Museum sights in Tokyo
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Fukugawa Edo Museum
If you haven't the time to make the rounds at the expansive Edo-Tokyo Museum, this quaint exhibition does an admirable job of depicting the life and times of locals during the Edo period, through life-sized replicas of merchants' shops and commoners' houses. Most of the volunteers speak English and can walk you through the museum pointing out interesting tidbits about Tokyo's history. Call ahead if you want to be sure that an English- speaking staff member is on duty.
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NTT Intercommunication Centre
NTT Intercommunication Centre has an excellent collection of cutting-edge works and installations that address the myriad intersections of art and technology. Its superlative video library includes important works by artists such as Idemitsu Mako, Bill Viola and Nam June Paik, while installations on display include dreamy pieces such as works by Laurie Anderson, and Mikami Seiko’s World, Membrane and the Dismembered Body, designed especially for the museum’s eerie, echo-free chamber.
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Taiko Drum Museum (Taiko-Kan)
More than 600 drums make up this collection, gathered from around the world, though only about 200 are available at any one time in the splendidly interactive drum on display. You have free rein to touch or play any instrument that doesn’t have a mark – those with a blue dot should be handled carefully, while a red dot means ‘off limits’. If you are inspired by the display, you can buy a Japanese-style drum and lots of other festival products at Miyamoto Unosuke Shoten.
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Traditional Crafts Museum (Edo Shitamachi Dentō Kōgeikan)
Gallery Takumi, as this small hall is also known, is a great place to view dozens of handmade crafts that still flourish in the heart of Shitamachi. The gallery on the 2nd floor is crammed with a rotating selection of works by neighbourhood artists: fans, lanterns, knives, brushes, gold leaf, precision wood-working and glass just for starters. Craft demonstrations take place most Saturdays and Sundays around noon. If anything you see strikes your interest, staff can direct you to artisans or shops selling their work.
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Toguri Museum of Art
A few minutes’ walk from Bunkamura, the Toguri displays about 100 pieces at a time from its 7000-piece collection of fine Japanese, Korean and Chinese porcelain. Special exhibits include styles such as Imari and Nabeshima ware for connoisseurs of Japanese pottery and those who’d like to become connoisseurs. The galleries are reasonably sized, there’s a pretty garden and the residential neighbourhood is so quiet that you’d never guess you’re just steps away from Shibuya’s hustle and bustle.
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Tokyo Metropolitan Museum Of Art
Established in 1926, this museum hosts special exhibitions of everything from traditional Japanese arts, such as ink brush and ikebana, to avant-garde shows paid for by groups of artists who collaborate to rent gallery space. One annual event taking place in November, which consistently draws hundreds of thousands, is the exhibit of the Nitten.
The Nitten is considered to be the leading association of Japanese artists, in Japanese- and Western-style painting, calligraphy, sculpture and craft as art. The museum also boasts an excellent, free art library.
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Japanese Sword Museum
Set on the outskirts of Shinjuku, this museum is for sword enthusiasts only, displaying a small collection of weapons including three national treasures. There's a small exhibit on the ground floor (before you reach the gallery) detailing the intricate sword-making process.
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Yamatane Museum of Art (Yamatane Bijutsukan)
This exceptional collection of nihonga (Japanese-style paintings) includes some 1800 Japanese works dating from the Meiji Restoration and onwards, of which a small selection is on display at any one time; exhibits change approximately seven or eight times per year. Two names to look for: Hayami Gyoshū (1894–1935), whose Dancing Flames is an important cultural property; and Okumura Togyū (1889–1990), whose Cherry Blossoms at Daigoji Temple is a masterpiece in pastel colours. In 2009 the museum moved to these new surrounds.
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Museum of Maritime Science (Fune No Kagaku-Kan)
This museum is shipshape, literally. From the outside it looms like an ocean liner by the water’s edge, and inside are four floors of excellent displays related to every aspect of ships; don’t miss the stunningly crafted replicas of Japanese ships, and try the navigation simulator. Outside, the 83.7m ice-breaker Sōya is preserved. The museum is full of activities for kids, including a pool next door used for swimming and demonstrations and instruction of small craft. There’s limited English signage, but an English audio guide is available (¥500).
