Tokyo

Mega Web

Mega Web Toyota City Showcase is the best museum in tokyo for car fanatics. This vast car theme park showcases cars as you have never seen before. All current Toyota car models can be found here. You will witness futuristic released prototypes. The hottest race cars are on display. And a multitude on car simulators you can check out. Adults are able to have a fun test drive in real cars, but there are miniature cars for children to drive in as well. There is also a wing called history garage where you can find historical cars from the motor sports of different brands.

Overall it’s a complete car experience that car enthusiasts will certainly enjoy. Especially the stranger futuristic models are a sight to behold. Even without a lot of knowledge about cars it’s fun to see how the cars evolved over the years. And that’s what this museum is all about.

The National Art Center, Tokyo

The National Art Center Tokyo is a museum without a permanent collection. The exhibition in the museum are ever changing and organized by different art groups. This interesting concept leads to a lot of variety between the contributed exhibitions. It should come as no surprise that this is one of the most visited museums in the world. When you are in Tokyo it’s best to check out a brochure to see what’s on display at that time.

The museum is housed in a landmark building of Tokyo, with its recognizable curved glass walls and recurring cone-like architecture. Even if you don’t go to an exhibition it can still be fun to check out the building and perhaps order a cup of coffee in one if its cafes

Fukagawa Edo Museum

One of the best museums in Tokyo is the Fukagawa Edo museum, where they have recreated a street of Tokyo to resemble the Edo period, which is from the start of the 17th century to the mid 19th century. It’s an immersive and very charming visual experience as you enter the world of old Tokyo and get to breath the atmosphere of traditional Japan. Each reconstructed building showcases a different aspect of those times, such as the artisans or food shops. If you are looking for a non-traditional museum and wish to peek into history then this museum in Tokyo is time well spend.

Nezu Museum

The Nezu museum is a popular museum focussed on art from before the 19th century and East Asian art in general. The original collection of the museum came from the private art collection of Nezu Kaichiro. Examples of what you will find here are beautiful 13th century religious paintings from Japan, 3th century sculptures, Meiji dolls, old ceramics, rare archeological findings and many more collectables.

This museum in Tokyo has a good collection, but is modest in size, and will especially appeal to travelers who are knowledgeable about antiques. Visitors of the museum should also visit the relaxing green garden, where you get to admire centuries old statues, soothing streaming water, tea houses and of course a cafe with a nice garden view, where you can sit down for a nice cup of tea.

Ghibli Museum

The Ghibli museum is dedicated to the works of the animation studio known as Studio Ghibli, who has been responsible for some of the most popular anime movies and characters in Japan, like Spirited Away, Totoro and Princess Mononoke. You will find everything from the comic book worlds and movies, such as early sketches, unique short films and recognizable items, such as a gigantic robot soldier on the roof.

As the Ghibli museum is located in Inokashira Park, which is known for it’s famous cherry blossoms, the museum is quite a bit away from the center of Tokyo. So you do need to journey a bit to get there. The museum is fairly niche, but is sure to please both children and fans alike.

Shitamachi Museum

Next to the lotus filled Shinobazu Pond of Ueno Park you will find the Shitamachi museum. This modest museum replicates the authentic life of the historical common people of Tokyo during the Taisho period, which is in the early 20th century. The museum has recreated several houses that display how the people and the merchants used to live in old Japan.

For many elderly Japanese this museum is a place of nostalgia. For travelers like us it’s also quite interesting to breathe the atmosphere of that time and see the subtle changes in the tools in that era. When we visited there was also an English speaking guide which gave us a helpful tour aiding us in our immersion.