Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum, Tokyo: A Visitor's Guide
Quick answer
- Mitsubishi Ichigokan is a red-brick art museum five minutes' walk from Tokyo Station's Marunouchi South Exit.
- From 17 October 2026 it shows Fontanesi, with adult tickets at ¥2,300 at the door and free entry for junior high students and under.
- It opens 10:00 to 18:00 and closes most Mondays and between exhibitions, so check the calendar first.
What Is the Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum?
The Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum is a mid-sized art museum in Marunouchi, set inside a red-brick copy of an 1894 office building, and it shows Western art of the late 19th and early 20th centuries in changing exhibitions. Of the art museums around Tokyo Station, it is the easiest to fit into a day, with a five-minute walk from the station, one or two hours inside, and a garden and café on the doorstep.
The original Ichigokan ("Building No. 1") was designed by the British architect Josiah Conder and finished in December 1894. It was the first Western-style office building in Marunouchi.
It was pulled down in 1968, and Mitsubishi Estate rebuilt it on the same plot from Conder's plans, finishing in 2009. The museum opened in April 2010 with a Manet exhibition.
What you see on a visit depends on the exhibition. The museum's own collection is strongest in French prints and drawings of the 1890s, including Toulouse-Lautrec, Odilon Redon and Félix Vallotton, and it has a sister-museum agreement with the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum in Albi, France.
What's On in 2026 and 2027
The next exhibition is Fontanesi, Italian Light and Landscapes of the Mind, from 17 October 2026 to 24 January 2027. Antonio Fontanesi was an Italian landscape painter who taught in Tokyo in the 1870s, at the first government art school, so the show links European painting to the start of Western-style painting in Japan.
A small-gallery display alongside it pairs his work with Japanese painters who followed him.
After that, the museum has announced Montmartre, Lautrec, Suzanne Valadon and the Lesser-Known Painters of Paris (provisional title) for 19 February to 23 May 2027.
| Exhibition | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fontanesi, Italian Light and Landscapes of the Mind | 17 Oct 2026 to 24 Jan 2027 | Some works change during the run |
| Montmartre (provisional title) | 19 Feb to 23 May 2027 | Details still to be announced |
Between exhibitions the whole museum closes. In October 2026 it is shut until the Fontanesi opening on the 17th, and there will be another gap between late January and mid-February 2027.
Before you plan a day around it, check the exhibition page and the calendar on the official site.
Ticket Prices and How to Buy
For the Fontanesi exhibition, adult tickets are ¥2,300 at the door and ¥2,100 online, and junior high school students and younger are free. Prices change with every exhibition, so treat these as the October 2026 figures.
| Ticket | At the museum | Online |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | ¥2,300 | ¥2,100 |
| University student | ¥1,300 | ¥1,000 |
| High school student | ¥1,000 | Not listed |
| Junior high and under | Free | Free |
Families should know these details.
- Children still need a ticket. Junior high students and under are free, but you collect a free ticket at the ticket desk.
- Online tickets are sold through the museum's ticketing site and need a free account. Buying online saves ¥200 per adult and lets you skip the counter at busy times.
- Magic Hour ticket. On the second Wednesday of the month, entry from 17:00 is ¥1,600, sold at the counter only.
- Student tickets need proof of student status at the door.
- Visitors with a disability certificate pay half price, and one companion enters free.
Opening Hours and Closed Days
The museum opens 10:00 to 18:00, with last entry 30 minutes before closing. It stays open until 20:00 on Fridays (not holidays), on the second Wednesday of the month, and on weekdays in the final week of an exhibition.
It is closed on Mondays, except when Monday is a public holiday, the last Monday of the month (a "Talk Free Day", when quiet conversation is allowed in the galleries), or a Monday in an exhibition's final week. During Fontanesi, the museum lists extra open Mondays on 26 October, 30 November, 28 December 2026 and 18 January 2027, and closes on 31 December and 1 January.
The quietest time is a weekday morning soon after 10:00. The last week of a popular exhibition, and weekend afternoons, are the busiest.
How to Get There from Tokyo Station
The museum is about 5 minutes' walk (350 m) from the Marunouchi South Exit of JR Tokyo Station. Walk out of the red-brick station building and head south-west past the Marunouchi office towers.
