Shitamachi Museum
The Shitamachi Museum will timewarp you back to the Meiji Era (1868-1912), which is after Japan opened to the West, but before any of the world wars took their toll. Like … Continue reading Shitamachi Museum
Category: Museums
Tobacco & Salt Museum
Salt and tobacco, the two unlikely subjects of this strangely rewarding museum, were both protected by a Japanese government monopoly for many years, and that’s why there’s a museum devoted … Continue reading Tobacco & Salt Museum
Nezu Museum
This museum (which is in Omotesando, not near Nezu Station, go figure) is a jewel of an art museum that showcases beautifully curated exhibits, focusing on traditional Japanese arts and crafts. The price … Continue reading Nezu Museum
National Museum of Nature and Science
The National Museum of Nature and Science is split between the Global Gallery and the Japan Gallery, but it’s the Japanese building that’s a delightfully only-in-Japan view of the natural world. … Continue reading National Museum of Nature and Science
Kusama Museum
Yayoi Kusama might be the most well-known (and eccentric) modern artist living in Japan today, and last year she opened a jewel of a museum to showcase a rotating sample … Continue reading Kusama Museum
Museums you won’t want to leave
If quirky & entertaining and one-of-a-kind is what you look for in a museum, these are the secret spots I go to again and again because I never fail to … Continue reading Museums you won’t want to leave
Edo-Tokyo Museum
The Edo-Tokyo Museum is my favorite museum in town. Half the museum is about everyday life in the Edo Era (during the time of the shōguns, before Japan opened to the … Continue reading Edo-Tokyo Museum
Fukagawa-Edo Museum
Are you ready for a little time travel? One step inside this shitamachi museum, and we’ll find ourseves in the streets of a lovingly recreated Edo-era town. Open: Every day and … Continue reading Fukagawa-Edo Museum
Nihon Minka-en Thatch-Roofed Farmhouses
A village of thatch-roofed farmhouses you can go inside! You don’t have to go to Okayama to see traditional Japanese houses – the Nihon Minka-en is a beautiful natural park set … Continue reading Nihon Minka-en Thatch-Roofed Farmhouses
Yasukuni Shrine
This is a gorgeous, lively, maddeningly nationalistic, must-see Imperial shrine. If you follow Japanese news at all, every year you’ll hear about the Yasukuni Shrine. It’s the place where the … Continue reading Yasukuni Shrine
Tokyo beyond the guidebooks 