Today, we introduce Taito City’s Shitamachi Museum, where visitors can learn about traditional Japanese life in what is now “old town” Japan. Step inside and you will step back in time!

Due to various urban redevelopment projects and also to the Great Kanto Earthquake, much of the traditional Edo period buildings, designs and culture in general has disappeared. This museum preserves that culture and those traditions.

Tools used in the daily lives of residents from the Edo period and the Showa period are on display. It’s not only interesting to see what tools were used, but also to see how many tools are obsolete not because of improvements, but because the need is simply nonexistent today.

Located on the shores of Shinobazu Pond, the two-storey Shitamachi “Old Town” Museum is a cultural facility that was made to showcase and share the culture, traditions and history of Taito City during the “good old days” of Tokyo.

On the first floor, visitors will enjoy a reproduction of the downtown cityscape from about 100 years ago. Part of a row-house and surrounded by narrow alleys, a merchant’s house, a candy store, a craftsman’s house, and more, all with tools used by the inhabitants at that time.

On the second floor, visitors can see a recreation of an old-style bathhouse, and an exhibition area where visitors can see toys and other daily necessities that were common back then! There is also a space used for special events. Be sure to check the website below for upcoming events!

The Shitamachi Museum is only 4 minutes on foot from Ueno Station, and is located in Ueno Park, so why not enjoy both of them together?

https://www.taitocity.net/zaidan/shitamachi/