When I first came here on a class trip in September of 2018 and Id like to say that this place is just so serene and relaxing. Though since it was a class trip, me and my classmates were able to enter for free. The regular fee is $15 for adults. There are two floors of exhibits and I really recommend for people to go through it all. In my opinion, every item on display in this museum is worth the read if you have the time because the history behind it all is just so unique and beautiful! I do suggest for people to not talk very loud since the museum does have a slight echo and the rooms are extremely silent. There is also a large cafe on the first floor with a variety of Asian food on the menu and I really recommend their banh mi! Do take in mind that the temperature of this place is slightly cold so make sure to bring a coat or jacket because I took off my coat thinking it was a little warm when in fact it was cold. If you can, take the time to look through the items in the gift shop. I bought some matcha from here which was quite good, but do keep in mind that everything in the store is a little expensive. Other than that, this is a wonderful place to visit.

Im from Asian i so proud to see all aculture from Asian, I geart to see,I make

Wow this museum massive. The exbits are highly detailed and its one of the only places open during the covid pandemic due tue its spacious exhibits!

One of most well known Asian art collection museum.Seated Buddha Dated 338: The Bronze Buddha sculpture is the earliest one with date inscribed.

The Asian Art Museum is a rich and deep museum. It hosts one of the worlds most comprehensive collections of Asian art. One can journey through 6000 years of time, and from Iran to Japan, and from Hinduism to Buddhism. I have visited it on three occasions and have only as of yet scratched the surface.

Had to do a school project here. Museum was neat. Diverse amount of art from a pretty wide range of history. A lot of different sections. Great if you like spending a lot of time looking at artifacts. The museum was clean and well kept and the people were nice. Also, theres parking next to the museum that you dont have to pay for some days.

Honestly the most interesting museum Ive been to in quite a while, and I have been to a few. there is a lovely balance between old and new art and plenty of information to appreciate it on a profound level. The ambience was really nice as well and through the strategic placement of chairs and benches there was the possibility to take in some of the highlights from a comfortable position.

Highlight of my recent trip to San Francisco. Excellent collection from many eras and Asian geographies. Loved making visual connections between different countries and cultures. Well designed exhibits. Friendly staff. Definitely hit the gift shop. Great curated selection and excellent prices. Lots of thought provoking content.

Exquisite Asian art collection in a beautiful classical building. It feels a bit like a last outpost of civilization on the border of tough neighborhoods. Inside, the museum is particularly strong in Chinese ceramics. Nice gift shop also.

One of my favorite places in San Francisco, probably my favorite thing in the civic center area. This museum takes the broadest possible interpretation of Asian Art, so if you’re expecting a few thousand square feet of blue ceramics and calligraphy, you’ll be disappointed. It’s in a huge and gorgeous historic building, and there is interesting artwork from around the world and all across time.

Such an amzing experience here. Too much to see in one day.

I’ll have to come back once the museum’s renovations are complete because the limited exhibits on display are absolutely amazing! Such a great collection! Personally, I prefer the old masterpieces compared to the contemporary exhibits but still nice to have the contrast. The building itself is stunning and the Samsung Hall is just breathtaking

Great assortment of artwork. Second floor gallery is closed until end of 2019. Still a good 2-3 hour trip. The tattoo exhibit (special exhibit) was interesting and a large space.

The permanent exhibition is a real gem. They mark their best masterpieces by giving each a special central display in the room - and these are really quite exquisite, from ancient Chinese bronzes to more recent jade work etc. Shame the second floor was closed for reconstruction (until Nov 2019), I guess I will have to come back. Overall, a very pleasant visit, its definitely a museum thats worth seeing.

Fantastic collection of Asian history. Having already visited most of the countries where these artifacts came from, I had a very high appreciation for them and how great of condition they were in! Very friendly staff as well!

I want to give this museum five stars so badly, but I cant. As luck would have it, during my visit, only the second floor was open for general admission. The first floor had a special kimono exhibit going on that I wasnt interested in paying an extra $10 to see. The third floor was closed for renovations. I paid full price to only see half a museum, which is not acceptable in my opinion. What a bummer.

