With overtourism plaguing Tokyo and other locations in Japan, more people are looking to get away from the crowds on their trip to Japan’s capital city. If that describes you, consider adding one or more of these 12 fun museums in Toyko to your to-do list.
How to enjoy these 12 fun museums in Tokyo
The museums below all cater to some specialized subject that may (or may not) pique your interest. While a few of them are in well-trafficked areas of the city, some are in parts of town that tend to see less tourist traffic. This makes visiting them a great way to stretch your legs and maybe encounter other unique shops and restaurants you wouldn’t otherwise find.
Many of these fun museums in Tokyo are free or charge a nominal fee. A few of them require a knowledge of Japanese or attending with a guided interpreter for the best experience. (We can help with that! See below for more details.)
I’ve done my best to capture admission times here. However, most of these museums may close unexpectedly due to staffing issues or to refresh the exhibits. Check the calendar on the museum’s official Web site prior to visiting.
Meguro Parasitological Museum (็ฎ้ปๅฏ็่ซ้คจ)
Topping our list of fun museums in Tokyo is one you may have heard of. The Meguro Parasitological Museum made news during the public health crisis when it almost went extinct. A tweet from Microsoft founder Bill Gates kept it in business. Besides acting as a public museum, the location is also a research institute for studying parasites and parasitic diseases.
The museum carries over 300 wet specimens of a diverse selection of parasites in its permanent collection. You also can (and should) pick up some sweet, sweet parasite-related merchandise.
Web site: Meguro Parasitological Museum (English)
Admission fee: Free (donations welcome)
Address: 4-1-1 Shimomeguro, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-0064, JAPAN
Hours: Open 10am to 5pm. Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays except when a national holiday falls on one of these days, then closed the following day. Closed on New Years Day.
Tokiwaso Manga Museum (ใใญใฏๅฃฎใใณใฌใใฅใผใธใขใ )
The Tokiwaso Manga Museum is a must-see for manga (Japanese comic) lovers. Built in 1952, legendary manga-ka Tezuka Osamu (Black Jack, Astro Boy, Phoenix, Buddha) took up residence in 1953. He was followed by such legends as Fujiko F. Fujio (Doraemon), Terada Hiro (Kurayami Godan), Ishinomori Shotaro (Kamen Rider, Hotel), and others.
Inside, you can see where these artists did some of their most famous work. At the Manga Station, opened in 2020, you can look through over 5,000 manga and manga-related books.
Web site: Tokiwaso Manga Museum
Admission fee: Free
Address: Toshima, Minami Nagasaki, 2-chome 3-3
Hours: 10am to 6pm (entrance allowed up until 5pm). Closed on Mondays (following day is Monday is a public holiday)
Suginami Animation Museum (ๆไธฆใขใใกใผใทใงใณใใฅใผใธใขใ )
The Kogei Tokyo Polytechnic University runs this museum dedicated to the art of animation. It consists of two floors, including a museum floor showcasing the history of anime, the anime creation process, and even an anime production experience corner where you can experience the practice of animation hands-on. There’s also a theater, library, and an exhibition hall.
Web site: Suginami Animation Museum (English; note that the museum recommends bringing along an interpreter if you don’t speak Japanese)
Admission fee: Free
Address: Suginami, Kamiogi 3-29-5
Hours: 10am to 6pm (last entry at 5:30pm). Closed on Mondays (next day if a national holiday) and New Years.
Dagashiya Game Museum
Like retro games? Like, REALLY retro games? Dagashiya games are old, coin-based games that one could play for 10 yen a pop at a store that sold dagashi, or candy and snacks marketed to kids. Many are peg-based games – in essence, early versions of pachinko. At this small museum in Itabashi, you can get a cup full of tokens and play these classic games to your heart’s content.
Note that the Game Museum is a one- or two-person operation and doesn’t have staff to cater to non-Japanese-speaking visitors.
Web site: Dagashiya Game Museum (Japanese)
Admission fee: 300 yen for 10 tokens
Location: Itabashi, Miyamotocho 17-8
Hours: Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 7pm; weekdays from 2pm to 7pm. Closed on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays unless a national holiday
Currency Museum (็ดๅนฃๅ็ฉ้คจ)
Where are my currency geeks at?! The Currency Museum, run by the Bank of Japan’s Institute for Monetary and Economic Studies, is a showcase of Japanese and Asian currency throughout history. It includes the Sempeikan collection, Tanaka Keibun’s collection of ancient currency from both Japan and China. The Museum opened in 1985, meaning it’ll celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2025.
The Currency Museum is English-friendly. The Web site even contains a link to an English-language audio guide you can use on your own device.
Web site: Currency Museum (English)
Admission fee: Free
Location:1-3-1 Nihonbashi Hongokucho, Chuo-ku
Hours: 9:30am-4:30pm (last entry at 4pm); closed Mondays (open when Monday is a holiday) and from December 29th to January 4th
Extinct Media Museum (็ตถๆป ใกใใฃใขๅ็ฉ้คจ)
This small museum in Tokyo’s Otemachi neighborhood features all sorts of now-obsolete media playback and creating devices. Computers, typewriters, cameras, Personal Digital Assistants, and old mobile computers all make an appearance. You can even rent the exhibits for use in media such as movies and music videos.
