Edo-Tokyo Museum (江戸東京博物館）

Edo-Tokyo Museum Building
An exhibit in the Edo-Tokyo Museum

This museum in the Ryogoku district of Tokyo was built to preserve the historical heritage of the city of Tokyo. It includes exhibits such as a replica of the original Nihonbashi (see here for more information). One section of the museum contains exhibits that show the lifestyle, culture, politics, etc. of Edo during the Tokugawa Period, and another section shows the changes that occurred as Edo became Tokyo, including Western influence, World War II, and reconstruction after the war. A third section has a special exhibition that changes several times a year, each time having a different theme.




Edo-Tokyo Museum Library
Aside from the exhibits of the museum, the museum also houses a library containing more than 140, 000 volumes of books, magazines, and microfilms about the culture and history of Edo-Tokyo. While the books here are not available to borrow, the library seats about 40 people, and a librarian at the reference desk is available to help with searching material, and most of the material is allowed to be photocopied for personal use.




Audio-visual hall
In the first floor of the museum, there is also an audio-visual hall that can hold 148 people and contains three 150-inch screens. This room plays exciting quiz programs complete with three-dimensional images and the person with the highest score in the quiz is shown on the screen. These programs run eight times a day from Saturday to Wednesday, and nine times a day on Thursday and Friday. Programs include: "53 Stations of the Tokaido Highway Sugoroku", "Edo-Tokyo as an International City", "Discovering Tokyo (1)-(4)", and "TOKIO, a Boy From the Future, Visits Today's Tokyo (1)-(4)".


Completing the museum experience, there are two souvenir shops, lounging areas ideal for enjoying a bagged lunch, a Japanese tea room, and two cafe/restaurants. For details regarding these restaurants, including hours of operation and the types of food served, please click here.

You can view the English version of the official museum website here for information about current exhibitions, hours, and admission fees.

The Edo Tokyo Museum is a great place to visit as it covers the Edo era till the Meji era and beyond.
For Social Studies Teachers the Edo -Tokyo Museum relates to the following Curriculum Outcomes:


"Values and Attitudes
Students will:
8.1.1 appreciate the roles of time and geographic location in shaping a society’s worldview
8.1.2 appreciate how a society’s worldview can foster the choice to remain an isolated society
8.1.3 appreciate how models of governance and decision making reflect a society’s worldview
8.1.4 appreciate how a society’s worldview shapes individual citizenship and identity 
Knowledge and Understanding
Students will:
8.1.5 analyze the effects of cultural isolation during the Edo period by exploring and reflecting
upon the following questions and issues:
• In what ways did Japan isolate itself from the rest of the world? 
• How did isolation during the Edo period lead to changes in Japan? 
• How did the changes resulting from isolation affect Japan economically, politically and
socially during the Edo period? 
• How did the physical geography of Japan affect its worldview? 
• How did the shogun use the feudal system and the hierarchical social classes to maintain
control of Japan? 
8.1.6 analyze the effects that rapid adaptation had on traditionally isolated Japan during the
Meiji period by exploring and reflecting upon the following questions and issues:
• What were the motivations for the radical changes in Japan’s model of organization during
the Meiji period? 
• How did Japan adapt to changes brought on by the transition from feudal to modern models
of organization?
• How did the changes resulting from adaptation affect Japan economically, politically and
socially during the Meiji period? 
• In what ways did changes resulting from isolation in the Edo period compare to changes
resulting from adaptation in the Meiji period? 
• What challenges emerged for the Japanese in maintaining traditional cultural aspects of their
society while undergoing rapid change?"( From the Grade 8 Social Studies Program of Studies)