The low brick museum stands out among the glass buildings.
| From | Exit | Walk |
|---|---|---|
| JR Tokyo Station | Marunouchi South Exit | About 5 min |
| Nijubashimae (Chiyoda Line) | Exit 1 | About 3 min |
| Hibiya (Mita Line) | Exit B7 | About 3 min |
| JR Yurakucho | International Forum exit | About 6 min |
With a stroller or wheelchair, there is a step-free underground route with lifts from Tokyo Station and the Chiyoda and Mita line stations, which also keeps you dry in the rain. On Sundays the Marunouchi Underground South gate is closed, so use the Central gate instead.
For the station itself, lifts, lockers and which exit is which, see our Tokyo Station guide. The red-brick station building you walk out of is covered in our Tokyo Station Marunouchi Building guide.
Café 1894 and the Museum Shop
Café 1894 fills the restored former banking hall of the original building, with high ceilings, dark wood and tall windows. It serves lunch from 11:00 to 14:30, then coffee and cake until 17:00, and dinner until 23:00.
Lunch sets cost from about ¥2,800 and include bread and a drink. The café has its own entrance on the opposite side from the museum door, so you can eat there without an exhibition ticket.
It closes on irregular days and is busy at weekday lunch with office workers, so book online for a fixed time, or go after 13:30.
Store 1894, the museum shop, sells exhibition goods, art books and design gifts. Postcards, notebooks and small prints from the current exhibition make souvenirs that are easy to pack.
Ichigokan Square and Brick Square
The garden in front of the museum, Ichigokan Square, is free and open to everyone, and small children usually prefer it to the galleries. It has a fountain, lawns, flower beds and outdoor sculptures, with benches under the trees.
Around the garden, the Marunouchi Brick Square building has cafés and shops, so it is an easy place for a snack break before or after the galleries.
Is It Good for Kids?
It suits children who can enjoy an hour of paintings, and it makes a short, easy stop for families, but it is not built for young children. There is no children's area, the galleries are small and quiet, and photography inside is not allowed, which older children sometimes find frustrating.
These points help.
- Junior high students and under are free, so parents can try it without paying for the whole family.
- One hour is enough. Look at the exhibition first, then let the children run in the garden.
- Weekday mornings are the calmest. Avoid the final week of an exhibition.
- For hands-on museums, the National Museum of Nature and Science in Ueno is a better fit for younger children.
Our guide to things to do in Tokyo with kids lists more places by age.
Half a Day Around Marunouchi
The museum sits in a compact area where everything is within a 10-minute walk, so it pairs well with a few other stops.
KITTE Garden
The free rooftop garden of the KITTE building looks straight down on the red-brick Tokyo Station. Details are in our KITTE Marunouchi guide.
The Imperial Palace
The Imperial Palace Outer Garden is under 10 minutes' walk west. Our Imperial Palace guide explains the East Gardens' opening days and the view of Nijubashi bridge.
Tokyo Station Itself
Character Street and Ramen Street under Tokyo Station make an easy lunch or rainy-day stop for children.
If you would like a Marunouchi morning planned around your family, with the walking, lunch and breaks worked out, our private Tokyo tour with kids can build it in. You can also see all our tours in Tokyo.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How long do you need at the Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum?
-
Allow 1 to 1.5 hours for an exhibition, and about 2 hours if you add Café 1894 or a walk in the garden. With young children, plan about an hour inside.
- Can you take photos inside?
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No. Photography and video are not allowed in the galleries, although the rules can differ for a particular exhibition. The garden, the brick exterior and Café 1894 are fine to photograph.
- Is there a permanent collection on display?
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Not as a fixed gallery. The museum shows its own collection, strong in Toulouse-Lautrec, Redon and Vallotton, inside its changing exhibitions and small-gallery displays.
- Are children free?
-
Yes. Junior high school students and younger enter free, but each child needs a free ticket from the ticket desk.
- Is the museum open every day?
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No. It is closed most Mondays, on 31 December and 1 January, and while one exhibition is taken down and the next is set up. Check the official calendar before you go.
Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum
Address
2 Chome-6-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda City, Tokyo
Nearest station
Tokyo Station (Shinkansen / Tokaido / Yokosuka / Sobu / Keihin-Tohoku / Yamanote / Chuo / Keiyo / Ueno-Tokyo / Tokyo Metro Marunouchi)
Sources
https://mimt.jp/ex_sp/fontanesi/
https://mimt.jp/guide/
https://mimt.jp/ticket/
https://mimt.jp/access/
https://mimt.jp/english/about/
https://mimt.jp/cafe1894/
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