21_21 Design Sight

It didn’t match my taste. I thought the museum was a bit “instagramable” and very contemporary. They had a theme that revolved around poop and the cycle of life. Didn’t enjoy it

There were two exhibits, one was a small free one and the other had entrance fee of 1,400. The event space and architecture is very unique and lends itself to displaying the various artwork in an interesting way. The two exhibits together took around 1.5h at a moderate pace.

If you want your mind blown, then this is the place. The fabric shaping exhibition was simply a-mazing. I walked around with my mouth wide open. Extra points for being able to touch lots of exhibits. The hands-on experience adds so much to a museum visit. Oh yes, and the building. Super cool. (Side-note: Gallery 3 was a dud. Hopefully they will curate something a little more interesting in there by the time you visit).

This is an art gallery but the building itself is also a masterpiece. This is probably the showcase project for Ando’s angular design to define and separate areas and integrate them with light flowing through them. The gift shop here plastic-wrapped all Ando’s books, and it’s hard to tell that whether Ando’s sketch and signature are included in each book as other gift shops in Ando’s work.

We found the current exhibition to be very interesting. The building and surrounding gardens are worth visiting. Exhibitions are futuristic and focused on the impact of design on technology, even if it’s not a big space it’s very nicely curated and includes interactive sections

Modern museum with a nice architecture and exhibitions. The museum itself is a bit smaller than expected but defintely worth a visit.

The inner galleries (1 and 2) had an interesting exhibit about human waste disposal. Gallery 3 is free and seems to be a standing exhibit about the architecture, if that is your main draw here.

Used to go here frequently as a student. I usually just show up without checking online to see what’s being exhibited. Fun surprise.

We loved the exhibit on measurements and measuring that was on while we visited. A good size for an exhibit - we spent about an hour going through it - but there didn't seem to be any permanent pieces or features so when we came out I felt a little "huh? That's it?" There was a fair amount of English language signage but definitely a handful of interactive prices that didn't have any so be prepared to not really get everything. There was a little shop there but didn't have much - not like most design museums that have a ton of cool books and kitchen tools and decor etc etc. I know it's usually just overpriced silly stuff but it makes for a good half hour of entertainment so was disappointed this shop wasn't bigger - could only imagine how many award winning Japanese products are out there I've never seen. Afterward we stumbled on a pop up whiskey bar in the mid town park and it was a beautiful way to spend the rest of the day

This museum always has excellent exhibits to view, and is definitely worth a visit. It's right next to Tokyo Midtown, which is also worth a visit while you're there!