The opening is strong because the recommendation from strangers on the cable car explains why you went, and then you immediately stumbled into something you couldn't have planned: the matcha seminar. I'd also keep your reaction to Writing in the Rain toward the end because it gives the review more substance than simply listing the museum's collections. I met a mother and daughter on a San Francisco cable car who told me the Asian Art Museum was their favorite thing they had seen in the city. Based on their enthusiastic recommendation, I decided to go. Admission was included with my Go City pass. I happened to arrive just in time for the final seminar in a series about tea. This one was presented by Constance Tea & Matcha, a San Francisco company, and focused on matcha. We learned how differences in shade, processing, and the time-consuming grinding process affect matcha, and watched a demonstration before receiving a sample. The matcha was a beautiful, vibrant green and had none of the bitterness that I sometimes associate with green tea. It was an unexpected bonus to my museum visit and one of those experiences I never would have known to plan in advance. The museum covers the art and cultures of many parts of Asia, including China, Japan, Korea, India and Tibet. There is a great deal to see, so you could easily spend several hours here depending upon your level of interest. One of the most memorable works for me was FX Harsono's Writing in the Rain, part of a current exhibition scheduled through September 7, 2026. Understanding the symbolism behind the work gave it a depth that stayed with me after I left. The bottom level also had an arts-and-crafts area, and there were tables in the atrium where visitors could learn and play mahjong. I liked that the museum provided opportunities to participate in Asian culture rather than only viewing objects behind glass. There is also a gift shop and a restaurant with reasonably priced and interesting choices, including chicken, pork and beef dishes. I'm glad I listened to two strangers on a cable car. Between the matcha demonstration, the extensive Asian art collections, the cultural activities and the thought-provoking contemporary art, the Asian Art Museum offered much more than I had expected. Sometimes the best travel recommendations come from the people you happen to meet along the way. read more

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I revisited the Asian Art Museum recently for its community day on the first Sunday of the month. I'm not sure if there was a special exhibit, but there were many events happening at the museum - sip & sketch and a children's activity. I also saw signage for weekly mahjong happy hours and performances - it's so cool how the museum has become a community gathering place. I spent about an hour exploring the permanent collection and never fail to discover new treasures. I'm always amazed by the expansive collection of pottery and statues across cultures. If you time it right, joining one of the docent-guides tours would be a neat way to experience the collection. read more

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My mom and I came here on the last Sunday of the Chiharu Shiota special exhibit & really thought it was so immersive & interesting. The video depicting the trajectory of her art career was also note worthy. We enjoyed perusing the rest of the museum at our leisure and thought that everything was arranged and decorated differently displayed so nicely. The collection of art and artifacts is vast & honestly breathtaking! It was also great to see all of the special activities that were available to patrons to enjoy such as mahjong, painting with tea, making paper flowers & so on. The museum was busy but because it is so spacious, it did not feel overcrowded, and it was very pleasant. The store is also nicely curated & we had fun looking at the many wares for sale. The Asian Box casual restaurant inside the museum was a perfect place for us to grab two Arnold Palmers as a little afternoon treat. The restaurant is actually open on Tuesday & Wednesday even when the museum is closed There are plenty of bathrooms throughout the museum & elevators are also available - making the whole museum accessible. This was my second time to this museum & it was another excellent visit! Arigato! A couple of notes: Tuesday & Wednesday: Closed Thursday: 1-8pm Friday-Monday 10am-5pm First Sunday of the Month: Free Admission read more

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A diverse collection of ancient arts from all over Asia. The paths to view the art is accessible. The ambiance is peaceful. It's also very clean. Highly recommend if you're visiting SF! read more

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Today was "Free First Sunday" so there was a lot of activity at the Asian Art Museum. I loved seeing all the children and families at the museum and it was wonderful that there were so many activities for families. Origami, flower making, Sip and Sketch, mahjong, lantern making, and other activities were offered and, by the looks of it, lots of children, as well as adults, completed lots of projects. I visited with a guest from out of town, so we just meandered through and enjoyed the complimentary tea offered. I love the Asian Art Museum! read more

