Sumida Hokusai Museum

The basics

The Sumida Hokusai Museum’s permanent gallery exhibits replicas of Hokusai’s woodblock prints alongside detailed information (in Japanese and English) about his life and work in the Discover Hokusai Education Room. Hokusai’s original works are displayed during rotating temporary exhibitions, which are held on the museum’s second and third floors. Tokyo walking tours focused on culture and the Ryogoku district often include a visit to the Sumida Hokusai Museum along with other nearby attractions, such as the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum and Kokugikan Sumo Stadium.

Things to know before you go

• Temporary exhibitions incur an additional fee on top of general admission.

• The museum is wheelchair-accessible, and visitors with disabilities can enter the Discover Hokusai room for free.

• The museum store sells Hokusai reproductions, books, and locally made items.

How to get there

The closest subway station to the Sumida Hokusai Museum is the Ryogoku station on the Toei Oedo Line: it’s a 5-minute walk from exit A3. Visitors using the JR railway can take the JR Sobu Line to Ryoguku station, from where it’s around 10 minutes on foot from the station’s east exit.

When to get there

The Sumida Hokusai Museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from morning until early evening. It is closed on Mondays, and on some national holidays. Mornings are typically quietest at the museum, before groups arrive.

More Sumida museums

A number of worthwhile museums and galleries are within a short walk of the Sumida Hokusai Museum. The most notable is the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum (closed for renovations until 2026), which illustrates the history of Tokyo (formerly called Edo). The Japanese Sword Museum (Token Hakubutsukan) explores the nation’s feudal history, and the Sumo Museum (Nihon Sumo Kyokai) offers insight into the national sport.