JCII Camera Museum

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  • Address
    25 Ichiban-cho, Chiyoda-ku, 102-0082
  • Phone
    3261 0300
  • Website
  • Transport
    underground rail: Hanzōmon Line to Hanzōmon (exit 4)

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Lonely Planet review

What's that? You didn't know that Japan is obsessed with photography? This museum, established in 1989 by the Japan Camera Industry Institute, takes it a step further, for those for whom equipment is the thing. Holdings consist of over 10,000 cameras, of which as many as 600 may be on show at any one time. Highlights of the collection include the world's first camera, the 1839 Giroux daguerreotype (one of an estimated seven worldwide) and the Sony Mavica, a prototype for the original digital camera, from which images had to be downloaded to a floppy disk.

Behind the museum is the JCII photo salon, admission free and open to Tuesday to Sunday with a changing roster of photography exhibits.

Exiting Hanzōmon Station, walk around the Diamond Hotel. The photo salon is in this alley, while the museum entrance is through to the next street.