The 20 best museums to visit in Tokyo

Before Tokyo was Tokyo, it was known as Edo – the capital of the Tokugawa shoguns that grew into one of the greatest cities in the world. And yet it is very difficult to get a sense of this history while walking through the modern city’s streets. That is why a visit to the Edo-Tokyo Museum in Ryogoku is absolutely essential. 

This unique institution follows the capital’s unlikely rise, the many disasters that it faced and overcame, and the results of Western influences in the 19th and 20th centuries. It tells this story in many ways, from paintings and artefacts to detailed dioramas depicting street scenes and even life-size reproductions of historical buildings and other structures. Despite the scale of this history, the museum also manages to share a diversity of voices, with merchants, samurai and kabuki actors among those represented in its displays.

Reopened in March 2026 after extensive renovations, the Edo-Tokyo Museum is one of Tokyo’s hottest tickets. Advance reservations are highly recommended.

What’s On: Starting June 23, ‘Western-Style Architecture in Japan’ explores the transition from the traditional society of the Edo period (1603–1868) to the modernity of the Meiji era (1868–1912) through the buildings erected in Tokyo and beyond during the time.

Address: 1-4-1 Yokoami, Sumida

Opening hours: 9.30am-5.30pm (Sat until 7.30pm), closed Mon (Tue if Mon is a holiday)

Pricing: Permanent exhibition: ¥800, college students ¥480, high school students ¥300, younger children free

Timed tickets recommended.

It is impossible not to feel something of a thrill as the high-speed elevator whisks you upward from the ticket counter on the 3rd floor of the Mori Tower to the observation deck on the 52nd. Your ticket to the Mori Art Museum includes access to this spectacular panoramic Tokyo City View experience, where plate glass windows frame the vast Tokyo skyline like rows of live snapshots.

The museum itself is on the 53rd floor, accessible by spiral staircase or elevator. It has no permanent collection, functioning instead as a venue for special exhibitions. These exhibitions vary widely, ranging from avant-garde sculpture and abstract art to pop culture showcases on Disney and Hello Kitty.

While the primary focus is on pop and contemporary art, the venue has also hosted showings of Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints, Egyptian sarcophagi, Stradivarius violins and much more. Be sure to keep checking back on the website, as the Mori Art Museum is a rewarding spot to revisit.

What’s On: A major exhibition of Australian-born artist Ron Mueck’s hyperreal sculptures and emotionally charged human figures is on show until September 23, with highlights including the Japan debut of ‘Mass’, an immersive installation made up of 100 giant skulls. 

Address: Mori Tower 53F, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato

Opening hours: Mon, Wed-Sun 10am-10pm; Tue 10am-5pm

Pricing: Prices vary by exhibition

Presiding over Ueno Park like a proud grandfather, the Tokyo National Museum is the oldest of its kind in Japan, established in 1872. Whether you are new to Japanese history or just want to remind yourself of who was fighting whom during the Sengoku period, the museum’s main Honkan building provides a comprehensive yet clear overview of Japanese history. From prehistoric earthenware pots and early Buddhist sculptures to the swords, spears and guns of the medieval period and on to the modern innovations of the 19th century, the Honkan brings to life the many faces of Japan’s fascinating past. 

The museum’s collection of Asian art lives in the Toyokan, which contains items from China, Korea and India as well as Southeast and Central Asia. This collection provides insight into the cultures of the broader world surrounding Japan and the many ways that their traditions influenced the development of Japanese arts such as painting, sculpture and ceramics.

The Tokyo National Museum also frequently hosts special exhibitions that showcase specific aspects of Japan or other parts of the world.

What’s On: Until July 20, ‘A Treasure Trove from Ireland: Japanese Picture Scrolls and Books from the Chester Beatty Collection’ offers a rare opportunity to delve into one of Europe’s finest collections of Japanese narrative art.

Address: 13-9 Ueno Koen, Taito

Opening hours: 9.30am-5pm (until 8pm on Fri & Sat), closed Mon (except holidays)

Pricing: ¥1,000 for adults, university students ¥500, free for everyone under 18. Prices vary for special exhibitions.

Completed in 2007 as the final work of the great Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa, the National Art Center, Tokyo (NACT) in Roppongi is one of the capital’s most unusual structures. While its exterior is composed of a facade of steel and glass, the walls undulate like waves, forming a beautiful synthesis of the natural and the artificial. This construction also fills the vast interior with soft natural light.

