The National Art Center, Tokyo

Came to see the CLAMP exhibition. And I highly recommend it. It was excellently curated. But plan ahead, and give yourself plenty time. We got here about 10am when it opens, but by the time we got our tickets and find the line for the special exhibition and then got the number, we are 600 in line. It took about an hour for our number to be called, there is more waiting in line to get to the exhibition. The exhibition has an audio guided tour. But if you wish to follow it, it can be somewhat crowded, especially at the very beginning of the exhibition (the furst room).

While traveling, I discovered an exhibition of Clamp's work at The National Art Center in Tokyo. Since my wife is a fan of several Clamp titles, I suggested we visit. Overall, I was quite impressed with the number and quality of the pieces, as well as the exhibition's layout. The intricate pen work and distinct art style of Clamp are captivating, even for those unfamiliar with their work. Many visitors, including foreigners, seemed to genuinely enjoy the exhibition. However, I can't say the same about the museum's management system. They could have used a ticket reservation system to regulate visitor entry times, but they didn't. Regardless of whether you had pre-booked tickets or bought them on-site, you will still have to wait in line for entry (I waited about an hour). Even though we queued indoors, the uncomfortably high temperature made the experience quite unpleasant. It felt like being exposed to the worst heat imaginable. Moreover, some staff seemed more focused on interrupting the experience. I understand their role is to maintain order and protect the artwork, but they repeatedly stopped people from slightly leaning forward to get a closer look at the tiny pieces. Visitors weren't crossing lines, touching the art, or taking prohibited photos or videos; they just wanted to see the artwork because it was so small. In addition, some staff actively moved behind people and covertly monitored their phone screens. These actions felt excessive. While maintaining order and protecting the art is crucial, not every museum in the world operates this way. I hope this museum can find a way to respect its visitors as much as visitors respect their artworks.

Recommend to drop off at 乃木板站 as there is a direct access to the museum. The Clamp exhibition fulfils one of my Comic dreams, much improvement is needed for the crowd control. Even with the advanced reservation system, it is still hard for us to enjoy the first part of the show because the whole venue is flooded with visitors. The photo shows the latter parts , which have less visitors.

Was here for the CLAMP Exhibition and it was amazing! 🤩 The exhibition content was pretty well organized with several different themes and contained of a lot of original drawings. However the entrance hall had no AC and was hot on busy summer days - had to stand in huge lines sweating for nearly an hour. Better bring a handy fan and drinking water.

Came here on a Saturday afternoon and can echo what some others have said. This is not a traditional museum where you pay an entry fee and can go through the various exhibits. Entry into the building itself was free, and you only had to pay to enter the special exhibit. During our visit, the special exhibit was cover the works of Yves Saint Laurent. Building itself is extremely modern and has beautiful architecture. I mainly came just so I could capture one picture. But otherwise, I was in for a surprise, as the special exhibit was actually very informative. Would definitely recommend checking out if the special exhibit piques your interest.