Okay, I have gone to a handful of NightLifes now that I have gotten the hang of the ins and outs and how to plan the trip to be efficient. Nightlife is from 6-10 on Thursdays and its 21+, complete with a number of mars throughout the museum. Every nightlife is a different theme so you can either just go to go, or go depending on theme. Sometimes the themes make it busier than other nights, for example when they did a food theme (my previous review) which sold out and was PACKED.

Peaceful enjoyed exhibits for free spent money in gift shop happy overall

A gorgeous museum with really interesting exhibitions. I went to see Tattoos in Japanese Prints. This exhibition was organized by MFA-Boston but was perfect for the Asian Art Museum. Everything was put into historical context, and I learned a lot. They also included some contemporary context of how Japanese-style tattooing manifests in the San Francisco area, including particular tattooists and examples of their work. Admission pricing is a little on the high side, but with stellar exhibitions, it’s worth it. The admissions staff is kind and welcoming. Highly recommended.

A personal big Chinese porcelain fun and I’ve liked this place much. Broad collections spanning long historical periods. It’s good for not education for general Asian arts and cultures, as well as if you plan to get deeper understanding a certain kind of art, like porcelain or Asian paintings.

To see something in person that is hundreds/thousands of years old in its (near?) original form, color, and hand detailing is amazing. A shout-out to all those involved from the artifact finding to restoration to display; a fabulous job bringing a piece of history to the present.

Wonderful exhibits, beautiful ancient pieces and plenty of history to enjoy.

I love art, Asian Art Museum is amazing, statues, painting, jewelry, very nice!

A gorgeous museum with really interesting exhibitions. I went to see Tattoos in Japanese Prints. This exhibition was organized by MFA-Boston but was perfect for the Asian Art Museum. Everything was put into historical context, and I learned a lot. They also included some contemporary context of how Japanese-style tattooing manifests in the San Francisco area, including particular tattooists and examples of their work. Admission pricing is a little on the high side, but with stellar exhibitions, it’s worth it. The admissions staff is kind and welcoming. Highly recommended.

The building is one of the first in the city, so its big and very beautiful. The museum has permanent and temporal expositions and the subject is Asia and all the big civilizations like China, Japan, Korea and India.Its a beautiful museum

Superb museum in the civic center neighborhood of San Francisco! Even under construction this was one of the best museums with incredible art work and lovely rooms. If you have a chance to check this museum out when youre in SF, it is worth a pit stop!

While the exhibit was interesting, the one thing that had me at hello was the Ganesh statue. When we took the escalator to the third floor I took a good 10 minutes admiring the sculpture and wishing they had a smaller version of it at the museum shop.When you get a chance, check out the gift shop. They have cute little kitschy things. I of course had to get myself a ganesh statue, not quite like the museum sculpture but significant enough for me to bond with it.Tip-Taking the bart and getting off Civic is the best way to go as its such a short walking distance to the museum.

Good museum, went for the Heavenly Bodies exhibit. Wished there was just a tad more variety... Most of the exhibits were Hinduism. Persian section was all Islam, no mention of Zoroastrianism etc. Just would have liked to see more variety/deeper education personally thus only 4 stars.

The museum houses an exquisite and diverse collection of Asian artifacts. Curated by region, country, culture and period. There is much to see here - truly an absolute feast for my eyes. I am amazed by how well artifacts are preserved, be they stone, metal, or wood and varying from thumbsized trinkets to large-scale sculptures. I dont cease being amazed by the remarkable, meticulous detail seen in Asian art.During this recent visit, one floor was closed off due to construction, renovation or new installation taking place. I look forward to the completion of it so that I (and whomever my guest will be) may fully enjoy this gem of a museum.Do yourself a favor and pay them a visit.

Large impressive collection. But very limited display space.

Very interesting museum, well organized with lot of space to see the exhibits and a very big collection of art crafts from all over Asia. The temporary exhibitions are also worth it. It is a very important tribute to Asia and all the people who brought their cultural heritage to the SF Bay. The prices may be a little high (25 USD for an adult) but it is mostly the case in the USA where cultural visits are expensive. The second floor was in complete renovation, so we missed a third of the museum. The museum management could have at least offer some reduction.

Avery Brundages Asian treasures are beautifully displayed in San Franciscos historic 1917 Main Public Library.

