The person who told me: Toshiki Tanji (museum enthusiast)
Toshiki Tanji: As a museum writer and blogger who rediscovers Japan, he has covered over 2,500 unique spots, former red-light districts, museums, public baths and more.
Feel the ultimate collector's love
When you think of museums in Tokyo, many people may think of the National Museum of Nature and Science, the Tokyo National Museum, or even local history museums in each city, town, or village. Many visitors visit these museums every day to view a variety of materials, including Jomon pottery, valuable art pieces, and the national treasures and important cultural properties they learned about in history class.
However, as there are thousands of museums in Japan, there are also facilities that house a variety of obsessive collections that are beyond imagination, making you wonder, "Are there really museums like that?" They are run by a variety of companies and individuals. This time, we have selected six museums that house such obsessive collections.
The World Bag Museum is a corporate museum that deals in bags from around the world, while the museums dealing in train timetables, jadeite stones, merchandise from the anime "Candy Candy," water outlets, and extinct media are all privately run. Visitors will be overwhelmed by the sheer size of jadeite stones they've never seen before, and nostalgic for the days when they used endangered media devices like flip phones and MD players. The uniqueness of these exhibits will surely stir emotions on numerous occasions.
These collections were put together by one person's passion. You can see the way of life of a person who has persisted in something, such as "why did he continue to collect?" and "what motivates him to do so." Why not visit a museum of such a passionate collection and bring a variety of stimulation into your daily life?
World Bag Museum
This is the corporate museum of Ace, a specialized trading company for bags. It displays not only bags from around the world, but also the Madison bag, which has sold over 20 million units including counterfeits, as well as bags favored by celebrities such as Shigeo Nagashima and Antonio Inoki. There is also a memorial museum dedicated to the company's founder, Ryusaku Shinkawa, which is also a must-see.
Address: 1-8-10 Komagata, Taito-ku | map
Timetable Museum
Not only are there about 900 timetables from the Taisho era to the present, but various railway goods are condensed into one room, and part of the museum is designed to look like a platform, creating an excellent worldview. It is run privately by a director who is passionate about railways. Admission is 3,000 yen for 45 minutes. Although the hourly rate is higher than Disneyland, the director's warm hospitality is priceless.
Address: 5-23-11 Nakano, Nakano-ku | map
Jadeite Stone Museum
This unique museum, unlike any other in the world, displays over 100 jadeite stones. The open-air building has glass windows and an atrium, and visitors will be overwhelmed by the many jaw-dropping exhibits, including a large number of jadeite stones, giant mosaic art, and even a jadeite stone bath carved out of an enormous jadeite stone.
Address: 4-5-12 Kitashinagawa, Shinagawa-ku | Map
Candy Candy Museum
If you go up to the second floor of this retro Showa-era coffee shop, you'll be overwhelmed by the merchandise from the anime "Candy Candy" that covers the entire wall. This is a private museum run by Candy H. Milky, who is also known as a cross-dressing enthusiast. Candy's talk, which she loves to chat with, is also fascinating.
Address: 7-4-11 Shibamata, Katsushika-ku, Showa Retro Cafe Sepia | map
Water outlet museum
On the fifth floor of a building in the Shinbashi business district, there is a truly enthusiastic museum filled with a large number of water outlets. Although we casually come into view every day, we rarely pay attention to the profound world of water outlets. Why not go and hear about their appeal from museum director Zenichi Murakami?
Address: 5F, 2-11-1 Shinbashi, Minato-ku｜map
Museum of Extinct Media
Based on the idea that "all media other than paper and stone will become extinct," this private museum exhibits 1,500 pieces of various media equipment that have appeared in the world, become extinct, or will become extinct in the future. By looking at and touching the exhibits, visitors can experience the excitement of reuniting with things from the past that they had used and discarded afterwards.
Address: 1F, 2-3-6 Uchikanda, Chiyoda-ku | map
