Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum

An absolute gem - this was one of the most beautiful and serene places I have visited in Tokyo. It was around an hour's journey out of central Tokyo but very straightforward to get to via public transport. For only 400 yen you get to visit around 30 historical buildings (including residences and shops) which are incredibly well-preserved, spread across three different areas. There were very few foreign tourists so it was an absolute joy to wander and explore. Tips: Visit on a weekday as it's very quiet, and wear shoes that are easy to slip off as you are required to take them off when you visit the interiors of some of the buildings. You can bring food to eat outside on picnic tables and benches or visit one of the restaurants inside the visiting area. Expect to need around 3-4 hours to visit all of the buildings at a leisurely pace.

This was honestly like entering a time machine and flying back to Edo Japan, and World War II Japan. It was incredible the architecture and the way the museum has maintained the quality. Their section where they have reconstructed a small town is beautiful, its truly out of this world. A wonderful place thats very informative and situated in a beautiful large park as well. Lots of facilities for bathrooms and drink vending machines all throughout the museum.

Great place to explore old architecture. There aren't any big signs to the park but it’s relatively easy to get to, just take the bus from the Musashino-Koganei train station and get off at the Family Mart. From the bus stop, it’s a short walk through the park and in to the main building entrance. Entrance fee is 400JPY, with that, you get an info sheet and a map. You then get to explore the indoor exhibits and then you go outside to explore the various houses/buildings in the area. Visited on a weekday in October and there weren’t too many people, it’ll probably take you around half a day to explore.

Love the place. Lots of historical houses that personally donated by the family. Staff on duty are super helpful and friendly. If you do have time, feel free to visit the cafe. They serve, delicious pancake 😋

Always such a treat to go here! I love it so much. A bit out of the way, but worth it. Lovely all times of the year. Information displayed in English. Great student discounts

A little hard to get to but honestly really worth the trek. Anyone who loves recreated villages will enjoy this. High quality buildings and lots to explore! At 400¥, this place is an absolute bargain!

Lovely museum showcasing a wide range of historical Japanese architecture in an immersive environment. The museum is very large and most of the houses allow visitors to come inside and are decorated authentically. The park the houses are located in is scenic and quiet, and the museum was very peaceful not having many crowds at all. The staff were kind and helpful and we were given guides to the houses on display that contributed interesting information. We visited both the cafe and restaurant and both served delicious food with exceptional service. I particularly enjoyed the udon at the restaurant. The museum was seemingly very wheelchair accessible (most of the houses had accessible entrances and also catered to small children with children’s discounts on tickets available. I would recommend the museum to fans of Studio Ghibli in particular, as it is where Hayo Miyazaki took inspiration for buildings in his films from, which is very noticeable especially when it comes to the large western style house.

Must see museum. It was very calm when we went, daytime weekday. Though when we left the lights were being lit, which added a magical touch to the museum. Theres a small inn in one of the historical buildings where you can get some very good ramen or curry, so it’s easy to spend a whole day here. You can get a coffee at the Calpis inventor house. Make sure to wear double socks if you go during cold season, because you have to take off your shoes to enter most of the buildings, and the floors are COLD! We went 26 november and the stationery house (major Ghibli inspiration) was sadly closed due to renovation. The bathhouse was open though.

An absolute gem - this was one of the most beautiful and serene places I have visited in Tokyo. It was around an hour's journey out of central Tokyo but very straightforward to get to via public transport. For only 400 yen you get to visit around 30 historical buildings (including residences and shops) which are incredibly well-preserved, spread across three different areas. There were very few foreign tourists so it was an absolute joy to wander and explore. Tips: Visit on a weekday as it's very quiet, and wear shoes that are easy to slip off as you are required to take them off when you visit the interiors of some of the buildings. You can bring food to eat outside on picnic tables and benches or visit one of the restaurants inside the visiting area. Expect to need around 3-4 hours to visit all of the buildings at a leisurely pace.

