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All Japan Koganei Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum

Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum

Thirty architectural gems from the 19th- and early 20th-century Tokyo were restored and relocated to this space.

Koganei, Japan

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The bathhouse that inspired Miyazaki’s “Spirited Away.”   Fumiya Fujihara / CC BY 2.0
Houses in the open air museum.   Fumiya Fujihara / CC BY 2.0
Some of the shops are wooden, while others are oxidized copper.   KoinuSensei / Atlas Obscura User
Kodakara-yu bathhouse.   KoinuSensei / Atlas Obscura User
A traditional Japanese-style house.   KoinuSensei / Atlas Obscura User
Kodakara-yu bathhouse.   KoinuSensei / Atlas Obscura User
A typical bathhouse mural depicting Mount Fuji.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
The remains of a Jomon-period dwelling, circa 2000 BCE.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
One of the old shop’s front.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
The bathhouse’s mural depicts the old folktale of the Monkey-Crab Battle.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
Kama pots in an Edo-period kitchen.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
The House of Mitsui Hachiroemon, ca. 1952.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
An Asuka-period burial chamber, circa late 7th century.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
Inside one of the Edo-period houses.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
Traditional Japanese interior.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
A traditional kettle.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
Kitchenware in an Edo-period house.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
A traditional irori hearth.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
The Kodera Soy Sauce Shop, ca. 1933.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
A cigarette kiosk.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
Kimonos drying outside.   t.ohashi / CC BY 2.0
The entrance to the Edo-Tokyo Tatemono En, which was once part of the Imperial Palace.   Fumiya Fujihara / CC BY 2.0
A tiled mural of Mount Fuji in the bathhouse.   Kentaro Ohno / CC BY 2.0
An old shop.   DozoDomo / CC BY-SA 2.0
A vintage streetcar.   KoinuSensei / Atlas Obscura User
An old post box.   Takashi .M / CC BY 2.0
An old tram, manufactured in 1962.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
A variation of the “Three Wise Monkeys” motif, ca. 1700.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
The eastern section, packed with historic buildings.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
The house of Georg de Lalande, ca. 1910, serves as a cafe today.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
A detail of the Uemura House.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
A “koban,” or police box.   KoinuSensei / Atlas Obscura User
Vintage ads in the bathhouse.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
The signboard. The mascot on the board was designed by Hayao Miyazaki.   KoinuSensei / Atlas Obscura User
Old drawers inside a shop.   KoinuSensei / Atlas Obscura User
Inside the tram.   KoinuSensei / Atlas Obscura User
The low “chabudai” table was common in the early Showa era.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
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Much of Japan's historic architecture has sadly been destroyed by earthquakes, floods, and war, not to mention redevelopment. In an effort to preserve physical traces of the country's history, the Japanese government designated a small portion of Koganei Park as a place where time would stand still forever.

The Edo-Tokyo Tatemono En is an open-air architectural museum, but could be better thought of as a park. Thirty buildings from the 19th and early 20th centuries from all around Tokyo were restored and relocated to the space, where they can be explored by future generations to come.

As soon as you cross the threshold into the open air museum you are whisked away to another time. Even its visitor center originally served as a pavilion to commemorate the 2600th imperial year, which was then relocated to Koganei Park in 1941. Inside the Museum is a collection of houses and businesses, shops, and bathhouses, all of which would have been present on a typical middle-class street from Edo-period to Showa-era Tokyo.

The west section is residential, with traditional thatched roof bungalows of the 19th century. Meiji-era houses are also on view, constructed in a more Western style after Japan opened its borders in 1868. The Musashino Sabo Café occupies the ground floor of one such house, where visitors can enjoy a cup of tea. Grand residences like that of Korekiyo Takahashi, an early 20th century politician assassinated over his controversial policies, demonstrate how the upper class lived during that time period.

The east section is primarily businesses from the 1920s and '30s, preserved with their wares on display. Visitors are free to wander through a kitchenware shop, a florist's, an umbrella store, a bar, a soy sauce shop, a tailor's, a cosmetics shop, and an inn complete with an operational noodle shop.

The centerpiece is the bathhouse, divided into men's and women's sections. Japanese animator and director Hayao Miyazaki spent time in this museum sketching for his fantasy film Spirited Away, and traces of Edo-Tokyo Tatemono En are visible in the film, particularly in the movie's fantastical bathhouse. He even designed the Museum's mascot character, Edomaru.

There is also a number of exhibits other than the buildings, both outdoor and indoor, including a 7th-century burial chamber and a tram from the 1960's. Most of the indoor exhibition is temporary and changes every few months, often concerning local history.

The park recruits volunteers as tour guides, some of whom dress in period style. There are often craft workshops hosted in the old houses where children can learn to make origami or pinwheels. Occasionally the staffers will put on a variety show in the pavilion, showcasing everything from traditional Japanese performance arts to contemporary magic tricks.

Related Tags

History Preservation Houses Parks Museums And Collections Museums Architecture Homes

Know Before You Go

As per Japanese custom, guests are expected to take off their shoes when entering houses. Wear easily removable footwear to explore the houses.

Five minutes by bus from Musashi-Koganei Station (JR Chuo Line). 6 minutes by bus from Higashi-Koganei Station (JR Chuo Line). 5 minutes by bus from Hana-Koganei Station (Seibu Shinjuku Line). 30 minutes on foot from Musashi-Koganei Station (north exit). There is a direct bus service between Haneda Airport and Musashi-Koganei Station.

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Community Contributors

Added By

KoinuSensei

Edited By

Molly McBride Jacobson, Blindcolour, mooselyn, Fred Cherrygarden

  • Molly McBride Jacobson
  • Blindcolour
  • mooselyn
  • Fred Cherrygarden

Published

March 30, 2017

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Sources
  • https://www.japantoday.com/category/travel/view/finding-tokyo-of-yesteryear-the-edo-tokyo-open-air-architectural-museum
  • https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/museums/edo-tokyo-open-air-architectural-museum
  • http://tokyo.digi-joho.com/attractions/parks-gardens/92-koganei-edo-tokyo-museum.html
  • https://navitimejapan.com/edo-tokyo-open-air-architectural-museum/
  • http://www.ocada.jp/tokyo/tatemono.php
  • https://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/spot/museum/edoarchitectural.html
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9YyzyJ7jEE
  • http://www.tatemonoen.jp/english/index.php
Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum
3 Chome-3-7-1 Sakurachō
Koganei, 184-0005
Japan
35.715613, 139.512523
Visit Website
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