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Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum
Gung-ho baseball fans will not want to miss the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum, which chronicles baseball’s rise from a hobby imported by an American teacher in 1872 to the national obsession it’s become. From the establishment of college and professional baseball leagues in 1922 to the Japanese team winning the bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics, this museum walks you through the Japanese incarnation of the sport. Be sure to pick up the comprehensive English-language pamphlet. The entrance to the museum is adjacent to Gate 21 of the Tokyo Dome.
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Hatakeyama Collection
Glide through the exhibition space in borrowed slippers while perusing earthenware dedicated to the elaborate yet austere tea ceremony. Ponder the elusive wabi-sabi aesthetic in the grounds, which cloaks the museum with its army of gnarled trees.
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Tepco Electric Energy Museum
Called Denryokukan, the Tepco Electric Energy Museum is the building on Jingū-dōri with the R2D2-shaped silver dome - it's clearly visible from the Hachikō statue. Operated by the Tokyo Electric Power Company, it offers seven floors of knowledge about electricity production and consumption; if you're not fortunate enough to be invited to a Japanese home, the 4th-floor collection will give you a good idea of the state of the art. There are lots of hands-on exhibits, normally a hit with kids.
Signage is almost entirely in Japanese, but there's an excellent English handout on each floor.
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Meguro Parasitological Museum
A fun, offbeat retreat – although it's a bit of a buzz-kill for foodies – this veritable parasite safari will probably encourage you to cut back on your sushi intake. Although there isn't much English signage, you'll still get a kick out of the rows of formaldehyde-preserved critters, which are labelled with their Latin names (don't miss the 8.8m-long tapeworm!). Upstairs, the lab-coat-donning staff also sell various parasite-themed trinkets and T-shirts to guffawing Japanese girls.
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Showa-kan
Providing an interesting counterpoint to the museum at Yasukuni-jinja up the street, this small museum, encased in a striking tooth-shaped structure, offers insights into the daily lives of those who suffered before, during and after the atrocities of WWII. Curated artefacts, detailed captions and a bottomless computer database of photographs and magazines give the museum an engaging, interactive quality.
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Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
Dedicated to showcasing modern artists and designers from Japan and abroad, MOT also holds some 3800 pieces in its permanent collection, by the likes of David Hockney and Andy Warhol, and several Japanese artists such as Yokō Tadanori. The building's stunning stone-steel-wood architecture (by Yanagisawa Takahiko) is a work of art in its own right. The museum is in Metropolitan Kiba Park – it takes about 15 minutes on foot to reach the museum from any of the nearby subway stations.
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Shitamachi Museum
This museum re-creates life in shitamachi – the plebeian 'lowtown' quarter of old Tokyo – during the 1900s. Exhibits include a sweet shop, the home and business of a copper boilermaker and a tenement house. Docents are on hand to teach games or help you try on the clothes, making for an engaging hands-on visit. There's a list of local onsen (with accompanying photographs) on the 2nd floor of the museum, where you'll also find home furnishing from the 1960s.
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Nihon Mingei-Kan
Arguably the most important Japanese art movement in the first half of the 20th century was called mingei (folk crafts; see p36). The collection at the lovely Nihon Mingei-kan numbers some 17,000 pieces. Most are from Japan, but there are also pieces from Europe, Africa and other Asian countries. The museum’s pioneers were Yanagi Sōetsu, Hamada Shōji and Kawai Kanjiro, three of the leaders of the mingei movement itself; the impressive building (1936) was Yanagi’s house. In addition to changing exhibits of mingei, the museum also sponsors an annual competition of new works.
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Bashō Museum (Bashō Kinenkan)
Although it now takes just a matter of minutes from the central Nihombashi district, Fukagawa was considered a very remote area of Edo in 1680 when the revered haiku poet Matsuo Bashō arrived here. At this small, plain museum, you can see some scrolls of poetry written by Bashō and those inspired by him, as well as souvenirs of his journeys. There’s no English signage, but nonetheless it’s a unique opportunity to enter his world. There’s a small garden out back, or walk out to the Sumida-gawa and take a left for a lookout where you can view the skyscrapers while contemplating Bashō’s long-lost Edo.
