Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum (江戸東京たてもの園)

The Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum is a great place to escape the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, while at the same time giving you something different from the typical shrine/temple experience.

The area is an entire village with preserved and restored buildings from different periods in Japanese history, and they mix everything together to give you a unique cultural experience that spans across a very long timeline.

There is also a focus on nature around the buildings.  The surrounding trees really isolate you from the outside world and take you back in time.  The place is kept up very well with the buildings taking the center stage and lots of older items for you to check out.  Not much in the way of tacky tourism which is a nice break.

It’s a straight train ride west from Shinjuku Station, but then the park itself is a bit of a hike to get to, so try to figure out the buses if you can.  The museum entrance is on the south side of the complex so you have to walk around the entire village from the train station to get to the entrance, then you do it all over again when you leave.

Website

The website for the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Museum

Photos

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