This was honestly like entering a time machine and flying back to Edo Japan, and World War II Japan. It was incredible the architecture and the way the museum has maintained the quality. Their section where they have reconstructed a small town is beautiful, its truly out of this world. A wonderful place thats very informative and situated in a beautiful large park as well. Lots of facilities for bathrooms and drink vending machines all throughout the museum.

Great place to explore old architecture. There aren't any big signs to the park but it’s relatively easy to get to, just take the bus from the Musashino-Koganei train station and get off at the Family Mart. From the bus stop, it’s a short walk through the park and in to the main building entrance. Entrance fee is 400JPY, with that, you get an info sheet and a map. You then get to explore the indoor exhibits and then you go outside to explore the various houses/buildings in the area. Visited on a weekday in October and there weren’t too many people, it’ll probably take you around half a day to explore.

Love the place. Lots of historical houses that personally donated by the family. Staff on duty are super helpful and friendly. If you do have time, feel free to visit the cafe. They serve, delicious pancake 😋

Always such a treat to go here! I love it so much. A bit out of the way, but worth it. Lovely all times of the year. Information displayed in English. Great student discounts

A little hard to get to but honestly really worth the trek. Anyone who loves recreated villages will enjoy this. High quality buildings and lots to explore! At 400¥, this place is an absolute bargain!

Lovely museum showcasing a wide range of historical Japanese architecture in an immersive environment. The museum is very large and most of the houses allow visitors to come inside and are decorated authentically. The park the houses are located in is scenic and quiet, and the museum was very peaceful not having many crowds at all. The staff were kind and helpful and we were given guides to the houses on display that contributed interesting information. We visited both the cafe and restaurant and both served delicious food with exceptional service. I particularly enjoyed the udon at the restaurant. The museum was seemingly very wheelchair accessible (most of the houses had accessible entrances and also catered to small children with children’s discounts on tickets available. I would recommend the museum to fans of Studio Ghibli in particular, as it is where Hayo Miyazaki took inspiration for buildings in his films from, which is very noticeable especially when it comes to the large western style house.

Must see museum. It was very calm when we went, daytime weekday. Though when we left the lights were being lit, which added a magical touch to the museum. Theres a small inn in one of the historical buildings where you can get some very good ramen or curry, so it’s easy to spend a whole day here. You can get a coffee at the Calpis inventor house. Make sure to wear double socks if you go during cold season, because you have to take off your shoes to enter most of the buildings, and the floors are COLD! We went 26 november and the stationery house (major Ghibli inspiration) was sadly closed due to renovation. The bathhouse was open though.

I don't usually post reviews because I'm usually too lazy :) However, I wanted to share my visit to this museum because I really enjoyed going. Wonderful museum that's off the beaten path. Went there with my daughter and we both loved it. We spent the morning at the Ghibli Museum and headed over here as it was described (I forget where I read it, I think it was part of a tour offered) as an inspiration for one of the scenes in Miyasaki's "Spirited Away". There was a hands on exhibit on furoshiki that was good; I mean, I wasn't that good at it but I enjoyed trying. :) There were no crowds on the Friday afternoon that we went much made each stop much more enjoyable. The fact that visitors are allowed to experience the homes and shops; walking through what was once homes for different families during different eras is an experience uniquely Japan and I will never forget. The staff and volunteers have done great work with upkeep of the entire museum and their passion shows through when they explain about the homes and shops. Most of the billboards are in Japanese but this did not hinder our understanding as there are free handouts provided for each setting. Anyone who has an appreciation for history and architecture will enjoy this museum.

We visited a few days ago on a Saturday in July 2020. Due to COVID we weren't able to go inside the houses and buildings, which was a bit unfortunate. However, we still really enjoyed seeing the places. Not too many really old thatched roof type buildings (maybe 4 or 5) but we were able to walk into the entry areas of those and could see the kitchens and nice hardwood flooring throughout, old timbering, and lots of tatami mats. There are about 5 newish (less than 100 years old) houses that were really nice. One was huge. Quite western in style. Our fav part of the park is the eastern section where many old shop buildings were rebuilt into a Main Street style with shops on either side of the street. You get to step back in time at this outdoor museum. Well worth the time and cost. Only JPY 400 per person plus JPY 500 per car for parking.

