Mitsui Memorial Museum
Mitsui Memorial Museum
4
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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The area
Address
Neighborhood: Ginza / Tokyo Nihonbashi
Ginza is famous for being a trendy hotspot, but it's also a downtown area with shops that were founded over a hundred years ago. Department stores and luxury boutiques line the route from Nihonbashi to Ginza. It's a long established tradition to shop and stroll while the road is closed to traffic. Luxury hotels, world class cuisine from talented chefs, and a collection of glitzy clubs will make this area popular with anyone looking for a night out.
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10,000 within 3 miles
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5,800 within 6 miles
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.0
167 reviews
Excellent
62
Very good
71
Average
22
Poor
10
Terrible
2
Ted C
La Mesa, CA189 contributions
Nov 2012 • Friends
This is not one of Tokyo`s larger museums by any means and seldom have "blockbuster" exhibits but that being said it is a museum to which we have returned repeatedly because of the excellence of its exhibits. Typically but not always their exhibits will combine holdings from other museums along with items from the Mitsui family. It is located in the upper floor of the old Mitsui Bank Building and features the original bank officer's dining room as one of the exhibit spaces.
They have an excellent small gift shop and a better than average cafe also it is one of the best places in Tokyo to pick up flyers announcing exhibits at other museums now that the Japan times is so sparing at providing this sort of information, a particular pet peeve of mine.
They have an excellent small gift shop and a better than average cafe also it is one of the best places in Tokyo to pick up flyers announcing exhibits at other museums now that the Japan times is so sparing at providing this sort of information, a particular pet peeve of mine.
Written October 24, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jeffrey C
Sydney, Australia421 contributions
Aug 2013 • Friends
Located within a shopping centre it is wonderful to see that there is a museum in a busy shopping precinct. Depending on your historical interest, it is worth a visit if you happen to be in the same shopping area.
Written August 18, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
brixtontrev
United Kingdom1,732 contributions
Jan 2017 • Solo
This museum is easily accessible from Mitsukoshimae exit A7 which leads almost directly to the entrance to the museum. The exhibitions that are put on there seem to be quite niche and upmarket. One or two of the staff speak English and English language information is available and/or downloadable from their website. The exhibition that was on when I went was on the Performing Arts of Japan and some of the exhibits were very old (one mask was about a thousand years old). No photographs are allowed. There is a souvenir shop which sells exhibition catalogues and a small restaurant
Written February 2, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
travelmartin
Munich, Germany250 contributions
Nov 2016 • Couples
This is a museum for ceramics and chinaware enthusiats. If you have the Grutto Museum Pass admission is free and absolutely worth a visit while you are strolling through Nihonbashi
Written May 4, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michelle H
Zurich, Switzerland51 contributions
Jan 2016 • Solo
It was a cold, sunny, Sunday afternoon and I thought I would stop working and try to do something "cultural". The hotel concierge found all kinds of exhibits related to Western art and culture, but that was not what I was looking for in Tokyo. We settled on the Mitsui Memorial Museum as the best choice.
The exhibition was Japanese dolls, which I found very interesting. There were some very old dolls from the Mitsui family and I remember in particular incredibly wonderful dolls of a boy playing with his dog. There were a few permanent items, such as a silk picture of a rooster from 1790. It was also interesting to learn about the location and the Mitsui family heritage. There is a small gift shop with prints and souvenirs of the collection, and I bought a print of the rooster at a price that was clearly subsidized by the museum. A small coffee shop was also available, but it was already too late in the day by the time I finished in the museum and gift shop.
For someone like me who is not a "hard-core" museum aficionado, the museum met my objectives of a quick visit where I could learn about an interesting history and see some items that would not normally be on display. I found it nice that the Mitsui family would display their history in an accessible manner, and it was not overwhelming for an "amateur" museum visitor like me.
I would definitely spend another wintry Sunday afternoon there. In the same building as the Mandarin Oriental in Nihonbashi, it is very easy to find and centrally located, around 5 minutes taxi from Tokyo Station.
The exhibition was Japanese dolls, which I found very interesting. There were some very old dolls from the Mitsui family and I remember in particular incredibly wonderful dolls of a boy playing with his dog. There were a few permanent items, such as a silk picture of a rooster from 1790. It was also interesting to learn about the location and the Mitsui family heritage. There is a small gift shop with prints and souvenirs of the collection, and I bought a print of the rooster at a price that was clearly subsidized by the museum. A small coffee shop was also available, but it was already too late in the day by the time I finished in the museum and gift shop.
For someone like me who is not a "hard-core" museum aficionado, the museum met my objectives of a quick visit where I could learn about an interesting history and see some items that would not normally be on display. I found it nice that the Mitsui family would display their history in an accessible manner, and it was not overwhelming for an "amateur" museum visitor like me.