Amazing museum and part of ROAM and NARM for reciprocal memberships. Some of the better exhibits for Chinese waterpainting, and Korean pottery (especially Goryeo era).Wish there was more times offered for tours and not an extra charge for rotating exhibitions.

Rating 4 only because theyre going through a major renovation that closes off the entire 2nd floor. The permanent collections have been the same for several years if not over a decade but I still enjoyed the Buddha collection. The new special exhibit of Changing and Unchanging Things: Noguchi and Hasegawa in Postwar Japan considers the consequential friendship of two artists, one Japanese American but drawn to Japan, the other Japanese but influenced by the West, both in search of a new direction for modern art in the aftermath of the Second World War was a bit lackluster and bland for my taste. Cost was $10 for the special exhibit. The museum gift store was very nice.

I love coming here on my lunch break. Its relaxing to walk the exhibits quietly. It feels almost like a temple... Definitely a great way to calm yourself during a hectic day at work.

Awesome collections, especially the BCE artifacts. A bit overwhelming by the end. Best to plan for more than one visit.

A great collection of Asian art. We went during the Tibet Exhibit and encountered a woman from Tibet who filled us in on fascinating facts about Tibet. Worth a visit when visiting San Francisco.

I always enjoy a good museum and the gift shop was nice though I didnt see anything that really caught my eye. I wish they sold more jewelry inspired by the art.They are getting ready for a Korea exhibit and we ran into a cooking demonstration.The art was on 3 levels and walking through it gives a good overview of the history of many cultures. It is nice to have them point out that the idea of Asia as a continent is really strange. Its a rather arbitrary and artificial divide by historians and geographers when Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East are actually connected. And between Asia and Europe especially that divide is a very vague border space rather then a definite line.For the $15 General admission you have a nice retreat from the SF. The cafe looked nice and it was a quiet Sunday when I visited.

Really nice place to spend an afternoon. Some of the exhibits were closed so only able to see about half the collection.Really friendly staff made for a welcome visit.I look forward to coming back when everything is opened up again.

The exhibits that were available to see looks amazing but half the exhibit was close so disappointed i couldnt see more.

Really enjoyed the time I spent here, just needed more time to see everything.

So much inspired creativity and history! Really a fantastic collection.

Went on the free admission day and it was extremely good only part that want enjoyable is we didnt get to try the cafe as it was completely full

Nice place. Modern collection. More stuff about India, Pakistan, Japan and Korea than other parts of Asia.

Amazing thrilling gods stare back at you while buddah looks serene

On Sundays is free admistion. Very intresting information about Asian Culture.

Great museum. Its free every first Saturday/Sunday or something like that. I recommend just doing the permanent exhibit if youre only coming once. Its well worth it and walks you through the cultures and art progressions of Asian. Particularly I love the southeast Asia art.

Interesting museum. Went here for a holiday party and really enjoyed visiting the exhibits. Well organized, the artifacts are described in a lot of detail. The architecture of the museum is quite detailed.

Fantastic museum in an old library building across from City Hall. The building adds a nice touch for the exhibits.Went on a day when a Japanese percussion and mochi pounding event was going on. Very immersive, with participants helping pound the goo. Free samples afterwards for all.Did a docent tour. Schedule was for an hour, but she went 30 mins over. Very knowledgeable.Pay special attention to free standing items under glass, like the Buddha from 388.

My first time in this museum and I liked it. I only wish Japan was represented more. If you go on Sunday you can also visit farm market thats right next to it.

This is one of the most underappreciated museums in San Francisco. There is so much to see here its hard to do it all in one day so maybe choose the section and then try to study it. They always have several different events and activities at any time of the year to do besides see the Museums collection. One fun thing to do is to go to the ringing of the Bell on the New Years which is really interesting. Theres a ton of really interesting Asian artwork of course as well to see.

The collections here are exhaustive, maybe a bit too much so. If we hadnt come on a Thursday, when the Museum extends closing till 9pm, we would have been about 1/2 way through by closing, after arriving at 1.30pm. We did stop, very briefly, in Sunday, the new Museum cafe, but that doesnt explain the length.The special exhibit comes with a guidebook of close to 20 pages, which is indicative of the word-heaviness of the collection. Curators generally presume that people only read one-third of the words in an exhibit, but even at that pace, youd be reading a long time, and if youre with a person who reads more, expect to be here a very long time, or come on Thursday.We left the Museum around 7 after a, again very brief, stop at the store.

