Hiroshima's three art museums,
and which one to pick.
One is ¥2,500, one is ¥510 and one is ¥350, and the price has almost nothing to do with which you should choose. The Hiroshima Museum of Art holds the French 19th century, the Prefectural sits inside Shukkeien, and MOCA is contemporary work on a hill. All three are indoors and all three shut on Mondays.
Pick one, not three. The Hiroshima Museum of Art is the crowd-pleaser and the expensive one at ¥2,500 ($15.85), five minutes from the castle grounds. The Prefectural Art Museum is the efficient one at ¥510 ($3.23), because it shares a site with Shukkeien and the ¥660 combined ticket turns it into a two-hour plan. MOCA Hiroshima is the interesting one at ¥350 ($2.22), on Hijiyama hill and the furthest out. Allow 60–90 minutes each. All three close on Mondays.
The ¥2,500 trap, and the prices other sites are still publishing
Say it firstThe Hiroshima Museum of Art costs seven times what MOCA costs, and almost every English page has the figure wrong.
Hiroshima Museum of Art is ¥2,500 ($15.85) for an adult — ¥1,000 for high school and university students, ¥500 for elementary and junior high, ¥2,300 for over-65s. The important structural point: there is currently no collection-only ticket. One ticket covers the special exhibition and the permanent French collection together, which is why the number is high. Third-party sites still list ¥1,000, ¥600 and ¥200 for this museum. Those are stale, and we are not republishing them.
Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum is ¥510 ($3.23) — ¥310 for university students, and free for high school and under and for 65+. It opens 09:00–17:00 with last entry 16:30, and stays open to 20:00 on Fridays between 1 April and 23 September 2026, which is the single most useful opening hour in this city for anyone who spent the day at Miyajima.
MOCA Hiroshima is ¥350 ($2.22) — ¥250 university, ¥150 high school and 65+. Note the later start: 10:00–17:00, last entry 16:30, not the 09:00 the other two open at. It is free on the third Sunday of each month — 16 August 2026 — and the whole museum is free on 3 November.
One correction worth making explicitly, because it is circulating: the Hiroshima Museum of Art never closed for renovation. That was MOCA, from December 2020 to March 2023. If a page tells you the Museum of Art is shut for works, it has confused the two.
All three close on Mondays. The Museum of Art opens on Mondays during special exhibitions; MOCA opens if the Monday is a public holiday or is 6 August. If your only wet afternoon is a Monday, Shukkeien and the Peace Memorial Museum are the reliable fallbacks — neither closes on Mondays.
Dollar prices convert at ¥157.7 = $1, the rate on 4 August 2026. Treat every $ figure as a snapshot and the ¥ figure as the real price.
The three museums, side by side
ComparedTram fares are the flat ¥240 ($1.52). Times are for the permanent collection at a normal pace; add 30–40 minutes for a special exhibition.
| Museum | What is in it | Getting there | Time | Price | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hiroshima Museum of Art 09:00–17:00, last entry 16:30 · closed Mondays (open Mondays during special exhibitions) | French 19th century — Impressionist and post-Impressionist work — plus modern Japanese painting. Founded 1978 by a local bank as a memorial to the bombing. | Hiroden lines 1, 2 or 6 to Kamiyacho-nishi, about 5 minutes on foot into Central Park | 60–75 min | ¥2,500 ($15.85) · HS and university ¥1,000 · elementary and JHS ¥500 · 65+ ¥2,300. No collection-only ticket | DEPENDS |
| Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum 09:00–17:00, last entry 16:30 · Fridays to 20:00 (1 Apr–23 Sep 2026) · closed Mondays | Hiroshima-connected artists, Japanese crafts and rotating special shows, with a window wall over the garden next door. | Hiroden Hakushima line to Shukkeien-mae, 2 minutes on foot — shares a site with Shukkeien | 60 min | ¥510 ($3.23) · university ¥310 · free for HS and under and 65+ · ¥660 combined with the garden | WORTH IT |
| MOCA Hiroshima (Museum of Contemporary Art) 10:00–17:00, last entry 16:30 · closed Mondays unless the Monday is a public holiday or 6 August | Post-1945 contemporary work, much of it responding directly to the bombing. Closed for renovation December 2020 to March 2023 — this is the museum that shut, not the Museum of Art. | Hiroden line 5 to Hijiyama-shita, then about 10 minutes uphill on foot | 75–90 min | ¥350 ($2.22) · university ¥250 · HS and 65+ ¥150 · free 16 Aug and 3 Nov 2026 | DEPENDS |
If you only have one slot: Prefectural + Shukkeien on the ¥660 combined ticket is the best-value afternoon in the city, Hiroshima Museum of Art is the safest choice for a general audience if you accept the ¥2,500, and MOCA at ¥350 is the one to pick if the collection matters more than the convenience. All three are fully indoors, which is why this page is the backbone of the rainy-day plan.
