We recently discovered the Edo Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum on the edge of Tokyo. It was an exceptionally nice find. If you have only one day or two in Tokyo and want to get a true sense of its history through its architecture and culture, then you simply must put this on your itinerary. There is no easier, cost effective way to get such an overview of Japan than this unique museum. You can view our full video on this amazing establishment by clicking here.
The museum is actually more like a very large park featuring several dozen homes and buildings dating back to the early 1600’s. These buildings cover the Edo, Meiji, Taisho and Showa Eras, these are periods of the reigns of various emperors and the progression through the years is very interesting. There are 400 year old farm houses with thatched roofs to late 1800’s Queen Anne period homes to early contemporary homes from the 1940’s and onward to a 1950’s era street setting complete with a grocery store, sake store, overnight inn, umbrella shop, a public bath house and many more.
And one of the best features is that it is not overrun with tourists. It doesn’t show up in many searches and its not in the heart of Tokyo, so most foreign visitors miss it. That’s a good thing for us! But its very easy to access by simply hopping aboard the Chuo Line at Tokyo Station and getting off about 40 minutes later at the Musashi-Koganei Station. From there, just look for the big sign at the bus stop and in less than ten minutes, you’re there. Its also one of the better values you’ll find in that entry is only 400 yen. As of this writing, that comes to around $2.75 USD!
So be sure to visit the Edo Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum while in Tokyo. It is a wonderful diversion from all the glitz and crowds of central Tokyo. And be sure to watch the video and send us your comments. We’d love to hear from you.