Asian Art Museum - Collected Letters - Art Museums Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I went to see their temporary exhibit Chiharu Shiota exhibit and it was amazing. This alone makes the visit worth. They have several floors of Asian art and history. Everything was beautifully displayed making it easy to follow. The last upper floor was my favorite. Tip or something to keep in mind: I went on a Monday and there were several class students Junior high and elementary. Therefore it was extremely noisy though the guards tried to keep them quite the children were loud and can be disruptive while enjoying the museum. read more

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Excellent exhibition of Chiharu Shiota -Two Home Countries. Located on the ground floor. This exhibition includes sculpture, videos and an amazing densely woven weblike structure with notes and paper intertwined into the web. This structure is vast and takes up in my opinion, about 6 rooms. Shiota's art reflects her personal experiences living in Japan and Germany and emotional challenges having gone through Ovarian Cancer. Exhibition runs through July 20. read more

Asian Art Museum - Chiharu Shiota Exhibition till 7/20/26 5/21/26 - Art Museums Near Me - San Francisco, California

Love this museum and it's surprisingly bigger than I thought. It's normally 20 dollars per person, but if you want to see the special exhibits, it'll be 10 dollars add-on. We wanted to see the Chiharu Shiota exhibit, so we did the $30/pp. They do allow photography(as long there is no flash used), so I brought my special hobby camera to practice. My top favorites have to be the Japanese ceramics display. read more

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Pretty nice collection of asian art from around the world. The China, Korea, and Japan art exhibits are much larger than the other countries displayed. I loved looking at the porcelain pottery and sculptures. I'd skip the $30 add-on exhibit (Chiharu Shiota), which was much smaller than I imagined. It was mostly red yarn displayed in a small room. It was kind of cool for one minute, but not really worth the price. read more

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Love it here! Came here for the matcha presentation from Constance tea and I learned so much! The presenters were so knowledgeable about the matcha process and we got see how matcha is grinded with the hand mill. I thought I knew about a lot about matcha but learned even more. The cherry on top was that we were able to taste the matcha with just water. No milk. No sugar. Just matcha. Super smooth without bitterness. That's high quality matcha. Really insightful presentation. Hope they come back here. Will definitely visit their shop. While I was there, I was also able to check out the Chiharu Shiota exhibit. Last day of the exhibit. So in awe of the red yarn tunnel. So elaborate and intricate. The handwritten pages from the journals of Japanese soldiers were also suspended within the yarn. A lot of art and passion went into here and really blown away by the quality. Also the mahjong tables were really fun. Didn't really know how to play but was able to learn quickly. People were so nice and willing to teach me. Great experience. Such a fun Sunday at the museum. Highly recommend for something fun to do in SF. read more

Asian Art Museum - handwritten pages from the journals of Japanese soldiers - Art Museums Near Me - San Francisco, California

Very well organized! My 26 year old loves art! Her eyes aren't what they use to be! So, I said I'm just going to go for it! I told her it was a surprise. We took Bart over. She said this way this way! I hear the music so we run to the front. We really got a Life l-time experience! The Berkeley High School students were amazing. They performed as a team. They came out to the crowd. They acknowledged the children! This made their little faces glow. My daughter face even glowed! My face glowed. After the performance we went in to look at the art. I didn't take to many pictures bc my cell was misbehaving. I hope my daughter took pictures and will forward them. She said you are the Yelper and social media lady! I'm here to enjoy the Art! And we did just that! What an experience we needed to share! She said they made the best Thai tea she's ever had! $6.99 Every worker was so pleasant. They talked to us walked around and assisted us. Next time I will make sure we join the tour guide. read more

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I went to see Chiharu Shiota exhibit where she exhibits her emotions of going through cancer. Her art shows the "strength and vulnerability of her physical body through her skin, organs and limbs." It's a somber exhibit where you can feel her emotions. read more