Which museum, in one line each
Pick oneChoose the Hiroshima Museum of Art if you want an hour of Monet-and-around in air conditioning, five minutes from the castle grounds, with no risk of not liking it — and you are comfortable with ¥2,500 ($15.85), because there is no cheaper collection-only ticket. It pairs naturally with the castle now that the keep is closed and that stop has shrunk to 45 minutes.
Choose the Prefectural Art Museum if you are already going to Shukkeien, which at ¥350 you probably should be. The two share a site, the combined ticket is ¥660 against ¥860 bought separately, and the museum's garden-facing window is the best place in central Hiroshima to sit out a downpour. About 100 minutes for both. On a Friday between April and late September it runs to 20:00, which nothing else here does.
Choose MOCA if you have a second day and an interest in how artists have handled 6 August 1945 — which is a genuinely different conversation from the one the Peace Memorial Museum has, and a useful one to have after it rather than before. Hijiyama Park itself is worth the walk in cherry season.
Choose none of them if the sky is clear and you have two days. On a good day this city's argument is outdoors: the island, Mitaki-dera, the riverbanks, an evening at the baseball. Hiroshima is a comfortable, well-run, entirely ordinary mid-size Japanese city. The bomb took the old fabric and the rebuild was practical rather than picturesque. Come for the Peace Park, the island and the food — not for the streetscapes. The mistake almost everyone makes is giving the important part four hours and the ordinary part none.
The art museums, practically
Plan your visitIf the weather has taken your day
Book itIndoor and half-indoor options, and the museum category page if you want to see what is running this week. We do not republish prices, ratings or review counts.
Hiroshima art museums — common questions
FAQPage schema pairedHow much is the Hiroshima Museum of Art?
¥2,500 ($15.85) for an adult — ¥1,000 for high school and university students, ¥500 for elementary and junior high, ¥2,300 for over-65s. There is currently no collection-only ticket: one ticket covers the special exhibition and the permanent French collection. Third-party sites still show ¥1,000, ¥600 and ¥200 — those are stale.
Which art museum in Hiroshima is best?
The Prefectural Art Museum at ¥510 is the best value, especially on the ¥660 combined ticket with Shukkeien next door. The Hiroshima Museum of Art is the most reliably rewarding for a general audience if ¥2,500 is acceptable. MOCA at ¥350 if contemporary work matters more than convenience.
How do you get to MOCA Hiroshima?
Hiroden line 5 to Hijiyama-shita, then about 10 minutes uphill on foot through Hijiyama Park. The flat tram fare is ¥240 ($1.52) and admission is ¥350. Note that MOCA opens at 10:00, an hour later than the other two — allow 30 minutes each way from the centre.
Are Hiroshima's museums open on Mondays?
No — all three close on Mondays. The Museum of Art opens on Mondays while a special exhibition is running, and MOCA opens if the Monday is a public holiday or is 6 August. If your only wet afternoon is a Monday, Shukkeien (closed 29–31 December only) and the Peace Memorial Museum are the reliable fallbacks.
Can you combine Shukkeien and the Prefectural Art Museum?
Yes, and it is the best pairing in the city: they share a site and the combined ticket is ¥660 ($4.19) against ¥350 + ¥510 separately, saving ¥200. Allow about 100 minutes for both. Hiroden Hakushima line to Shukkeien-mae. One catch — the museum closes on Mondays and the garden does not.
How long do you need at a Hiroshima art museum?
60 to 75 minutes for the Hiroshima Museum of Art, about 60 for the Prefectural, 75 to 90 for MOCA including the walk up the hill. Last entry is 16:30 at all three, so an arrival after 16:00 is not worth the fare.
Is MOCA Hiroshima worth it?
At ¥350, and on a second or third day, yes — much of the collection responds directly to the bombing, and it is a genuinely different register from the Peace Memorial Museum. It is also free on the third Sunday of each month, which in 2026 falls on 16 August, and free entirely on 3 November. On a two-day trip it still loses to Miyajima.
Did the Hiroshima Museum of Art close for renovation?
No — that was MOCA, which was shut from December 2020 to March 2023 and reopened over three years ago. The Hiroshima Museum of Art has not closed for renovation, and pages saying otherwise have confused the two institutions.