately disappointing.

If you are an art and psychology enthusiast you will love her works. I am one and I enjoyed the museum and it took me an hour to go through everything with reading all the texts. There’s also a book section where you can read books about her which I loved. However the collection is very small. It’s a museum that updates its works frequently and I just wish that there was a way to see a wider range of her work instead of the current exhibition. I can see how it can be a let down for some. We booked the day before and we got tickets.

While this venue is consistently sold out, you must reserve tickets online well in advance, which is inconvenient since you can't simply purchase a ticket and enter. As a huge fan of her artwork, I found this to be a tourist trap—the vast majority of visitors are foreigners, with very few locals or Japanese people visiting this particular location. The museum is situated in a less-than-ideal area and is remarkably small with limited exhibits. It was extremely disappointing, as I had expected much more. The space is tiny and doesn't justify the ticket price—you'll be in and out quickly. While I love her work, I would hardly call this a "museum" per se ; it's more like a small showroom. I recommend skipping this place if you're on a short trip to Tokyo,as the city offers much better attractions. For those seeking substantial, authentic museums, consider exploring Ueno instead. Even the building's exterior is underwhelming—the design was disappointing and fell far short of my expectations.

I've been to my fair share of art museums, and while those were all still wonderful, this one stands apart to me. As an abstract artist myself, I don't often find art that reminds me of my own, but from the moment I entered, I knew it was something else. The reception area was calm and elegant but quite welcoming and enticing with two large inflatable sculptures of Yayoi Kusama herself and her dog. Once I climbed the stairs to the 2nd floor, it began to hit even harder. The exhibit is simple in design because the art speaks for itself. Each piece was a new and different story speaking its own language. With ample descriptions explaining some of her life, the pieces held that much mor gravitas. By the time you get to the third floor with some of her signature pieces, you really begin to feel yourself melt into it all. By the end I was a different person entirely. Yayoi calls it "Self Obliteration". Without spoiling too much , I can definitely say you won't regret seeing this. Its changed my life and I hope it will do the same for you.

Got great insight into Kusama's life, the space is small and collection is limited so reduced one star for it, but they have utilized and curated the exhibitions really well. Definitely a must visit for art afficionados. Hands off to the polite, hard working and sweet staff at the museum

We were so excited about visiting this museum, but was disappointed, like other yelpers. Museum was not easy to get to, small and was really expecting to see more of her work. We walked a good 15-20 mins from the station. We started from the rooftop and made our way down. The rooftop had a cool pumpkin. Another level had one infinite room. 2 levels of art. We've seen bigger art displays the US.

I'm not understanding these other low-star reviews. My experience was to the contrary because of how incredible I thought the breadth of works showcased were. I suppose some people may be expecting Infinity Room after Infinity Room, but that's just one facet of a career that's spanned nearly 8 decades! The museum is situated in a part of Tokyo that was definitely a ways from any of the other activities we had planned, so the trip to this museum was strictly to see this attraction. It was great to be in a neighborhood that wasn't itself a tourist draw. You got to catch a glimpse of people just going about their daily lives and that in and of itself, was a great plus before even reaching the museum. Prior to visiting, you should pre-purchase your tickets. They are timed and the day we visited, there was a sign on the door saying they had no open slots, only pre-purchased tickets would be allowed entry. Upon walking in, you get to take in the beautiful, clean architecture that serve as the back drop for Kusama's works. You view the collections as you ascend the different floors. Each floor has a different time period correlating to the works displayed. The works span across an eight decade career as well as different media. This was especially incredible to take in, because she has such a mastery of composition in a 2-D manner, that it really blows you away when you see the correlation between those works and her installations. You get a beautiful sense of her evolution as an artist and a sense of just how groundbreaking and innovative she's been. Overall, this is a must see if you are into Kusama's art. However, please be aware that the best way to enjoy is to take the journey slow, and read the placards that illuminate the evolution of her art. It's a journey that is absolutely worth it. My appreciation for Yayoi Kusama's work grew even more after visiting her museum and it was one of the top 5 favorite things we did on our 2-week travel through Japan. Kusama's genius is undeniable, and the time spent at this museum was a great way to dive deeper into such a prodigious and glorious career!