Designed to provide space for temporary exhibitions, NACT has no permanent collections. Its first year alone saw nearly 70 such events, featuring the work of world-renowned artists such as Claude Monet. While some of its exhibitions focus on specific individuals, others are thematic or genre-based, ranging from ancient ceramics and contemporary art to manga, fashion and architecture. Both international and Japanese artists are consistently featured and sometimes connected within the same exhibitions through thematic, genre or interdisciplinary links.

Also, with three cafés and a French restaurant, NACT is the perfect spot for a dose of culture followed by some time relaxing over coffee, tea or a glass of wine.

What’s On: ‘Hanae Mori – Vital Type’, on until July 6, celebrates the world-renowned designer with a comprehensive look at her astonishing career in high fashion. ‘Picasso, through the Eyes of Paul Smith: Adventure of Playful Spirits’ (June 10–Sep 21) marks a meeting of two creative giants, one who shaped modern art and another who redefined contemporary design.

Address: 7-22-2 Roppongi, Minato

Opening hours: 10am-6pm, Fri, Sat 10am-8pm, closed Tue

Pricing: Free admission. Special exhibition prices vary.

If you get lost in Ueno Park trying to find the National Museum of Nature and Science, just look for the blue whale. This life-sized model of Earth’s largest-ever creature, frozen in mid-dive, stands guard beside the museum’s entrance.

Inside, your inner child (or actual children) will inevitably pester you to rush straight to the dinosaurs. Go for it. No matter how many times you’ve seen Jurassic Park, there’s nothing quite like staring into the teeth of a fully reconstructed T-rex skeleton. From there, you can choose your own route through the museum. The Global Gallery (Chikyukan) delves deep into the origins of the cosmos, as well as the story of Earth and its evolution of so many diverse forms of life. Some of humanity’s most impressive innovations are also on display, including a model of Japan’s Hayabusa probe, which made history in 2005 by landing on an asteroid.

Leave time for the Japan Gallery, where you can learn more about the country’s flora and fauna, as well as its long history of scientific research.

What’s On: Focusing on the astonishing survival abilities found across the natural world, the matter-of-factly named ‘Super Dangerous Creatures’ exhibition (on until June 14) dissects the ‘killer techniques’ that allow predators, venomous species and even seemingly harmless animals to dominate their respective ecosystems.

Address: 7-20 Ueno Koen, Taito

Opening hours: 9am-5pm, closed Mon (Tue if Mon is a holiday)

Pricing: ¥630 for adults, free for high school students and younger

Timed tickets recommended.

Tucked away on a quiet street between the high-end shops of Omotesando and high-rise towers of Roppongi, the Nezu Museum is a dreamscape of ancient art and modern architecture. Named for businessman and politician Kaichiro Nezu (1860–1940), its galleries host exhibitions derived primarily from Nezu’s collection of over 7,000 cultural artifacts from Japan and other Asian countries.

The museum building, opened in 2009, is itself a work of art. Designed by starchitect Kengo Kuma, the structure’s elongated entrance creates a sense of privacy, while the large glass windows of its interior connect intimately with the beauty of the garden. And what a garden it is, with meandering paths that invite you to find your own way through its landscape of hills, stone lanterns and bamboo groves. 

From late April to early May, the garden’s pond fills with the purple blooms of irises and the museum holds a special annual exhibition of the famous Irises folding screens, painted by Ogata Korin in the early 18th century.

What’s On: ‘Introduction to Traditional Art: Writing in Works of Art’ invites you to look beyond the image and discover the often-overlooked role that writing plays in East Asian art. It’s an accessible exploration of how words, inscriptions, signatures and seals enrich the meaning of paintings, calligraphy and decorative works. Ends July 12.

Address: 6-5-1 Minami-Aoyama, Minato

Opening hours: 10am-5pm, closed Mon (Tue if Mon is a holiday)

Pricing: Timed-entry tickets ¥1,400, university students ¥600; same-day tickets ¥1,600/¥800. Prices vary for special exhibitions.

If you’re looking for a break from the crowds of central Tokyo, a short train ride can take you out to the western suburbs for a stroll around the Edo-Tokyo Open-Air Architectural Museum. The expansive grounds of this al fresco museum contain a large number of historic buildings relocated from Tokyo and other locations to represent the city from the Edo period (1603–1868) through to the mid-20th century.

Among these architectural gems are a mausoleum constructed in 1652 for the third Tokugawa shogun’s concubine, a traditional tearoom, and the house where prime minister Korekiyo Takahashi was assassinated in 1936. Complementing these original structures are reproductions of typical traditional Japanese businesses such as an izakaya and a sento (public bathhouse), which are used to create a townscape in one section of the grounds.

