SOMPO Museum of Art — Attraction in Tokyo

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A hidden gem for art lovers in Shinjuku

Located just steps from Shinjuku Station, the SOMPO Museum of Art offers a peaceful and well-curated escape from the city's energetic pace. The gallery itself is compact and modern, but thoughtfully designed — making the most of its space to highlight both Western masterpieces and rotating exhibitions.

The permanent highlight is clearly Vincent van Gogh’s “Sunflowers”, which is beautifully preserved and presented with excellent lighting and background information in both Japanese and English. Seeing this work in person is a rare and humbling experience.

When I visited, the featured temporary exhibition focused on post-impressionist landscapes, with bilingual descriptions that were informative without overwhelming. The museum staff were polite and helpful, and the entire venue was impressively quiet and clean — ideal for reflecting on the art without distractions.

💡 Pro Tips:

Buy your ticket online in advance to skip the small queue.

Don’t miss the upper floor, where the permanent collection resides.

Allow 60–90 minutes to enjoy everything at a relaxed pace.

🎨 Overall, SOMPO Museum of Art is not large, but it is rich in quality and heart. A great stop for anyone looking to inject a bit of calm beauty into their Tokyo itinerary.

📍 SOMPO Museum of Art, Shinjuku #TokyoArt #SOMPO美術館 #VanGoghSunflowers #HiddenGemTokyo...

This is one of the most relaxing places in Tokyo, and for some reason not as famous as other art galleries despite the fact that SOMPO Museum has one of the Gogh’s Sunflowers in their permanent collection - this piece is exhibited always. They speciality is modern and contemporary Japanese paintings (XIX to XX century: Foujita, Seiji Togo - their works are always displayed) and western (mainly French from my experience) art. The Museum has strict „no talking” and „no photos” policy and is great place, when you need some peace and wanna run away from Shinjuku crowds. I usualy try to visit on weekdays, but this place is also not crazy crowded on weekends. The cherry on the cake is the new building - designed by TAISEI DESIGN place was opened in 2020. Fully recommended if you would like to see some less known yet still amazing gallery. Their website is in Japanese and English so you can always check...

If you are an art lover, this is a must visit when in Tokyo! I was greeted by a staff member right at the opening of the doors and asked if I needed any assistance in English. The gentleman was polite and explained the museum policies, as well the process to get a ticket for admission. Even when meeting staff with limited or no English abilities, they still were courteous as I traveled along the gallery spaces. The plaques are in full japanese minus the original name of the artist and the title of the piece. I had no issue with translations using Google Lens. The nice was the exhibition introduction banner were translated in English. It was nice not having to pull out my phone as soon as I walked into a gallery to understand the theme. The curators of these exhibitions were great and seemed to coordinate with each exhibition to flow nicely with one another. Will visit again...