This was such a nice short museum it has artwork that is really fun to look at we bought our tickets online and I say 30-45 mins is enough time

Opened in 2017, the museum is home to some of the finest works of Yayoi Kusama. Tickets cost ￥1000 per person and allow you to roam freely between the five floors available. As others have mentioned, you must reserve your tickets online prior to your visit and they run over a few different time slots. The museum offers insights to the artist's background and an in-depth look into the different stages of her creative world. Visitors are prohibited from taking photos on the second and third levels but are encouraged to snap away on the fourth and fifth. While the museum dwarfs in size when compared to others like Nezu and Metropolitan, it remains the one and only Kusama Yayoi focused museum in the world. To make your journey worth while, you can add a few more stops along the way. Within five minute walking distance, you'll find the Natsume Soseki Memorial Museum, dedicated to the famed novelist Natsume Soseki. Want to take a stroll in a local university campus? Head down to Waseda University for that little afternoon walk. There are plenty of things to do in the Waseda neighborhood~

The museum is probably closer to 3.5 but it was a bit of a let down if I am completely honest. I think the part that makes it the most disappointing is the need to buy tickets several weeks in advance. Yes, they are only around $10 USD, but this notion led me to believe this museum would be amazing. And amazing would be a far stretch. First) it is not easy to get to. At all. We walked about 40 minutes because this was the easiest option for us and it was a decently nice day. (Albeit a little rainy). Transportation wise, you would need to rent a car or order an uber. not sure it is worth that. The museum is about 5 floors. They don't let you in until 5-10 minutes before your 90 minute time slot begins. However, 90 minutes is unnecessarily long. We got through in about 35 and we sat on the 5th floor for awhile. You must take the stairs up, and the elevator down to avoid traffic jams. The stairs are very narrow. No photos allowed on the 2nd or 3rd floor. Which is fine because nothing too great was here. There was an infinity ladder which was cool to see. No infinity rooms however. The pumpkin on the 5h floor was beautiful. And there was a nice view of the city. All in all though, nothing too great to write home about if you will.

This "museum" honestly deserves zero stars. It is not a worth the cost of the transportation to the random area of Shinjuku where it's located. We saw the traveling "Infinity Mirrors" exhibition in Seattle last summer and were blown away by the "rooms." There are NO infinity rooms installed at this location, so don't go in with an expectation to get that immersive experience. That being said, this museum doesn't contain even a quarter of the work that is on display in the traveling exhibition. It's basically 4 floors, 2 of which don't permit pictures, and the top floor space consists of one sculpture plus a small selection of books that feature Kusama's works. The entire place is insultingly light on content - you could motor through here in less than 30 minutes. The 90 minute time limit that you're allotted with your entry is triple the amount of time you need, IF you get snookered into booking tickets over a month in advance/shelling out for an expensive boondoggle of a cab ride. Not worth your time (the tickets are inexpensive for a reason!).

Beyond disappointed. Maybe it's our fault for not looking it up before going but we were expecting more being that this is the japan location. My friend and I were in japan for 2 weeks and this was one of the experiences we were most looking forward to since we've seen the infinity mirror room all over social media. Well let me tell you, this location DOES NOT HAVE THE INFINITY MIRROR ROOM. In fact, they don't have much of anything. It's 4 floors in total and the most interesting part part to me was the elevator to be honest. They say you need 1.5 hours to get through it but it took us 20 minutes. The location is not ideal either, we spent $40 for transportation to get there. Waste of time and money. Be warned.