The museum is a great place to stroll and relax, especially on a Sunday when there are free days. I went for a special exhibit that was interactive where you could draw your story about San Francisco and make music using the equipment provided that would be part of a larger song.

CHANGING AND UNCHANGING THINGS: NOGUCHI AND HASEGAWA IN POSTWAR JAPANAn interesting exhibit of the pottery and wood art and more of these two gentleman brings to light their creations in the 1950s and beyond. I was not necessarily impressed nor moved by the special collection. The gentlemen are creative but I had a difficult time understanding their motivation for the pieces . Its definitely worth the visit though having spoken to others this is not the best of Noguchi.The regular collection is fabulous and enlightening. Its easy to spend hours learning about Asian culture, rituals, and history. There are pieces that are gorgeous. I recommend a docent tour.

Every time I visit the Asian Art Museum I come away impressed with the scope and beauty of their collection. The Noguchi/Hasegawa and Lost at Sea exhibitions are particularly wonderful!

I like this place, close to civic center under ground parking gargage. You pay before you leave. Cute white dog outside of AAM. Gift shop is over priced, avoid it. I like the cafe, good milk drink with fresh tasting tapiocia peals. There are other hot food cooked on site. I saw the Indian drawing/paintings exhabit. I came on a lazy quiet Sunday afternoon around 3pm. Museum closed at 5pm.

A great collection of various Asian artifacts and art/historical pieces. I have seen a several of special exhibits in the last 2 years and found them very fascinating and intriguing.Especially enjoyed Emperor’s Treasures in 2016 as well as Couture Korea in recent months. I usually get a chance to follow docent led guided tours, and it’s wonderful way to see and explained a various facts & antidotes about some pieces during the curated exhibits.I’d like to have at least 2-3 hours to enjoy some 3 floors of exhibits and there are also some beautiful modern art pieces to be experienced.My favorite exhibit is Japanese Netsuke on 2nd floor. These tiny treasures are something you must see and exam up close. And there’s a stone table that has water overflowing where you could create a little ripples on the surface with fingers and enjoy sitting by the bench next to take a break.The museum store is also offering some unique ceramic & wooden objects and many hand crafted Asian art related souvenirs as well.

Incredible! Absolutely worth a visit. Spectacular Asian art at its finest, particularly the Chinese dynasty period work along with the Hindu and Buddhist showcases.

If you only have time for one art museum in San Francisco, choose this one! Im not aware of anywhere else in the US that has the range and depth of Asian art on display in this institution. Even though one of the three floors is currently closed for remodeling, there is still plenty to see. I highly recommend taking a docent-led tour. Ours was one of the best that I had ever taken at a museum. The theme of the tour was representations of Buddha and how they had varied across time periods and regions. What made the tour excellent was that the tour was a mixed group of people from Western backgrounds, India, and China. The docent got the tour participants to share their perceptions on the different images of Buddha. This tour went deeply into the cultural perspectives on the works that we viewed--very impressive!

And another person who is doing this

Outstanding architecture and an extensive permanent collection. Travelling shops are usually excellent!

The museum is awesome! I joined the architecture tour of the building. It was very informative and fun. The art pieces are great as well.

Cool place. It makes me wonder though how did they get a hold of those artifacts.

Very tasteful remodel on the Hyde street side.

Excellent place! If you like arts be prepared you’ll spend hours ...

Fun place to visit.

Wonderful place to view. Asian art culture will impress you that much. Famous Chinese Artists works arranged nicely. Museum is well kept. Clean and tidy place. Guided tours are also available.

We got in free because Target sponsored the public to go in for the main exhibit. It was nice, but everything was very sterile. Probably not the best place for kids, but it had an interesting selection and the text face some context. There was a lot of pottery and stoneware.

Well, the day I visited here, the whole third floor closed and the first floor was all special exhibition I had no interest. And the only second floor is not well organized. Since I study Chinese archeology, I can easily tell that the exhibits here are not representative and of high quality. Anyway, won’t recommend and won’t visit again.

