Tokyo National Museum
The official Instagram of Japan's oldest museum: Hiroshige woodblock prints, prehistoric treasures, the Ueno garden and galleries — Japanese history in pictures.
What it is
@tnm_pr is the official account of the Tokyo National Museum's public relations office — "Tohaku" to locals. The museum sits in Ueno Park and holds one of the most important collections of Japanese and Asian art. The account has around 100,000 followers and more than 2,500 posts.
The bio is in Japanese and English, but post captions are almost always Japanese only. It barely matters: the feed is woodblock prints, scrolls, ceramics, samurai armour, the museum garden and buildings, and seasonal scenes — all readable with your eyes.
The pinned highlights double as a guide to exhibitions and seasons: a special Hiroshige exhibition, treasures linked to the monk Kūkai and Shingon Buddhism, artefacts from before the Jōmon period, the Maeda family of Kaga, nature in the museum grounds, and cherry-blossom viewing.
Why we picked it
In autumn 2026 the museum is running a special exhibition on Utagawa Hiroshige, the woodblock master whose landscapes Van Gogh later copied. The feed shows works like the famous "Nihonbashi: Morning View" from The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō. Instagram is actually a nice way to study prints like these: big, sharp, one at a time.
We like that the account presents the museum as a living place, not just a vault. Posts cover the curators' "1089" blog, a tea programme at the museum café and the seasonal museum newsletter. You get a sense of the people behind the collection and how much they enjoy sharing it.
It's also a rare chance to see Japanese art presented by Japanese curators, rather than filtered through Western museums.
The feed also follows the seasons — cherry blossom in spring, autumn's big shows — so following it feels a bit like living through a Japanese year.
Where to start
- Open the Hiroshige highlight and look for the print of Nihonbashi bridge at dawn.
- Tap the pre-Jōmon highlight for ceramics and objects from prehistoric Japan.
- Visit the cherry-blossom highlight — the museum garden in spring looks like a postcard.
- Browse the Maeda family of Kaga highlight for lacquerware and armour of the feudal elite.
- Use Instagram's built-in translation if you want the gist of the captions.
Who it's for
Japan lovers and fans of Japanese aesthetics who want to see the source material. Travellers planning a day in Ueno. Artists and illustrators — ukiyo-e is still a brilliant school of composition. History students, and anyone who'd like something calm and beautiful in their feed.
Quick answers
Is this the museum's official account? Yes. The museum's website, tnm.jp, links to @tnm_pr.
Can I follow without reading Japanese? Yes. Captions are in Japanese, but the feed is built around images of objects and galleries.
What's on right now? When we checked in October 2026, the feed was promoting a special Utagawa Hiroshige exhibition.