A visit to the Edo-Tokyo Open-Air Architectural Museum is an excellent follow-up to the Edo-Tokyo Museum in Ryogoku. With life-sized exhibits arranged outdoors, it offers a sense of scale and first-person perspective on the capital’s broader layout, social structure and culture.

What’s On: ‘100 Years of Showa and the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum’ looks back at the turbulent period from 1926 to 1989, following the trajectory of many buildings in the museum and digging deep into the historical process that led to its establishment. On until June 21.

Address: 3-7-1 Sakuracho, Koganei

Opening hours: Apr-Sep 9.30am-5.30pm, Oct-Mar 9.30am-4.30pm, closed Mon (Tue if Mon is a holiday)

Pricing: ¥400, university students ¥320, junior high and high school students ¥200, free for younger children and junior high and high school students who live or attend school in Tokyo

Located inauspiciously (if fittingly) inside a mall in Shiodome, the Ad Museum Tokyo is one of the city’s most delightful discoveries. While the history of Japanese advertising might sound like a tough sell, just five minutes in this fascinating museum will have you buying right in.

The exhibits begin in the Edo period, when enterprising individuals invented ingenious ways to promote their wares to the capital’s burgeoning population. Kimono merchant Mitsui Takatoshi loaned out free umbrellas on rainy days emblazoned with the name of his shop, transforming passers-by into walking billboards. Pulp novelists of the time promoted medicines and cosmetics in their pages, as did kabuki actors on stage. Guide books of the Yoshiwara pleasure district listed prices, locations and rankings.

The story continues as advertising in Japan adapts to the adoption of newspapers, radio and television, as well as influences from abroad, with intriguing and often pretty funny examples provided throughout the museum’s bright and welcoming interior. And here’s the thing: the price is right. It might be a museum all about advertising, but entry is completely free.

What’s On: The ongoing ‘Ideas for Peace’ series showcases how advertising can be harnessed to further progressive goals like gender equality and harmonious coexistence with the natural world.

Address: Caretta Shiodome B1F-B2F, 1-8-2 Higashi-Shinbashi, Minato

Opening hours: 12noon-6pm, closed Mon

Pricing: FREE

Sumo is often considered Japan’s national sport, but baseball is the game that has captured the nation’s heart. To learn more about the incredible rise of America’s Pastime in the Land of the Rising Sun, a visit to the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is definitely worth a swing of the bat.

Inside, the Hall of Fame pays tribute to the nation’s best-ever players, alongside prominent early leaders in the game who propelled it to popularity as both a spectator and participation sport. Other exhibits detail the invention of baseball in America and its adoption as the team sport of choice in Japan, as well as records of games between the US and Japan. Uniforms and equipment from various stages in Japanese baseball history are also on display.

Because the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is located inside the Tokyo Dome, you can easily pair it with a Yomiuri Giants home game. The museum stays open an extra hour on game days. If you get inspired, know that there’s a batting and pitching centre nearby.

What’s On: Showing until August 31, ‘Samurai Japan and Baseball Around the World’ takes the Japanese national team as an entry point for exploring the spread and evolution of baseball beyond the United States. 

Address: Tokyo Dome Gate 21, 1-3-61 Koraku, Bunkyo

Opening hours: 10am-5pm (until 6pm on days of NPB games at Tokyo Dome), closed Mon

Pricing: ¥800, university and high school students ¥500, junior high and primary school students ¥200

While the Edo-Tokyo Museum remains the gold standard for Tokyo history, those looking for a more intimate experience with the city’s past should definitely check out the Fukagawa Edo Museum.

Located near the attractive Kiyosumi Gardens, this superb local museum centres on a life-sized replica of a typical Edo neighbourhood. A stroll through the narrow streets and alleyways will set your imagination whirling, and you can kick off your shoes to explore the interiors of the shops and houses.

The true charm of the Fukagawa Edo Museum, however, is found in its volunteer guides. You will find them (or they will find you) wandering through the streets of the replica neighbourhood, eager to share their detailed knowledge about everyday life in Edo. Each volunteer has their special stories that range from shocking to fascinating to downright hilarious, focused on the lives of salt merchants and soba vendors and thieves.

The more conventional exhibits are worth a look too, with their focus on the lives of Edo’s women and seasonal holidays like Tanabata and Tango no Sekku.

What’s On: No special exhibitions currently.