Decided to visit the museum at the request of a friend. You need to buy tickets online at least 90 minutes prior to your requested time slot. They won't take walk ins. The museum itself is relatively small and seems uniquely placed within a small town between homes and small shops. However it stands out at one of the more modern buildings in the area. When you walk in you are greeted by the staff who are multi lingual for those who don't speak Japanese. The exhibit is on the 2nd to 4th floors with various art works and sculpture places throughout. Photos are not allowed of the art work and sculptures but there are a few that will allow to be photographed. On the 4th floor there is a small exhibit room which is completely dark and patrons are able to view it for a maximum of 2 minutes where photos are permitted. On the roof there is a nice view from a glass balcony with one lone sculpture. At this time it was a pumpkin as that was the theme. I visited at sunset and it seemed to make the ambiance that much more pleasing. Definitely recommend if you're into art work and all that jazz.

In summer 2017, there was a big Kusama exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum that the whole city went nuts over -- huge lines, tickets selling out daily, etc. So when I learned that there was going to be a brand-new Kusama museum opening right when I was going to Tokyo, you better believe I jumped on it! First things first: you MUST plan ahead. Tickets go on sale the first day of the month for the following month (i.e., Sept. 1 for the month of October), and right now they're only letting 200 people per day in. If you have your heart set on going, calculate the time difference, park yourself at a computer, and get ready to pounce on those tickets! You are not going to be able to get tix at the door. Now to the museum itself. It's in Shinjuku, and there are transit options, but it's not necessarily close to a lot of other stuff. Tickets are timed, and you'll want to get there close to the time on your ticket, as it's only good for a 90-minute slot. You start at the ground floor, take the stairs up to each floor, and then use the escalator to come back down. There are five floors, but each is more like a room. The ground floor is the lobby and a small gift shop. The second floor has black-and-white paintings, the third floor has color paintings, and the fourth floor has one infinity room. If you saw the U.S. exhibition, you'll be pleasantly surprised: you get two whole minutes in there and you can take pictures! Otherwise, photography is not allowed inside. The fifth floor is the roof and has a large mosaic tile pumpkin, but it was closed on our visit because of the rain. Oh, and do visit the bathroom, which is covered in polka-dotted mirrors and makes for excellent selfies! Because it's small and each group is only 50 people, it doesn't feel crowded or rushed, and you can go into the infinity room multiple times. Even so, we were done after 30 minutes or so, and even with looking in the gift shop, we were only there about 45 minutes. Is that worth $10 to you? You'll have to decide. Overall, I don't regret going because it was such a unique opportunity, but I doubt I would go again. They do plan to change up the exhibits, so maybe if there were more infinity rooms or sculptures, I'd be more interested. But if you're a die-hard Kusama fan or want the bragging rights and selfies, go for it!

Look into the museum before you show up or else you may be disappointed. The museum is 5 stories, but like one room on each floor kind of stories. It's very small (must take stairs up, elevator down) and you're pretty limited to how you explore the space. No photos on certain floors and a time limit on your visit (but don't worry, we finished up WAY before that limit). It's the only museum in the world that has only Yayoi-san exhibits, but it's signficantly smaller than the collections you'll find at other larger museums. There is no "infinity room" if you're looking for that. The museum is a little bit of a hassle to get to and isn't near much other touristy spots. You can walk around Waseda University or walk by the mental hospital Yayoi-san lives at? But nothing else. Tickets are limited and you MUST buy them weeks in advance online. There are no tickets sold at the door, they will not let you in before/after your scheduled time. Priced at approx $10. The gift shop is small and there isn't much sold that's affordable, haha.

As much as my family loves Kusama's work, we were underwhelmed by this museum. It's quite small, and it doesn't have a big selection of her major works. There also isn't much in the way of biographical information. After visiting, I watched the documentary about her, and was fascinated. The Museum didn't give me any sense of her life story. It's pleasant enough and it won't take up much of your time, but I think you can skip it. Try to go to Naoshima Island instead!

Interesting museum. The black and white artwork looks like children's art, the colored art is more sophisticated and complex to draw. The infinity box is quite cool - set up your camera's ISO properly before going in as you have 2 minutes in the room. You likely won't use all 90 minutes here.

Not worth the trek to the suburbs. I can count the number of pieces with my hands. There isn't even an Infinity Room.

This museum is smaller than expected-- however the collection of work was unique and interesting even to someone without an art degree. The "experience" rooms were by far my favorite.