I would definitely spend another wintry Sunday afternoon there. In the same building as the Mandarin Oriental in Nihonbashi, it is very easy to find and centrally located, around 5 minutes taxi from Tokyo Station.
Written December 2, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dalecorp
Paradise Valley, AZ1,982 contributions
Nov 2016 • Couples
Visited the Mitsui Memorial Museum on the recommendation of a local guide only to be thoroughly disappointed to say the least. What appears to be a wonderful collection is simply diminished to the foreign visitor by the complete lack of English signage and explanation. While displays are surrounded by vast arrays of Japanese script, the English translation is confined to a couple of parsimonious lines always beginning with the a first line of, "Important Artifact".
The museum has a relatively expensive admission fee relative to others in Tokyo and is a relatively worthless experience for those without Japanese literacy.
The museum has a relatively expensive admission fee relative to others in Tokyo and is a relatively worthless experience for those without Japanese literacy.
Written November 8, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ARTJPL
London, UK321 contributions
May 2015 • Solo
Visited this museum on multiple occasions as the exhibits change periodically. The museum itself is housed within a historically protected building which I find appealing and the museum focuses on traditional Japanese arts (eg, themes revolve around tea ceremony and accompanying equipment). Location in Nihombashi means it is within walking distance from the Ginza shopping area if you want to combine trips - if the walk is too far, there is also a micro bus that circles the area.
Written April 24, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alissila
Cham, Switzerland653 contributions
Mar 2016 • Friends
Beautifully decorated entrance hall, quiet, peaceful and interesting exhibition. I saw a doll exhibition for Hina Matsuri which I greatly enjoyed. The Museum Shop itself is worth seeing. Wonderful, small inexpensive traditionally Japanese gifts can be had here.
Written April 13, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Fouski
Carmarthen, UK62 contributions
Mar 2016 • Couples
You leave this museum feeling that they've wasted a great opportunity to showcase some wonderful Japanese cultural artifacts - a real shame.
The museum itself is easily accessible. It's on the 7th floor of the Mitsui building, directly reachable from the Mitsukoshimae subway station on the Ginza line. It's a small space - just 7 rooms - and you can happily wander around it in about 30 minutes. It looks as though the museum regularly changes its displays, presumably in order to circulate through the best bits of the extensive Mitsui family collections. During my visit, the 2 main display rooms were given over to a display of Hina dolls - many of them absolutely exquisite.
Unfortunately, the information accompanying the displays is virtually non-existent, especially for foreigners. I was handed a leaflet which contained useful information like "room 5, item 34 - Hina Doll", "room 5, item 35 - Hina Doll", "room 5, item 36 - group of Hina Dolls", etc. My efforts to educate myself by googling the relevant information was foiled by a near-hysterical security guard enforcing the museums' no-mobiles policy.
All in all, a very frustrating experience, and a real shame because you do get a sense that the Mitsui family has amassed some truly wonderful objects over the years. Unfortunately, you're unlikely to come away knowing much about them, or understanding how they fit into the context of broader Japanese culture.
The museum itself is easily accessible. It's on the 7th floor of the Mitsui building, directly reachable from the Mitsukoshimae subway station on the Ginza line. It's a small space - just 7 rooms - and you can happily wander around it in about 30 minutes. It looks as though the museum regularly changes its displays, presumably in order to circulate through the best bits of the extensive Mitsui family collections. During my visit, the 2 main display rooms were given over to a display of Hina dolls - many of them absolutely exquisite.
Unfortunately, the information accompanying the displays is virtually non-existent, especially for foreigners. I was handed a leaflet which contained useful information like "room 5, item 34 - Hina Doll", "room 5, item 35 - Hina Doll", "room 5, item 36 - group of Hina Dolls", etc. My efforts to educate myself by googling the relevant information was foiled by a near-hysterical security guard enforcing the museums' no-mobiles policy.
All in all, a very frustrating experience, and a real shame because you do get a sense that the Mitsui family has amassed some truly wonderful objects over the years. Unfortunately, you're unlikely to come away knowing much about them, or understanding how they fit into the context of broader Japanese culture.
Written April 2, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
lark-wurster
St. Andrews, UK138 contributions
Oct 2015 • Couples
It was a nice museum with great Japanese artefacts but it was 1300 yen/pp and it only took us about 45 min to go through. The only english was the object names like "clay pot" so not much was learned. If you are looking to learn about the Japanese culture and only speak english, I would advise the Tokyo National museum for 1/2 the price, 5X the artefacts, and a lot more english to learn history.
Written October 8, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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