Amazing collection of Buddhist art and a wonderful collection of tatoo inspired and inspiring prints.

YES, POUND IT HARD AND FAST.I silently pray under my breath to those pounding the mochi.MOCHITSUKIAfter my eyes have been romanced by The Great Shiokata Senseis bad*ss live calligraphy performance, my ears are treated to the invigorating thrum of the beating taiko drums and the thumping of the wooden hammers (kine) on the soon-to-be-mochi sticky rice thats held inside the 400-year-old mortar (usu).Is it even humanly possibly to drum as fast as theyre going?I guess so because these highly talented taiko drummers increase their tempo, building up this thick tension in my heart, and their faces scrunch up like theyre doing an intense Insanity workout, but nevertheless still smiling the whole time, and in the heat of the moment after looking at their faces, I come to the conclusion that this feeling--of being wholly consumed by passion--is something I want to experience myself one day. Just for a second, tearing my gaze away from them, I look around at the other people in the room, and I see that they are just as spellbound as I am. Boom! My eyes snap back to them; their climax still reverberating in my bones, I watch as they work their magic to slowly put their taiko drums back to sleep.Along with the united rhythm of the acclaimed mochi group--Kagami Kai--my heartbeat too, calms down. I take a deep breath and exhale. Wow, just wow, is all I can think (well, besides eating that mochi later heh). It was truly an experience, and Im extremely grateful to have been able to be a part of their mochi pounding ceremony (mochitsuki).THE MOCHIThe first bite (or chew) was *0* it is without a doubt, the best mochi ive ever had; it was so rich and the texture--oh god, yes (asmr trigger) And sorry Santos, but youre now 二番.Plus, this mochi has been through a lot: forcibly pounded and prodded by a ton of kids and adults, tossed like 7ish feet in the air, and then pinched apart into tiny balls. Yep. But it sure was bomb and uh, dont tell anyone, but I got a second serving--JS, it was only because there was a lot of extra mochi left and hey, its for good luck (goodness knows how much we need it for this year).FYIS/TIPS-Seniors (65+), college students (they do check your ID), and youth (13-17) get the discounted price of 10$ for general admission and 20$ for the special exhibitions. SFUSD students and children 12 and under get in for free. *Free for all every first Sunday of the month.-If youre planning on coming for an event like the mochitsuki, I highly recommend coming early so you can get a good spot in the Samsung hall, and by good spot I mean standing right behind the center row of chairs (your view wont be blocked at all). Btw, the mochitsuki event is free with gen admission.-Besides their paper maps, the Asian Art Museum has an interactive 3D touch screen map that even shows walking routes (how cool is that!?).-At the free coat check theyll give you a number tag after youve given them your coat/bag. Do NOT lose this.-If youre into books, I recommend checking out their store.-You can rent the whole museum for weddings, non-profit events, etc. Visit their website for more info.-When you get your ticket, only place the sticky part on your clothes, not the whole ticket (like I embarrassingly did).-If youre afraid of heights and are going to the 3rd floor, dont look down as youre walking across from the elevator (trust me).-Visit Cafe Asia and try their unique Adzuki almond cookie ice-cream!-If youve looked at the museums logo you may have noticed that their logo is an upside-down A--why is that? The creator, Wolf Ollins, says that it signifies their commitment to offer a fresh and creative perspective on a collection spanning 6,000 years...[and] As the mathematical symbol for all, the logo also tells the world that the museum has something to say and something to show. Just thought that was an interesting tidbit to add. (-:Drop by the Asian Art Museum for some pounding action--er, Mochi pounding action that is.

Very interesting museum with well crafted narrative enabling guest to take a deep dive in Asian culture. Take advantage of the audio tour, its very informative.

Free on first Sundays, easy navigation through the museum with lots of text that give you context of what youre seeing. Sometimes a bit repetitive for the casual visitor, but quite interesting overall. They have art from all Asia, includig India, SE Asia, China, Korea, Japan, and more.

A wonderful experience. Exhibits are well displayed and the historical artifacts are high quality. This is an excellent destination for anyone looking to explore Asian history and art.