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Wonderful Asian art in the permanent as well as visiting exhibits, in a beautiful historic building in San Francisco civic center area, facing beautiful City Hall. I've been here many times and always enjoy the floors of permanent exhibits from the buddhas to the carvings, porcelains, jades, paintings & sculptures. The visiting exhibits are all spectacular. On my most recent trip here, I enjoyed the Chiharu Shiota exhibit. I especially loved the room she created with 20 miles of red yarn, arched & twisted in various angles and shapes that I walked through, with copies of pages from the diaries of Japanese & German soldiers from WWII scattered and intertwined in the red yarn. I also admired and reflected on her other art pieces. This building used to be the SF main branch library many years ago and it's still as classic and gorgeous as ever. I recommend visit and multiple visits here. Very reasonable prices to visit and there is a public parking lot across the street at Civic Center parking lot beneath the park. read more

Asian Art Museum - Art Museums Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Fantastic museum- well laid out. Spacious and the exhibits are a good size, the descriptions are relevant read more

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The Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, the largest museum dedicated to Asian art, offers free general admission on the first Sunday of every month for the art lovers with a good selection of artifacts from all over the world. They offer membership and discounts with that membership on any events and purchases at the museum. Along with art galleries, the three floor museum has amenities indoor and outdoor like cafe, shop/ boutique, children learning center, education center etc. A worth visiting place to see Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Persian and other ancient, as well as some modern arts. Don't miss out if you're in San Francisco. read more

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See the history behind each asian cultures in this wonderful and amazing museum. It amazes me how wood carvings, everyday tools/ weapons, tapestries, clay figures, and fashion designs can tell a whole story behind each culture. This place is fascinating to me. it's triggers me to want to read about it some more and visit more often. I recommend you check it out for yourself. read more

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Beautiful big museum that celebrate Asian art and culture. Great place to tour or just hang out with family and friends. Very close to Civic Center Bart station. $20 per person. The shopping and cafe area are open to all. read more

Asian Art Museum - Outside - Art Museums Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Enjoyed Free access to museum and Tiat music meets tech event. Check the rave into the future. Nice farmer's market on sundays too! read more

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It is across from City Hall. There was a farmers market the day we went, which was on a Sunday. We got in for free. I believe it is free to the public on the first Sunday of the month. When you enter, you go around to the third floor and that's where you start the exhibit with the artifacts. There is an explanation of each item, which is great to go at your pace. Keep in mind, there are many artifacts so you can spend several hours there if you're reading each one. I learned a lot about the culture and religion, which was pretty neat. There is an Asian inspired restaurant that sells food and Boba. There is plenty of seating. There's also a souvenir shop. I recommend checking it out. read more

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Love the staff here and the First Free Sundays! Everyone was very welcoming and I thought the event was very special and family friendly. The most recent event last Sunday with Harry Shum Jr. and Shelby Rabara was the highlight of our week! The book reading and signing was engaging for my kids and they loved being able to wiggle and dance. There was even Mahjong at the Sunday event! Unfortunately we didn't have much time to visit the other exhibits due to nap time. However I remember learning a lot about China and Japan in my previous visits before. We parked at the UC Law parking lot a block away and it was $11 on Sunday all day parking. Worth it! read more

Please rethink closing on a Wednesday, especially since SFMoMA is also closed. I made a special trip in and of course should have checked hours, but never have I seen a Wednesday closing before. It seems you should be sure to have one museum downtown open for all those who have only one day to visit. read more

amazing museum and such great collection of Indian artifacts. beautifully preserved. always pleasure to visit here. read more

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amazing museum. I love coming here love love love coming here. The exhibits that have been here are fantastic. They do have the same exhibits for other areas but they switch it out. I just come here sometime just to walk through just to enjoy how amazing it is, and then on top of that they also show the arts upstairs where some of the nose removed some of my more intellectual friends like to go up there and share our thoughts about what happened to history and it definitely is a great all day activity great for walking and really really big place. There's like four floors and may I say there are some great areas to do a photo op as well read more

