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This is a very well planed museum that covers the history of Tokyo from the days it was once a sleepy village called Edo till the modern day megacity we know today. The building itself is a architectural marvel far larger than photos give it credit for. The amount of interior space allows for many life sized exhibits. Beyond practicality, its interesting shape almost suggests it could walk away at any moment. Inside the museum a well planned path of different historical eras of Edo/Tokyo are covered from past till present. Its a very interactive space with many hands on exhibits, and life sized recreations of homes and buildings. You can get a feel for what a typical home in old Edo, or 1950's Tokyo was like.…
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Date of experience: October 2019
1 Helpful vote
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Museum in a bit strange modern building turned out to be one of the highlights of our Tokyo visit. It houses several life size models of Edo period bridges, houses, ships, etc. as well as fantastic miniatures in various scales. Inside the houses you can see models of Edo period people living their lives, peasants, kabuki actors, teachers, chefs, craftsmen… Authentic historical items are at display, too, such as the letter declaring Ieyasu Tokugawa as the Shogun. You can even interact with some of the models, try to lift portable sushi booths and the like. The museum is divided in two parts: Edo and Tokyo. The history continues in Tokyo part up to late 20th century and is interesting as such, but I have to admit I went there mostly for the Edo part. The museum shop sells some nice souvenirs at reasonable prices. Overall, a superb museum, highly recommended!…
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Date of experience: October 2019
2 Helpful votes
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Loved it as we have learned history & hands on stuff interesting to see samurai life& after war period buildings Upstairs we had lunch ,it was yum &quite & spacious ,good for my little child
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Date of experience: July 2020
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If you enjoy history of any kind, especially that of ancient cities, this museum would be right up your alley. Tokyo is an old medieval city and there is so much to absorb when you have a museum dedicated to this capital city. Almost every facet of life in old Tokyo is captured in the carefully intricately crafted street scenes, castles and living quarters etc. That is only a part of the display. Other historical paintings, pottery scripts and old artifacts are displayed on another level of the museum. Be prepared to spend a good part of the day at this museum.…
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Date of experience: November 2019
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+1
We went here on a whim one day. Got off at the wrong stop on the train and decided to look around and we were glad we did. I didn't like the look of the grounds or the building (nothing wrong with it, just didn't look 'inviting') and virtually nothing to indicate what it was for. Fortunately, I had walked a way and wasn't going to turn around for no reason, so I decided to check it out. Turns out, it was a good decision. You have to go up a 3 story escalator to get to the front entrance and lobby. Once inside you have to buy tickets to get in and drop off some of your stuff in the coin locker room. HINT: you CAN take your camera with you- if you have one. Then you walk across a huge wooden indoor bridge and start your tour of the Edo-Tokyo museum. There is a HUGE amount of stuff to see in here with some outstanding displays and quite a bit of explanation in English. I learned a lot from the large wall sized mural of how the Shogunate was arranged. While most of it is dedicated to older history, like the stuff you would find in Shogun (dating myself there), on the lower floors there are many more recent displays, particularly of artifacts from WW2 and the 1950's. The first car produced commercially is no display here (it's a Subaru!). There is also a small and inviting gift shop on the bottom floor along with a full-size replica of an old Enka house. Seriously, if you have ANY interest in old Japanese history, you really need to see this place. Once you find your way in, it's well worth the time and price of admission.…
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Date of experience: April 2019
1 Helpful vote
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