This audio is generated by AI, so pronunciation and expressions may not be fully accurate. The narration is only in English.
"The Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum aims to relocate and exhibit buildings of high historical value and pass them on to future generations. Its strengths as a museum are the reproduction of street space created by the collection of individual buildings and the fact that you can enter houses that were actually used. Their authenticity is something that replicas just do not have," says Ichikawa.
The number of visitors in fiscal 2024 reached around 230,000, indicating its popularity. Studio Ghibli director Miyazaki Hayao had been a frequent visitor.
"I've been told that the director's favorite was Takei Sanshodo and that it inspired Kamaji's boiler room in the movie, Spirited Away."
Takei Sanshodo was a stationery store founded between 1868 and 1877 in the early Meiji era. Though originally built in Kanda-Sudacho in 1927, the building is now located on Shitamachi-naka Street along with other shops built around the same time.
"Here, elementary school students can play our 'errands game' as a hands-on learning experience. In the Showa 30s and 40s (1955-1974), people would buy meat at a butcher's shop and vegetables at a vegetable shop, rather than silently putting products in their carts at a supermarket like we do now. In the game, children go to the stores in the museum to shop."
Museum staff tend the stores.
"Regardless of what they buy, children need to communicate with the people in the store, which they might notice is very different from how it works now. When they learn about history, they realize that what is a given today was not the norm in the past. Reexamining the present as it relates to the past is very important when considering how to improve society in the future. We want to provide such insights through hands-on experiences."
Stationery store "Takei Sanshodo" has drawers all over the walls. Photo: courtesy of the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum
Public bathhouse "Kodakara-yu"[CL1] on Shitamachi-naka Street. Photo: courtesy of the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum
Kodakara-yu's bathroom with Mt. Fuji painted on the wall. Photo: courtesy of the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum
The farmhouse of the Yoshino family, built in the late Edo period.
The Yoshino farmhouse's living room where you can feel the lifestyle of the time.
The farmhouse of the Tsunashima family, built in the mid-Edo period.
The house of the leader of the Hachioji Guards (Hachioji-sennin-doshin), built in the late Edo period.
Inside the house of the leader of the Hachioji Guards (Hachioji-sennin-doshin).
The Jisho-in Mausoleum (Otama-ya), built in 1652, is a Tangible Cultural Property designated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
The Mantoku Inn, built between the end of the Edo period and the beginning of the Meiji era (1868-1912).
Bar "Kagiya," restored to its appearance circa 1970. Photo: courtesy of Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum.
Kagiya's interior has also been restored to its appearance circa 1970.
The farmhouse of the Tenmyo family has a living room with a traditional sunken hearth.
The city streetcar model 7500, manufactured in 1962.
Visitors can make exciting discoveries by simply walking around the museum, letting their curiosity guide them.
"Many of the buildings on display were built during the Edo period. When the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum opened in 1993, there was a renewed interest in the Edo period. After a phase of high economic growth and the bubble economy (that ended in the early 1990s), people increasingly felt that wealth did not necessarily bring happiness, and they started to look to the way people lived during the Edo period to find contentment."
The farmhouse of the Tenmyo family has a nagaya (row house) gate and a dry garden that show the high status of the family. However, the interior is surprisingly simple, representing the mentality of the Edo people who did not consider fancy decorations a virtue. This was one of the characteristics that led to the reappreciation of the Edo period.
"This surprised the foreigners who came to Japan during the Edo period. It has been documented that they were expecting to find the monarch of an authoritarian state living in a luxurious palace, but they were instead shocked by the lack of jeweled ornaments or even furniture. Although it is now to a different degree, I think visitors from abroad feel the same way now about the simplicity of Japanese houses."
The museum has a minimal number of panels explaining the exhibits to encourage visitors to enjoy the space itself.
"Rather than memorizing facts, we want visitors to feel them. If they want to know more, we have prepared tools they can use to learn. One of them is the 'Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum Map & Guide' app that we released in April 2024. It has commentaries, audio guides, and a map function that guides visitors through the museum. Users can activate the augmented reality function at six locations in the museum to see old photos of the buildings before they were relocated and videos explaining how to use old tools."
The app is currently available in Japanese and English, with plans to add Chinese and Korean in the future.
"Tokyo has grown as a result of the influx of people since the Edo Period. As the city undergoes cycles of reinvention, we hope to not only convey the history of Tokyo but also to serve as a place of relaxation and enjoyment for visitors."