Defintly a good educational place to get to know brief knowledge of Asia. My personal favourite show room is the Chinese Jade. OMG the stuff they got.is soooooo good. The light and the way they present was made very joyable to walk around. I litterly spend 1 hour in.that room.

Great exhibits covering much of south and east asia. This museum is fairly large so give yourself some time.

Love the currently displayed public art outside of the main entrance. It just puts a smile on your face!

I recently told my 8th grade class the biography of the Dalai Lama so they were very interested and impressed with the special exhibit about Tibetan art. We ended their geography studies on Asia with a self guided tour of the regular displays. The museum allows school groups free entry so it is accessible to all.

This museum houses a lot of exhibits for history and culture. I love the ambiance and the overall theme inside it. The staffs are nice and they are very attentive to our needs.

Fascinating high quality collection. Particularly liked the ceramics and jade. Ancient and modern

Fascinating museum, all art is representing in a interesting way and showing the culture of Asia.Highly recommended

A really interesting place about Korean, Japanese and Chinese cultures.

I enjoy museums and have been here a few times. I brought my son and he is still slightly too young to appreciate the art in a comprehensive way. The museum does have a childrens play room and we spent significant time there and did enjoy the selection of hands on crafts available (my kid and I drew and made fans in both the Asian and Western tradition).

Good place

Really great ancient artwork. Informative placards. Well lit.

Actually rather than the museum, we visit the cafe for lunch and meetings. A really awesome spot for meetings in the center of the city and close to a Bart station. Having solid food is the best part, though Im a bit sad at the removal of the amazing fried chicken sandwich. Their veggie options are also good and multiple, which makes it a solid destination

Amazing place. The history here is unsurpassed. Wish there were more Filipino artifacts.... Only 4 items

A fun place to enjoy the history and arts of Asia. Unfortunately many exhibits were in rennovation while I was there so I only saw a limited selection of their collection.

Very knowledgeable staff and interesting exhibits. Definitely try one of the guided tours and be amazed with how much knowledge is in each and every room.

Loved seeing the ancient artifacts from many regions of Asia. I especially loved the Tomb Treasures Exhibit. The Museum is open late on Thursdays, so I was able to squeeze a visit in. The Tomb Treasures ticket was also discounted.

Very large collection of Asian art, including Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Korean, Thai and polinesian art. Very well arranged and structured. Very good location easy accessible by car or public transportation.

The gorgeous building facing the City Hall completes the picture of this SF Beaux Arts district. Even more impressive it is inside with the exhibitions covering millennia of the oriental humankind history. The applied arts exhibits, statues, utensils, numerous paintings, books, carpets, ammunition, sacred objects, etc., grouped by once the most powerful civilizations that preceded modern Indian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Arabian, Iranian peoples and the historical periods from their dawn to zenith to sunset will make you understand the richness and diversity, as well as lack of time to view and enjoy everything on one day. Even if you prefer the modern arts (SFMoMA) or the western civilization masterpieces (Legion of Honour) or exotic African-Oceanian culture (de Young), the AAM is a highly-recommended place to visit.

Never been inside, but the outside of it is like my back yard. They have cleaned up the front completely! No more dirty people and trash everywhere!

Informative and very nice staff. About 18,000 collections from all over Asia! Really really great museum!

I love the immersive experience and art pieces at this museum! I would recommend you to go online and see which days have free admission

Definitely one of the highlights to my trip in San Francisco. This museum lives up to its name truly. I absolutely loved all the different artwork, sculptures and ceramics they displayed here. Definitely would come back here again.

Its a place where who’s thirst for knowledge would be quenched. Its great place where inner deep knowledge of Buddhism, Hinduism and explains very simple way. 11th of Quran manuscript and buddhism manuscripts are available. The staff is so cooperative and enthusiastic to help the visitors. One should not missed out to visit this,

Its, really nice I liked it. I would go again in the future on a free day. Very educational.

You know i am not really a fan of art but I would say that this museum does a great job of capturing it. I would say if you like art just a little bit you should check it out. But there prices are a pit high for my tastes.

Surprisingly, I have never been here until today, for the book release/cooking demo event by the famous restaurant, state bird provision.The event is great, well organized. Good job that the museum constantly hosts interesting cultural events.Will come back another day to check out the art collection. First Sunday of the month is free!