Address: 1-3-28 Shirakawa, Koto

Opening hours: 9.30am-5pm / closed 2nd & 4th Mon of the month (except hols)

Pricing: ¥400, high school students and younger ¥50

In a city with no shortage of glamorous art museums, the Ryushi Memorial Museum paints a far more personal portrait. The building itself was designed by Ryushi Kawabata, one of the most acclaimed Japanese artists of the 20th century, to showcase his life’s work. Viewed from above, it is cast in the shape of a long, curling dragon.

Dragons preoccupied Kawabata throughout his life, appearing in many of his paintings, including one particularly fine example on the ceiling of Sensoji Temple in Asakusa (currently undergoing restoration). His dragons appear in many forms, from fully realised scaly beasts to shadows in a waterfall or a wisp of rising smoke.

Along with viewing selections of Kawabata’s works in the museum, you can take a guided tour of his self-designed home and garden across the street. You can also visit the 60-tatami mat studio built to accommodate his huge paintings and aligned to favour sunlight from the south. Afterwards, visit nearby Honmonji Temple and view his last dragon staring down at you, hauntingly unfinished.

What’s On: Until June 7, ‘Gorgeous and Robust: Decorative Elements in the Works of Kawabata Ryushi’ zooms in on the many ornate details in Kawabata’s art. There’s also a concurrent exhibition showcasing Nihonga paintings by Reiji Hiramatsu (b. 1941).

Address: 4-2-1 Chuo, Ota

Opening hours: 9am-4.30pm, closed Mon (Tue if Mon is a holiday)

Pricing: ¥200, junior high school students and younger ¥100

As a city where fires were once so common that they were referred to as ‘flowers of Edo’, the capital is no stranger to large-scale disasters. None was more destructive than the Great Kanto Earthquake, which struck at lunchtime on September 1 1923. The quake caused firestorms that engulfed large swathes of Tokyo and Yokohama, primarily composed of wooden buildings at the time, killing more than 100,000 people and rendering well over a million homeless.

As one of the Tokyo districts worst affected by the disaster, Ryogoku is a fitting home for the Great Kanto Earthquake Museum, which stands as a poignant reminder of humanity’s fragility and resilience. From the twisted remains of melted machinery to the haunting black-and-white photographs of desperate refugees, this humble museum strives to help us understand the unimaginable.

For broader context, the museum’s second floor contains information on the destruction caused by the bombings of World War II. You can also visit nearby Ekoin Temple, built to commemorate those lost in the Great Meireki Fire of 1657.

Address: 2-3-25 Yokoami, Sumida

Opening hours: 9am-5pm, closed Mon (Tue if Mon is a holiday)

Pricing: FREE

For centuries, the shallows of Tokyo Bay were covered in a chequerboard pattern of nori seaweed plantations. Using little more than nets and bamboo sticks, marine farmers would venture out in their small boats to cultivate the species of algae used to make this beloved staple of Japanese cuisine.

At the Omori Nori Museum (near Heiwajima Station, not far from Haneda Airport), you can learn all about Tokyo’s history of nori production. The museum has an extensive collection of tools used in nori production, including the incredible geta stilts used by farmers to walk along the seafloor. You can also see the only remaining wooden noribune boat, along with dioramas, maps, photographs and paintings that bring this once-flourishing artisanal industry to life.

Other exhibits illustrate the process of transforming clumps of soggy algae into crisp delicious sheets of nori, but you can go one better on this if you’d like. The museum offers a hands-on experience where you can make your very own nori sheets to take home for a snack (reservations required).

What’s On: Scale models of the wooden boats used by the nori farmers of Tokyo Bay are on display until August 16, along with photos of the life-sized versions in action on the water and explanatory text (in Japanese only) detailing the vessels’ evolution.

Address: 2-2 Heiwanomorikoen, Ota

Opening hours: 9am-5pm (Jun to Aug open until 7pm), closed 3rd Mon of the month (Tue if Mon is a holiday)

Pricing: FREE

Formerly known as the Yebisu Beer Museum, this gilded cavern in the basement of Yebisu Garden Place dropped all pretenses when it reopened as Yebisu Brewery Tokyo in 2024, following extensive renovations. Most excitingly, one new addition was an on-site brewery, restarting a tradition dating back to 1890 but halted as of 1988.

Whether you have a genuine interest in Japan’s transition from sake to frosty malted wheat beverages or just want to pace yourself with a break between beers, the Yebisu Brewery Tokyo still contains a small but very entertaining little museum. As well as photographs of the extremely popular Yebisu Beer Hall in Ginza, the first of its kind in Japan when it opened in 1899, you’ll find recreations of historical beer snacks (including red sea bream like the one on the Yebisu logo) and plenty of other illuminating and amusing exhibits.

