Museum

History Museums in Tokyo

Tokyo National Museum

5 minute walk from Ueno Station 
Hours: 9:30 to 17:00 (extended hours on some Fridays and weekends)
Closed on Mondays (or following day if Monday is a holiday), New Year holidays
Admission: 620 yen

The oldest and largest museum in Japan, the Tokyo National Museum is made up of multiple buildings, each like a separate museum in itself. They house the largest collection of national treasures and important cultural items in the country.

Edo-Tokyo Museum

Closed from October 2017 through March 2018.
5 minute walk from Ryogoku Station
Hours: 9:30 to 17:30 (until 19:30 on Saturdays)
Closed: Mondays (or following day if Monday is a holiday), New Year holidays
Admission: 600 yen

The excellent Edo-Tokyo Museum displays models and life-sized recreations of structures and events to show the daily life of Tokyo during the Edo, Meijiand early Showa periods.

Yushukan

On the grounds of Yasukuni Shrine
Hours: 9:00 to 16:30 (entry until 16:00)
Closed: No closing days
Admission: 800 yen

A large museum on the grounds of Yasukuni Shrine that commemorates Japan's wars from a conservative Japanese perspective with detailed information in English.

Shitamachi Museum

5 minute walk from Ueno Station
Hours: daily 9:30 to 16:30 (entry until 16:00)
Closed: Mondays (or following day if Monday is a holiday), New Year holidays
Admission: 300 yen

Shitamachi is the name of the artisan and merchant part of old Tokyo. This nostalgic museum has exhibits and reconstructions that show what life was like in Tokyo from the late Meiji to early Showa Periods.

Edo-Tokyo Open Air Museum

10 minute bus ride from Musashi-Koganei Station
Hours: Apr to Sep 9:30 to 17:30, Oct to Mar until 16:30
Closed: Mondays and New Year holidays
Admission: 400 yen

A branch of the above Edo-Tokyo Museum, this open air museum exhibits a number of relocated and reconstructed historic buildings and structures laid out like a historic town.