The Edo-Tokyo Museum is a museum of the history of Tokyo during the Edo period. It was established in 1993. The permanent exhibition area on the 5th to 6th floors covers a vast space of almost 100,000 square foot. Exhibitions include about 2500 items of ukiyo-e, picture scrolls, clothes, and old maps, as well as 50 large models. The main features of the permanent exhibitions are the life-size replica of the Nihonbashi, which was the bridge leading into Edo; the Nakamuraza theatre; and scale models of towns and buildings from the Edo, Meiji and Showa periods.
More than 400 years have passed since warlord Tokugawa Ieyasu established his government in Edo, located in today’s Tokyo area. By the early 18th century, Edo had become one of the world’s largest metropolises, with a population of about one million people. By the late 18th century, its own distinctive culture had flourished, and it had become Japan’s de facto capital, where people, manufactures, and information converged from all over the country.
Edo was a lively center from which spread the latest trends and cultural products, such as kabuki theatre, popular and religious festivals, fashion, and ukiyo-e woodblock prints. In time it became a major destination that attracted visitors from all over the country. Edo townspeople adopted these trends and cultural products, making Edo culture more sophisticated.
Volunteer guides offer tours of the permanent exhibition areas free of charge, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Tours in Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, French, German, and Spanish are available, depending on the availability of volunteers who speak these languages. Visitors can either request a tour on the same day or make a reservation by phone prior to a visit.
Audio guides for the permanent exhibitions are available free of charge (note: a JPY1,000 deposit is required) in Japanese, English, Chinese, and Korean. The permanent exhibition area features numerous touchscreen displays with explanations in Chinese, Korean, French, Spanish, Germany, and Russian.
The museum is adjacent to the Ryogoku Kokugikan. It was designed by Kiyonori Kikutake. The distinctive elevated shape of the museum building is modelled after an old storehouse in the kurazukuri style.
The nearest train station to the museum is Ryogoku on the JR Line or Ryogoku on the Toei Oedo Subway Line.
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