The Edo-Tokyo Museum (江戸東京博物館, Edo Tōkyō Hakubutsukan) is housed in a unique looking building in the Ryogoku district. The museum's permanent exhibition vividly illustrates the past of Tokyo (known as Edo until 1869) through its exhibits and covers many features of the capital from the Edo Period to relatively recent decades.
In an interactive way, visitors are able to experience and learn about various aspects of earlier Tokyo, such as the way of life of people, Edo Period architecture, cultural heritage, political climate, commercial situation and more. Through numerous models of towns, figurines and life-sized figures, the museum makes it interesting to find out about how towns were constructed in the past.
The museum also offers many good picture taking opportunities, for example with vehicles and items previously used. Voluntary guides speaking in English and other languages are available from 10:00 to 15:00.
In addition to the permanent exhibition, special exhibitions are held periodically on varying, Tokyo related themes. Furthermore, the museum has a sister museum in the western suburbs of Tokyo, the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Museum, which preserves and exhibits multiple historic buildings.
The Edo Tokyo Museum is less than five minutes on foot from Ryogoku Station.
The Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum is an open air museum in the western suburbs of Tokyo, which exhibits a range of historic buildings from the Tokyo area. The buildings were relocated or reconstructed here in order to preserve a chapter of architectural history, which has been almost completely lost in fires, earthquakes, wars and city redevelopment.
Most of the buildings exhibited are from the Meiji Period (1868-1912) or more recent times, and include among others, a politician's elegant former residence, a farm house, a public bathhouse, various shops and a police box. The Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum is a branch museum of the superb Edo-Tokyo Museum in Tokyo's Ryogoku district.
The open air museum is located in the western part of Koganei Park, Koganei City, 25 minutes west of Tokyo's Shinjuku Station by train. From Shinjuku, take either the Seibu Shinjuku Line to Hana-Koganei Station (270 yen) or JR Chuo Line to Musashi-Koganei Station (310 yen). From either station, the park is a 5-10 minute bus ride or 15-30 minute walk.