Edo-Tokyo Open-air Architectural Museum

Experience the old Japanese way of living through the architectures.

Edo-Tokyo Open-air Architectural Museum was established by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government as part of the Edo-Tokyo Museum in 1993. The museum exhibits about 30 buildings that are culturally valuable from the period between the early Edo period (17th century) and post-World War II.

The buildings are exhibited in the open-air, which makes the visitors feel like they are visiting actual houses or a town rather than a museum. Furthermore, the visitors can actually go inside most of the buildings. It is recommended that the visitors wear shoes that are easy to take on and off since shoes are not allowed in most of the buildings.

The museum is organized in three zones: Center Zone, East Zone, and West Zone. Exhibited buildings are private homes from different periods, a public bath, an izakaya (Japanese bar), various shops such as a soy sauce shop, a kitchenware shop, a tailor workshop, and so on. Visitors can also spot many outdoor exhibits like lanterns, Buddhist stupas, a city train and an old mail box. Everything is neatly relocated, reconstructed, and well reserved that it is not difficult for the visitors to imagine how the lives of the people who actually lived and worked in those buildings might had been.

The museum has an English website and an English brochure with explanations of each building are provided at the museum. An enjoyable place for both children and adults.

How to get there

The park is located inside the Koganei Park. You will need to take a bus from either JR Musashi Koganei Station on JR Chuo Line, or Hana Koganei Station on Seibu Shinjuku Line.

From Musashi-Koganei Station on JR Chuo Line: 5-min bus ride
By Seibu bus: Take the bus at platform No. 2 or 3 near the north exit of Musashi-Koganei Station. Get off at “Koganei-koen Nishi-guchi” and walk for 5 min.
By Kanto bus: Take the bus for Mitaka Station at platform No.4 near the north exit of MusashiKoganei Station. Get off at “Edo-Tokyo Tatemono-en mae” and walk for 3 min.

From Hana-Koganei Station on the Seibu-shinjuku Line: 5-min bus ride
By Seibu bus: Take the bus for Musashi-Koganei Station, get off at Koganei-koen Nishi-guchi, and walk for 5 min.

Admission

Adults: 400 yen
65 year-old or older: 200 yen
College students: 320 yen
High school/Jr. High school students: 200 yen
Primary school students and younger children: Free

Opening Hours

April – September: 9:30am – 5:30pm
October – March: 9:30am – 4:30pm

*Closed on Mondays (When Monday is a national holiday, the museum will be opened, and the following day will be closed.)
*Closed during New Year’s holidays (Dec 28 – Jan 4)

Location

3-7-1 Sakuracho, Koganei, Tokyo (inside Koganei Park)

Website

http://tatemonoen.jp/english/index.html