That said, this place knows what it is, with a sign at the museum’s end gleefully directing you to the taproom for a taste of Japanese brewing history.

Address: Yebisu Garden Place, 4-20-1 Ebisu, Shibuya

Opening hours: Mon, Wed-Fri 12noon-8pm; Sat, Sun & hols 11am-7pm, closed Tue (Wed if Tue is a holiday)

Pricing: FREE (except for the beer, unfortunately)

Timed tickets recommended.

This stately home once served as the main residence of a Japanese prince and later the country’s Prime Minister. Since 1983, it has been known as the Teien Art Museum, a name drawn from the word for Japanese garden. Surrounded by a large garden – natch – filled with sculptures and trees, it’s indeed a graceful oasis in the midst of the city (just a short walk from Meguro or Shirokanedai stations).

Built in 1933, the building itself is strikingly attractive. It was inspired by Prince Yasuhiko Asaka’s time abroad in France and the United States, where he was captivated by the Art Deco scene. The French influence is evident inside the building, with an interior designed by Henri Rapin and glass work by René Lalique.

Exhibitions at Teien Art Museum change throughout the year, most often featuring 20th-century art from around the world. Walking through the rooms feels less like a trip to a museum than a personal tour through an elegant house formed by Japan’s intriguingly complex encounters with the West. 

What’s On: Until June 14, ‘Animals in the Residence of Prince Asaka’ tells the story of the peacocks, cranes, chickens and rabbits kept by the Asaka family in their mansion, highlights animal-themed ornaments throughout the building and provides access to the estate’s Winter Garden, which is usually closed to the public.

Address: 5-21-9 Shirokanedai, Minato

Opening hours: 10am-6pm, closed Mon (Tue if Mon is a holiday)

Pricing: Prices vary by exhibition. Entry only to the garden costs ¥200 (¥160 for university students, ¥100 for high school students and those aged 65 or over)

With speciality camera shops stocking everything from cutting-edge cameras to vintage equipment hard to find outside Japan, Tokyo has long been a paradise for serious photography enthusiasts. At the centre of this world stands the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum in Ebisu, home to over 39,000 photographs and videos created by artists from Japan and overseas.

With such a large collection, the museum is constantly rotating the works on display, with many special exhibitions ongoing throughout the year. Some focus on the photography of specific individuals while others explore topics that range from landscapes and nature to conflict, social movements and even the avant-garde. Some exhibitions also showcase key moments in modern Japanese history, with incredible images frozen in time by photographers who had that special knack for being in the right place at the right moment.

Be sure to check the museum website in advance for information on current exhibitions. This is definitely a museum that rewards multiple visits.

What’s On: The regular TOP Collection exhibitions showcase select works from the museum’s remarkable trove of photos and moving-image art. ‘Don’t think. Feel.’, on until June 21, explores the importance of engaging with the world through the senses.

Address: Yebisu Garden Place, 1-13-3 Mita, Meguro

Opening hours: Tue, Wed, Sat, Sun 10am-6pm, Thu, Fri 10am-8pm, closed Mon (Tue if Mon is a holiday)

Pricing: Prices vary by exhibition

Despite its location in the midst of one of the world’s biggest cities, Small Worlds Miniature Museum is a celebration of the very small. From its intricate reconstruction of NASA’s 1960s space centre and faithful replica of Osaka’s Kansai International Airport to its fantastical recreations of the fantasy worlds of Sailor Moon and Neon Genesis Evangelion, Small Worlds somehow manages to distill the technological and creative expanses of the human mind.

Housed in a surprisingly big warehouse in Ariake, the museum markets itself (tongue firmly in cheek) as one of the largest miniature museums in the world. As well as viewing its expansive exhibits, visitors are also welcome to partake in the museum’s more interactive offerings. The futuristic 3D scanner offers the opportunity to create a precise miniature of your own body. Alternatively, you can sign up for one of the many workshops on offer that lead you through the creation of detailed miniature figures.

What’s On: Pet owners, be sure to head over on the 10th, 11th, 12th, 21st, 22nd or 23rd of the month: the museum’s ‘Woof Woof and Meow Meow Days’ allow for visits with a furry friend in tow. You can even have your pooch or kitty 3D-scanned as part of the aforementioned miniature-making experience.