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Kite Museum
An explosion of eye-popping graphics and blazing colours, this friendly little place features over 2000 kites in its crammed-to-the- ceiling showroom. On the benches at the back you'll find laminated cards detailing the fascinating history of kites in China and Japan. From late spring to early autumn you can even build your own kite with help from an expert (¥300 to ¥600; call at least 24 hours in advance). The museum can be a bit tricky to find – if you get lost on the street, ask for 'Taimeiken'.
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Meguro Museum of Art, Tokyo
Half local, half global, one part of this museum exhibits the work of Meguro artists, while the other is dedicated to international fine art and craft exhibits (think the work of Charles and Ray Eames). The building is a delight – it’s airy, spacious and well lit compared with many other Tokyo art museums, which can want for space – and there’s a coffee shop with pleasant views of the grounds. Take the west exit of Meguro Station, walk straight ahead down Meguro-dōri and turn right just after crossing Meguro River (Meguro-gawa). Walk along the river and the museum is on your left, past the tennis court and swimming pool.
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Edo-Tokyo Museum
A soaring replica of Nihonbashi (Tokyo's first bridge, still alive and kickin' in its namesake neighbourhood, though hardly noticeable due to its unfortunate position under a concrete highway) immediately sets the tone at this larger-than-life homage to bygone eras. Carefully crafted exhibits document heaps of fascinating facts about life in Tokyo before it evolved into its modern avatar. Exhibits range from examples of actual Edo infrastructure – a wooden sewage pipe, for one – to exquisite scale models of markets and shops, including such meticulous details as period costumes and stray cats scavenging fish scraps. If you plan on having a thorough look around, figure…
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Bridgestone Museum of Art
Tokyo has a love affair with all things French, so it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that French impressionist art looms large in the civic imagination. The Bridgestone Tyre Company's collection, which was previously kept as a private collection by Bridgestone founder Ishibashi Shōjiro, features all the big names – Renoir, Ingres, Monet, Matisse, Picasso – and an interesting selection of works by Japanese impressionists as well.
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Tobacco & Salt Museum
For years, smokers have found solace in Tokyo’s cafes and bars, and for much of that time the government was in the business of supplying them through a tobacco monopoly. That company has since been privatised to Japan Tobacco Inc, which is the owner of this museum, a shrine to the bitter leaf, complete with pipes, paraphernalia and wood-block prints. Downstairs is a homage to Japanese modes of salt production, which until recently was conducted by cumbersome harvests from a reluctant sea. Among the exhibits is a grey, crystalline salt cylinder whose circumference could match that of a small whale. English signage is sadly limited, though the visual power of the exhibits…
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Sompo Japan Museum of Art
The private museum of the Sompo Japan insurance company concentrates heavily on the lithography, sculpture and painting of Tōgō Seiji (1897–1980), whose subjects, most often women, resemble luminescent anime figures set against backdrops that hover between cubist and art deco. Tōgō was closely associated with the Sompo Japan’s forerunner, Yasuda Fire & Marine Insurance Company, and donated many of his works to the museum. The museum also caused a stir in the 1980s bubble, when it purchased Van Gogh’s Sunflowers for ¥5 billion; there are also a limited number of works by Gauguin, Cézanne and Van Gogh. The museum’s 42nd floor location has excellent views.
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Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum
Although the Teien museum hosts regular art exhibitions – like Meissen porcelain, or pottery by important Japanese artists – its appeal lies principally in the building itself: it's an art deco structure built in 1933, designed by French architect Henri Rapin. The interior details remain alluring, including etched tile trim, light fixtures sculpted to look like peaches and pumpkins, and the 'perfume fountain', sort of an early aromatherapy device. The house was originally home to Prince Asaka (1887–1981), Emperor Hirohito's uncle, who was pardoned for his part in the Rape of Nanjing. It became a museum in 1983; admission fees vary.
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