Great museum with an interesting permanent exhibits and loved the special exhibits that showcased Qi Baishi's ink paintings and Yuan Goang-Ming's digital media films. Pro-tip: Every first Sunday is free and special exhibits are included. Just book timed tickets online beforehand. read more

Asian Art Museum - Art Museums Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Heads up- a lot of exhibits are closed or partially open due to renovations. So, even though it's a great museum full of amazing Asian art, you will not get the full experience. I suggest you give them a call before you go, to know what the current condition is. read more

Asian Art Museum - Asian Art Musuem - Art Museums Near Me - San Francisco, California

I came here during a community event for international women's day and I'm so grateful that this museum exists. Love to see the history from different parts of Asia and the museum is beautiful. Make sure to visit this place when you're in SF. read more

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With the Korean Hallyu exhibit ending on January 6, I attended the Asian Art Museum with my daughter to check it out before it's gone. All you need to know about K-Wave is here and there's even an interactive area where you can dance and exhibit your moves! The Buddha exhibits, shown regularly, is a must-see, as it delves into the various deities and religions. Check hours and opening times as certain days are closed. read more

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Great museum with a lot of exhibits. Very neat sculptures, paintings, and trinkets. Would recommend if you're visiting from out of town read more

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I enjoyed coming to Asian Art Museum today for its free admission on the first Sunday of the month. We joined the free tour that had a museum guide who took us around the third floor and explained the pieces in South Asia and China for 45 minutes. It was an educational and more interesting experience with the guide than coming here a few times before without her. I was also able to complete the scavenger hunt which was fun even for me as an adult. They ran out of some prizes though like notebooks and candy and only had erasers and pencils left. I appreciate the extra room next to the cafeteria where we were able to eat our banh mi from Saigon Sandwiches since it's a rainy day rather than eating outside. There is an Asian Box cafeteria restaurant that is selling Workout Box $10 special for the month of January, which is the five spice chicken with brown rice there too. We didn't know about the special or could've also eaten there but wanted to support a family owned local business and Saigon Sandwiches is famous for its bahn mi and only 3 blocks away. read more

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I was probably around 30 when I first visited this museum with my family...my mother visited with me one day. I didn't go too often over time...even if...it's nice...flagship city for Asian citizens of USA...next to Main Library...always open with a nice place to visit...new exhibits and some modern pieces...I don't know what else in Washington DC...it's in San Francisco CA... read more

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Came here to complete my daughter's class assignment. First time visiting. Prices aren't bad... easy walk from BART. Three floors of exhibits.., took a nice tour of all the Asian countries. Nice and clean museum. Definitely a good place to visit. read more

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Nice Vietnamese forward cafe. The menu board announces that "Our menu is 100% gluten free." That includes the bahn mi! Service was fine, friendly. read more

Asian Art Museum - Menu - Art Museums Near Me - San Francisco, California

My ABSOLUTE FAVORITE MUSEUM in San Francisco! The display is always well organized and thoroughly thought out... making it super easy and inviting to look at and browse through. Popular displays, such as PARASITE's bathroom exhibition, are in a wide-open area, to ensure that crowds do not overwhelm the walkways or overflow into other exhibits. The Korean-culture and movie themed exhibition in Oct-2024 is not to be missed... with so many modern classics: Gangnam, Parasite, Squid Games, etc. They also have a noodle restaurant and drinks place inside the museum, offering a nice place for lunch / snacks/ drinks. I also particularly enjoyed the gift shop -- there are so much to look at (and buy)!! Also a special shout out at the staff at the gift shop, they were very friendly and helpful. The Asian Art Museum is my favorite museum in SF!!!! read more

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Many exhibits under construction. Lots of damaged sculptures. Ancient dirty headphones & missing headphones for videos.

