Top 10 museums to see in Japan

The selection of foreign tourists in Japan

Discover the 10 most popular museums for foreign tourists during their visit to Japan!

1. Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

 

Symbol of the tragedy of August 6, 1945, the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima is the most popular site among tourists from all over the world. A place of memory, the park is above all a place of peace, listed as a UNESCO heritage site. It combines the museum, the peace memorial, and the children's peace monument.

 

More: The Peace Memorial Park

Le parc du mémorial de la paix à Hiroshima

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

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2. The Chôkoku no Mori open-air museum in Hakone

 

Opened in 1969, the Hakone Open-Air Museum is the first museum of its kind in Japan. Discover the 120 structures scattered around the perimeter of the Pinacoteca. The interior is not to be outdone: between the walls, an entire pavilion is dedicated to Pablo Picasso. Here you will find playgrounds, green spaces, and even a tea pavilion. In short, a place full of surprises!

More : The Chokoku no Mori Museum

Structure installée dans le musée en plein air d'Hakone

Structure installed in Hakone Open-Air Museum

Robert Montgomery

3. The Samurai Museum in Shinjuku (Tokyo)

 

The samurai, a true icon of Japanese culture, deserved its museum! In the heart of the modern and futuristic capital that is Tokyo, you can take advantage of a stroll among the buildings to visit this unusual museum. The visit to the Samurai Museum lasts about an hour and allows you to observe an authentic armor, once worn by the samurai.

To read: Visit Kyoto in the footsteps of the last samurai

Armures de samouraïs au musée du samouraïs de Shinjuku à Tokyo

Samurai armor at the Shinjuku Samurai Museum in Tokyo

The Franklin photography

4. The Edo-Tokyo Museum in Tokyo

 

This vast interactive museum invites you to dive into the world of the Tokyo of yesteryear: Edo. Models and larger-than-life reconstructions of ancient monuments or city districts are on the agenda. Sound and light demonstrations are also on the program. Although the English instructions are sketchy, this museum is worth a look at. In addition, photos are allowed and easy to access.

More: The Edo Tokyo Museum

The exterior of the Edo Tokyo Museum in contrast with the history it contains.

The exterior of the Edo Museum in Tokyo contrasts with the history it contains.

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5. The Atomic Bomb Museum in Nagasaki

 

In the Urakami district of Nagasaki is the Atomic Bomb Museum. Through a wide variety of documents, you are invited to trace the different events that led to the bombardment. Testimonies and objects reconstruct the moment when everything changed on August 9, 1945. Leaving the museum, you can see the epicenter of the disaster, marked by a black pillar in the memorial park.

More: The A-bomb museum

Museum of the atomic bomb in Nagasaki

Atomic Bomb Museum in Nagasaki

JNTO

6. Toyota Memorial Museum of Industry and Technology in Nagoya

 

After a visit to this museum, the history of the industry and the Toyota manufacturer will showcase their manufacturing process! An ideal family visit for young and old to discover automotive manufacturing processes over time. Models and prototypes follow one another, and interactive exhibitions are also on the program.

 

To read: The Toyota automobile museum

Musée Commémoratif Toyota de l'industrie et de la technologie à Nagoya

Toyota Memorial Museum of Industry and Technology in Nagoya

Marufish

7. Hiroshi Senju Museum in Karuizawa

 

Designed by architect Ryue Nishizawa, the Hiroshi Senju Museum has been open since 2011. It contains around a hundred paintings by the Japanese artist Hiroshi. The architecture of the museum counts as much as the works exhibited. Created in the spirit of the avant-garde, the whole produces harmony despite different materials.

 

What to see: Visiting Karuizawa

Musée Hiroshi Senju à Karuizawa

Hiroshi Senju Museum in Karuizawa

ArchDaily

8. Himeyuri Peace Museum in Okinawa

 

Located in Itoman on the island of Okinawa, this museum was inaugurated in 1989. It was built in memory of the civilian members of the Himeyuri squadron who helped Japanese soldiers during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945. During this battle, they set up a makeshift hospital in caves on the island. Part of this hospital has been reconstructed in the museum.

Read: The Okinawa Aquarium

Le musée de la paix Himeyuri à Okinawa

The Himeyuri Peace Museum in Okinawa

Stefan Krasowski

9. Kita-kyushu Natural and Human History Museum

 

In 2002, the three main museums of Kitakyushu were combined: the Natural History Museum, the Human History Museum, and the Archaeological Museum; and gave birth to the Kitakyushu Natural and Human History Museum. The concept of the museum is to discover "the adventure of life". It is divided into two areas: "Natural History" and "History".

Read also: Fukuoka Asian Arts Museum

Musée d'Histoire Naturelle de Kitakyushu

Kitakyushu Natural History Museum

JNTO

10. Ghibli Museum in Tokyo

 

Between Shintoism and the marvelous, the author of Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away has imagined a museum with heterogeneous architecture, a bit baroque. Discover the surprising Ghibli Museum in Tokyo and rediscover your inner child during a visit tinged with magic and mystery.

More: The Ghibli Museum

Totoro vous accueille à l'entrée du musée Ghibli

Totoro greets you at the entrance to the Ghibli Museum

Tony&Wayne

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