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Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum
The Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum is an authentic and immersive look at Japan’s past. Every building has a story. See the grandeur of an Edo-period mausoleum and explore the chilling history of a prime minister’s home. It’s a massive display of this country’s most iconic architecture. Everything has been carefully preserved, each with its original purpose intact.
The museum has a rich tapestry of historical homes, shops, and temples. It’s a unique shoot location for anyone looking to document a piece of Tokyo that’s more than concrete and steel. Every photograph you take will hold a piece of Japanese history. Some will even give you insights into how social changes shaped daily life.
Every house at this museum is real. None are replicas. People either lived or worked in them at some point in the past. Some even have ties to events in Japanese history.
For example, have you ever heard of Korekiyo Takahashi? He was a Japanese Prime Minister and holder of various ministerial positions. During the 1920s and 30s, he was very active. His house is at the museum. Military officers assassinated him in it during the 1936 coup attempt. It is a significant part of Japanese and possibly world history.
My favorite building is Jisho-in. It was a mausoleum for one of Iemitsu Tokugawa’s concubines, Lady Ofuri. He built it for her in 1652. The structure is beautiful, with colored wood carvings all over it.
Where were the buildings? Most are from Tokyo, but some are from distant places, like the elevated granary. It was on an island between Okinawa and Kyushu.
Whatever the case, they were disassembled and the pieces numbered. They were then stored, in some cases, for many years. When the display site was decided, they were brought to the museum. Every part had to be found and reassembled. The logistical problems must have been immense.
Some exhibits give insight into how Japanese architecture has changed daily life. Sakae Okawa’s house is a good example. He built it in 1925 after the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923. As a result, many people left the inner city areas for the suburbs, thinking they were safer. His house shows a social change. It was a place where the family would spend time together.
There is also a shopping street. It looks like one from the early Showa period (1926-1989). There is a bathhouse, an inn, a soba shop (a real one!), a florist, a soy sauce shop, and more. The museum could be a movie set! Things like this make for an interesting Tokyo photo spot.
Every time I go to the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum, I learn something. One of the most interesting things was the houses with straw roofs. They have fires inside going all year round. I thought this was something done to add to the atmosphere, but I was wrong.
A guide told me that they are vitally important. Without warmth in the straw, moisture creeps in and causes rot, necessitating repairs. Replacement would cost about ￥30,000,000. That is very prohibitive, so it makes sense to keep those fires going, even in the middle of summer. Yes, there is no mistake with that cost!
I love this museum. It is big and filled with real history. And the buildings are magnificent. Some of them wouldn’t be out of place in modern Tokyo.
A Brief History of the Museum
Since the Edo period, Tokyo has lost many historical buildings due to various reasons. They include floods, fires, earthquakes, and war. And that continues today, with social and economic change causing more loss.
In 1993, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government established the museum to combat this. Since its opening, it has carried out a whole range of projects. It relocates, reconstructs, preserves, and exhibits buildings of great cultural value.
What can you photograph at Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum?
There is a lot of cool stuff. You can shoot a wide range of buildings that include:
- Houses for the rich and the middle class
- a photo studio
- a florist
- a fire lookout post
- a palace (you walk through it to enter the museum)
- a gate from an Edo-period clan mansion
- a bathhouse
Inside many of the buildings are everyday items from the period. You’ll find old phones, Buddhist altars, soya sauce bottles, cutlery, etc.
Photography tips for the museum
- Building interiors can be dark, so use higher ISOs.
- tripods and flash are not allowed, and;
- in many interiors, space will be minimal, so wide-angle lenses will be helpful.
Where is the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum?
Address: 3-7-1 Sakuracho, Koganei, Tokyo
Here it is on Google Maps:
Closest train station:
- Musashi-Kogaeni on the Chuo Line.
- Leave via the north exit and take a Seibu Bus from platform 2 or 3. Get off at “Koganei Park West Exit” and the museum will be in the Park. You could walk there, but it’ll take about thirty minutes.
Opening hours:
- April to September: 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM
- October to March: 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM
- Tickets are sold up to thirty minutes before closing time.
The museum is closed on Mondays. Check the website before going because it can close for special events.
Admission costs:
¥400
Conclusion
If you love buildings and architecture, visit the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum. With its awesome displays, you could spend hours there. Don’t worry if you can’t read Japanese. The museum has good signage in English!
Lastly, make sure you pick up a plastic bag at the entrance. Put your shoes in it if you enter the buildings. Once outside, put your shoes back on and continue to the next exhibit.
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External related websites:
Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum (official website)