Address: 1-3-33 Ariake, Koto

Opening hours: 9am-7pm (last entry 6pm) daily

Pricing: ¥3,200, 12 to 17 year olds ¥2,100, four to 11 years old ¥1,700, free for younger children

Timed tickets required.

‘Let’s lose our way together’ states the welcome message on the Ghibli Museum’s website, alongside the bravely marching figure of Mei from the beloved animated classic My Neighbor Totoro. This is the guiding principle of the wonderful Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, which embraces the playful spirit of exploration, wonder and imagination that defines the films of Studio Ghibli.

The museum was designed by legendary Studio Ghibli director Hayao Miyazaki, who reportedly storyboarded its layout as he would with one of his films. There is no set route to follow, leaving visitors free to explore the spiral staircases, vine-covered balconies and bright indoor spaces amidst the museum’s leafy green surroundings. As you wander, you will encounter many of your favourite Ghibli characters, including Cat Bus and Totoro, the Guardian Robots of Castle in the Sky and the enigmatic No-Face of Spirited Away.

For a deeper dive into the artistic process, the museum hosts frequent special exhibitions and has thousands of sketches and storyboards, as well as a reproduction of Miyazaki’s office, the place where all the magic began. You can also visit the Saturn Theater to view Studio Ghibli short films unavailable anywhere else. Ticket reservations are mandatory.

What’s On: ‘The Studio of Yuriko Yamawaki’ features a meticulous reproduction of the space in which the legendary illustrator of ‘Guri and Gura’ created her works, inspiring Hayao Miyazaki as well as millions of readers worldwide. The exhibition is set to run until May 2027.

Address: 1-1-83 Shimorenjaku, Mitaka

Opening hours: 10am-6pm, closed Tue

Pricing: ¥1,000, high school and junior high students ¥700, primary school students ¥400, children aged four to six ¥100, free for children three and under

As one of the great exhibitions of modern artistic expression in Japan, the architecture of the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo does not disappoint. Upon arrival, visitors are greeted by broad expanses of stone walls, plate glass windows and diagonal steel beams, all offset by the verdant plant life of Kiba Park.

The museum’s large collection of contemporary art encompasses works from such renowned international artists as Andy Warhol, David Hockney and Willem de Kooning, as well as Japanese luminaries like Yayoi Kusama, Chiharu Shiota and Yoshitomo Nara. Select items rotate based on themes devised by curators, with art placed on display within voluminous rooms that provide plenty of space for imagination and reflection.

Special exhibitions are a major attraction at the MOT, showcasing everything from the symbolism of abstract sculpture to the deceptively complex art of illustration in children’s books. Be sure to check for current and upcoming events before your visit.

What’s On: Two special exhibitions are on show until July 26. ‘Eric Carle: Art, Books, and the Caterpillar’ marks 50 years since the Japanese release of The Very Hungry Caterpillar and offers a deep dive into the ingenuity of Carle’s imagination, while ‘(Un)known Hiroko Koshino’ reexamines the fashion designer’s vast body of work from a contemporary perspective. 

Address: 4-1-1 Miyoshi, Koto

Opening hours: 10am-6pm, closed Mon (Tue if Mon is a holiday)

Pricing: ¥500, university students ¥400, high school students and those aged 65 or over ¥250, younger children free. Prices for special exhibition tickets vary.

Founded in 1881, Meiji University remains one of Japan’s most prestigious private post-secondary institutions. Meanwhile the Meiji University Museum, housed within the Academy Common building of the university’s Surugadai campus near Ochanomizu Station, is home to one of Tokyo’s most unusual collections.

While the museum is located on the two basement floors of the building, you can mostly skip the B1 floor unless you have a deep interest in the history of the university itself. Instead, head down to the bottom floor, where you will find sections representing the three distinct departments of Archaeology, Commodities and Criminal Materials.

While this combination does sort of feel like it was drawn at random from a hat, each subject is quite intriguing in its own right. The Criminal Materials Department is definitely the star of the show, boasting a collection of fearsome instruments used for corporal and capital punishment. There are also some surprisingly thoughtful explanations of the history of crime and punishment in Japan and other countries.

What’s On: There’s no special exhibition showing right now, but from August 3 ‘Meiji University and the Hilltop Hotel’ will explore the illustrious history and intriguing future of the famous William Merrell Vories-designed hotel, acquired by the university in 2024 and currently undergoing renovations.

Address: 1-1 Kanda Surugadai, Chiyoda

Opening hours: Mon-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat 10am-4pm, closed Sun, hols & university hols

Pricing: FREE