A trip to a local history museum or large city art museum can be an entertaining and enlightening way to spend the day.

You can learn about history, local culture, music, arts and a lot more in a museum and gallery. Of course, some of them usually will have a monthly or seasonal exhibition like the one we have in Muzium Negara.

There are many types of museums, including art museums, natural history museums, science museums, war museums, and children's museums. According to the International Council of Museums, there are more than 55,000 museums in 202 countries.

If you already visited or looking for a new museum or gallery to explore; here are 8 spectacular museums and galleries you can look forward to visits when international borders open.

#1. Haruki Murakami Library, Tokyo

Designed by renowned Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. The Waseda International House of Literature, nicknamed the Murakami Library, will house the novelist's personal archive, which he has donated to the school, as well as a collection of his works translated into several languages.

The in-campus library in Tokyo’s Waseda University (where Murakami was an alumnus) allows visitors the chance to browse the novelist’s personal archive (which he donated to the school), as well as a collection of his translated works.

Although, it won’t be a new building, but a renovated extension of the university’s Building No 4. It’s a fitting location, since it originally housed The Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum, which Murakami frequented as a student.

#2. M+, Hong Kong

M+ is the new museum of visual culture in Hong Kong, as part of West Kowloon Cultural District, focusing on 20th and 21st century art, design and architecture and moving image.

The 65,000 sq. m building, shaped like an inverted alphabet T, will boast a towering LED exterior for screening artworks, three cinemas and a roof garden offering sweeping views of Victoria Harbour and the city skyline.

Upon completion, the M+ will also be one of the world’s largest museums.

#3. MUNCH, Oslo

The new MUNCH will be the number one destination for experiencing Edvard Munch’s life and art. A brand-new museum opens by Oslo’s waterfront, tailor-made for the world's largest collection of art by Edvard Munch.

The collection is extensive and truly impressive — fans of the artist can expect over 26,000 of his works and 10,000 personal items, including two painted versions of the famous The Scream.

Not only that, the new museum aims to be a meeting place for everyone for all types of cultural occasions as they want to broaden the idea about what a museum is, and provide opportunities for completely new experiences and perspectives.

#4. Pudong Art Museum, Shanghai

The new Pudong Art Museum was designed by Atelier Jean Nouvel, and will be opened in mid-2021. Next to Shanghai's iconic TV Tower, the new museum will be located.

The new museum will be located next to Shanghai’s landmark Oriental Pearl TV Tower. Under a 2019 partnership with state-owned developer Shanghai Lujiazui Grup, London’s Tate Museum will be organizing three exhibitions drawn from its collection and also advise on museum operations.

#5. Humboldt Forum, Berlin

The Humboldt Forum is a new building with a history. The History of the Site section presents 800 years of historical and structural developments in four permanent exhibitions spread over a total area of 1,500 square metres. A 28-metre-long video panorama allows visitors to visualize the various aspects of the History of the Site.

Initially scheduled to open in December 2020, the Humboldt Forum is poised to become Europe’s most ambitious and largest cultural undertaking.

Billed as Germany’s answer to the Louvre, visitors can expect ethnological artefacts from Mayan sculptures, all housed in the renovated Baroque palace and also will be featuring over 20,000 objects from Asia, Africa and Oceania.