Shitamachi Museum

Up for a bit of authentic olden-day Japan? Then maybe you should try and include the Shitamachi museum in your weekend or holiday schedule. Situated on the edge of Shinobazu Pond in Ueno Park, The Shitamachi Museum is basically an old Japanese building that houses many life sized models of houses and shops from the Taisho period (1912-1926), and offers some perspective of what it would have been like to live in Tokyo in the first couple of decades of last century. On the first floor you can sit in the living area at the back of a store, open drawers and cupboards and find inside the utensils of daily life, or visit a merchants house, a sweets shop, or a coppersmiths workshop, all offering hands-on experience with genuine articles from the period. The second floor offers a more varied collection of exhibits, with toys, dolls, photos, board games, and card games, plus exhibits related to festivals and other events. The museum is cheap (300 yen), provides free guides, and is certainly worth a look..