(This review covers both the current Ghibli Architecture exhibit and the Museum overall.) Three words: Wow, wow and wow! If you appreciate the thought and care put into creating the visual environment for the world-famous Studio Ghibli films, this is a must see. Even if you have been carried away by the enchanting stories and characters of the Ghibli films, seeing this exhibit will deepen your appreciation for the true craftsmanship that goes into each production. I received the flyer for this while guiding a fellow Yelper visiting from overseas who wanted to visit the Ghibli Museum (separate review) in Mitaka. Of course I love the museum itself, and near the exit, the friendly staff was handing out the flyers. I asked if he had seen the exhibit and he wholeheartedly answered "Yes!" What was good about it? Granted, he could have been slightly biased as a museum staff, he was very honest in saying, "It goes beyond words. You just have to see it yourself." So last weekend during the long three-day holiday, I made the trip out to Koganei Park north of Musashi Koganei station on the JR Chuo line to finally see the exhibit. Upon reaching the entrance, we were greeted with a long line of over a hundred people waiting just to get in to purchase the admission ticket! We decided to wait even though the was a guy bellowing out from a megaphone that the wait would be well over one hour and that it would be better to come back several hours later. Say what? We decided to wait. And wait. And wait. Then gave up. The next day was the Monday holiday, so we committed to return. And return we did, at around the same time in mid-afternoon. Surprise! No waiting line this time. It was also the last day of a special nighttime light up that happens only once a year. We could look forward to that in a couple hours. So along with the fabulous display of authentic period architecture spanning over a hundred years, the key focus was a limited run exhibit of the architecture of Ghibli films. The exhibit was divided into two parts within the main entrance pavilion, and absolutely no disappointments here. From rough sketches, paintings and actual cell paintings to extremely detailed scale models from selected films, it was one eye-opening scene after another. Several highlights, including a 1/10 scale model of the bathhouse in Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し) were simply amazing. Mr. Miyazaki's recreation of architectural styles from around the world were breathtaking and authentic, but at the same time quite natural in the settings of each respective film. After seeing these in person, I'm sure you will agree with me in concluding that the extreme attention to craft and detail could only have been created by extremely talented and well-directed Japanese artists. No more spoilers here; you really need to see it in person! The remaining time we toured around the huge grounds that featured full size examples of Japanese architecture, including the recreation of a Meiji period street featuring old versions of what you find in your neighborhood now: Dry goods store, local bar, bathhouse, among others. You really feel like you've stepped back in time, and since we were viewing this at night, the lighting was also authentic to the period, including real gas lights and very old incandescent bulbs. I could go on, and maybe I'll update this review on subsequent visits, but for now, there are only two words: Just go! At ¥400 admission for adults and half that price for seniors and high school kids and above, it's also a deal in a city where major exhibitions normally command ¥1000 and up. (Junior high kids and younger get in free.) Note 1: The exhibit, scheduled to end on December 14, 2014, has been extended by popular demand to mid-March 2015. Yeah - I'm going again, and again, and again! Note 2: The website has been updated and new and expanded items will be exhibited after mid-December. Audio guidance and English supporting explanation will also be added from that time. Note 3: Admission fees will be FREE on January 2 and 3, 2015 - first opening after the short break for New Years. Note 4: Try to take public transportation from JR Higashi Koganei or JR Musashi Koganei stations. It's about a 30 minute walk from either if you're in the mood and the weather is good. Avoid driving, it'll take you a long time to get into the parking lot and on weekends, it's definitely not worth the time and cost.

Yeap, this is a nice place. It's like stepping back in time. There also is a big park with bike rentals etc. and food stands next to it (to the east). The "cycling course" here is rather small in scale, especially if you compare it with that in Showa Kinen Park or Shinrin Park. But no one would stop you if you went off and rode in the park. About transportation. There is a Seibu bus (#13, I think) running between JR Koganei Station, which is south of the park, and Seibu Shinjuku Hanakoganei Station and north beyond that if you want to save some walking. You'd need to get off at "Koganei Koen Nishiguchi (koganei park west entrance)"