Got a good look the last time at this museum. If you're into Asian paintings and sculptures you should for sure check it out. The Asian Art Museum is one of the many museums in the downtown area and one of the most famous of these. Has a convenient location to get to from other attractions. You can get discounted admission for certain days and events. A popular museum in this area. It's located close to City Hall. This is also in the building that used to be the main library so this is a cool repurpose. Formerly it was located in Golden Gate Park where it shared a space with the De Young Museum. In 2003 it moved to its current location with lots more space. The collection has works of art and artifacts from all the major Asian countries and traditions. Some of these are as much as 6,000 years old. There's galleries of art from China, Japan, and Korea, as well as other parts of Asia, or wherever. Has lots of figurines and statues, especially of Buddha. That makes sense. Best place around here to learn about Asian culture. It's got a crap ton to look at and there's also some films. This is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. read more

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As a proud Docent donor at this museum, I love going there to explore different asian art. I just went there for the special "Qi Bai Chi" exhibition. I got to experienced some amazing Chinese landscape and ink calligraphy. The museum itself has some incredible permanent collection pieces. I highly recommend to go see Zhang Da Qian 's art right after this show. There are many great spots inside that are great for IG moment. I can't wait to see the next special exhibition :-) read more

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I visited the Asian Art Museum for the first time a few months ago when my friend was visiting me. I got complimentary tickets through my company so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to visit. Takashi Murakami was the featured artist when I went. I'm familiar with Murakami since he had that famous collaboration with Louis Vuitton in the early 2000s and the signature multi-colored bags were everywhere in sight. His artwork is definitely interesting, it's vibrant, colorful, and a lot of elements of monsters. It was pretty cool to see. The upper levels on the museum featured artwork and various artifacts from Asian countries. I enjoyed visiting the museum, it's a good place to check out in SF if you get the chance. read more

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I really like the special exhibitions that the Asian Art Museum puts on. Especially the ones that are held in the Jerry Yang Pavilion. In 2022 the "teamLab: Continuity" Augmented Reality Experience was on display and was really well done. https://exhibitions.asianart.org/exhibitions/teamlab-continuity/ The projections changed algorithmically according to the crowd in the room. The interactive landscape of blooming flowers, darting fish, and soaring crows that were projected were never duplicated in the same manner. Literally making it a unique experience. Fast forward to 2024 and the "Hallyu Korean Wave" exhibition is already a hit. https://exhibitions.asianart.org/exhibitions/hallyu-the-korean-wave/ It really captures how Korean Culture has permeated world culture. And how the phenomenon came to be in such a short time. read more

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Loved the rich history and and all of the exhibits here. We learned a lot and it was extensive. They have a lot of cool items in the gift shop. The customer service lacks though. The incredibly rude Asian lady at the front was busy on the computer planning a vacation and did not acknowledge us. I didn't immediately see the pricing and she seemed annoyed that she had to point it out. I was honestly about to leave because of her rudeness. read more

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This was my first time visiting the museum after all these years as I don't visit the city very often. This was a special event at the museum after hours - our friend's son's wedding! Parking at night was easy as the family recommended parking at the UC Hastings parking garage just half a block way on Larkin Street. Safety is a must! The venue is great for a wedding and the only thing that I didn't enjoy was that the wedding ceremony and reception were upstairs in the big room so they had to take down the chairs for the wedding and set everything up for the reception while we were on the first floor having cocktails, hors d'oeuvres and photo booth. We arrived at 5:30 pm and the dinner wasn't until after 9 pm! Dancing after the dinner was at 10:30 pm but by then, we just wanted to drive back to the East Bay. It is a beautiful venue but because of the space, we had to walk up a long stairway to the wedding ceremony, walk back down to the first floor for a long cocktail hour and walk back up for the dinner and festivities Sometime I would like to come visit the museum for the art as what I could see, it would be exquisite! read more

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