Web site: Extinct Media Museum (Japanese)
Entry fee: 2,000 yen for adults; 1,000 yen for supporters; free for kids 15 and under
Location: Chiyoda, Uchikanda 2-3-6
Hours: 11am to 11pm weekdays; occasionally open on Saturdays (check the Museum’s X account for details)
Intermediatheque (ใคใณใฟใผใกใใฃใขใใฏ)
No fun museums of Tokyo tour would be complete without a visit to this unique location. Housed in the former Tokyo Central Post Office building, the collaboration between Japan Post and the University Museum, University of Tokyo showcases a range of interdisciplinary experimental exhibits that fuse together different forms of expression. It’s also a permanent exhibit for the University of Tokyo’s “scientific and cultural heritage.” That means a lot of bones, stuffed animals, and a number of other odd and offbeat exhibits.
Web site: Intermediatheque (English)
Admission fee: Free
Location: KITTE 2-3F, 2-7-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku
Hours: 11am-6pm (8pm on Fridays and Saturdays); closed on Mondays (unless a national holiday, then closed on Tuesday) and during the New Years holidays. May have unscheduled closures.
Bunka Gakuen Costume Museum (ๆๅๅญฆๅๆ้ฃพๅ็ฉ้คจ)
Bunka Fashion College is a popular school for both Japanese and foreign students of the fashion arts. The museum, associated with the Bunka Gakuen Educational Foundation, is one of Japan’s few garment museums. Created in 1979 to commemorate the school’s 80th anniversary, the collection shows European and early Japanese Western clothing, kimonos, and garments from regions across the world.
Web site: Bunka Gakuen Costume Museum (English)
Admission fee: 500 yen for adults; 300 yen for university, college, and high school students; 200 yen for elementary and junior high school students. Discounts available for groups of 20 or more. Free for the handicapped and one accompanying person.
Location: Shinjuku Bunka Quint Bldg., 3-22-7 Yoyogi, Shibuya-ku
Hours: 10am to 4:30pm (enter by 4pm). Closed Sundays, national holidays, New Years, summer holidays, and occasionally closed to change displays
Tokyo Waterworks Historical Museum (ๆฑไบฌ้ฝๆฐด้ๆญดๅฒ้คจ)
As a region susceptible to flooding and tsunamis, Tokyo’s management of water is actually quite fascinating. This museum traces the history of the city’s waterworks all the way back to the founding of the Shogunate in Japan’s 17th century, when water delivery ducts were made of stone or wood.
The Museum also tells the story of how Tokyo Waterworks was born in 1898 to implement clean and safe water management. You can listen to audio guides in English, Korean, Chinese (the site doesn’t specify Mandarin or Cantonese), and Japanese. If you’re a city history buff, this museum’s for you.
Web site: Tokyo Waterworks Historical Museum (English)
Admission fee: Free
Location: 2-7-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku
Hours: 9:30am to 5pm (last admission at 4:30pm); closed the 4th Monday of every month, or Tueday if Monday is a national holiday; closed December 28th to January 4th
Fabre Insect Museum (ใใกใผใใซๆ่ซ้คจ ใ่ซใฎ่ฉฉไบบใฎ้คจใ)
Love bugs? Then check out this museum dedicated to the life work of French entomologist Jean Henri Casimir Fabre. The two-story facility is devoted mostly to bugs, both living and preserved for posterity. You can even purchase individually preserved insects in display boxes from the museum – a nice souvenir for your fun museums of Tokyo tour.
Web site: Japan Henri Fabre Institute (Japanese)
Admission fee: Free
Location: Bunkyo-ku, Sendagi 5-46-6
Hours: Saturday and Sunday, 1pm to 5pm
Museum of Maritime Science (่นใฎ็งๅญฆ้คจ)
The Museum of Maritime Science is most known for its ability to tour the Soya (ๅฎ่ฐท), a ship formerly used by Japan’s Coast Guard during the wartime and post-war Showa era.
Web site: Museum of Maritime Science (Japanese); English information via Tokyo-Odaiba.net
Admission fee: Free
Location: Koto, Aomi 2-chome
Hours: 10am to 5pm; closed every Monday except on a national holiday, then on Tuesday; closed for New Years holidays
Tobacco and Salt Museum (ใใฐใใจๅกฉใฎๅ็ฉ้คจ)
Tobacco and salt were once such precious commodities in Japan that they were regulated under a government monopoly. This museum looks at the history of both substances, not just in Japan, but throughout the course of human history. The tobacco side of the museum looks at the history of old-fashioned Japanese tobacco as well as the kiseru, or Japanese tobacco pipe.
The museum is run by Japan Tobacco Inc., previously known as the Japan Monopoly Corporation.
Web site: TOBACCO AND SALT MUSEUM (English)
Admission fee: 100 yen; 50 yen for visitors over 65, children, and students; group rates available
Location: 1-16-3, Yokokawa, Sumida-ku
Hours: 10am to 5pm (entrance until 4:30pm); closed Mondays (Tuesdays when Monday is a national holiday); closed for New Years
Conclusion: Fun museums in Tokyo
Some of these museums cater mainly to a Japanese audience, which means you should know Japanese or bring along an interpreter. Contact us at Unseen Japan Tours if you want to add one of these locations to your list – we’d be happy to interpret on your behalf.
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Sources
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