Japan Toy Museum — Attraction in Himeji

I stumbled upon this museum when looking for a place to visit in Himeji. The entrance fees are 600 yen for adults. I always been a fan of Japanese dolls (Kewpie and Licca) and also really interested in hina dolls and miniatures. I also been looking for a koi tin toys and found it here (not the one I wanted, but okay). If you have the same interest as I am, prepared to be pleased! It's full of Japanese old toys as well as toys from all over the world. There are several interactive corner which you can touch the toys and try to play it yourself. There are a lot to see here. The museum consist of 5 building. In one of the building you can even access second floor. There are also special exhibition that changed from time to time. So you might want to check out their website to know more about the exhibition. The shortcoming is this museum is like 1.2 km or so from the nearest station so it can be quite a hassle for one who didn't drive their own vehicles; but I personally enjoy walking through relatively rural area.

I'm so fortunate enough to come there in weekdays when the day is slow so Inoue-sensei who is the director kindly accompanied me throughout my visit even though I don't really speak japanese, even explained how to play several toys since I'm not Japanese. I'm really interested in the book Inoue-sensei wrote several books about toys as well as how to make Japanese chirimen craft. Now I really want to buy one of the books since I want to learn Japanese and try making Chirimen craft at the same time. Chirimen craft is currently super popular in Kyoto for souvenir, but it's the first time I ever know that chirimen-craft can be used to store perfumed-packet. one of the staf-onee san also gave me a kobako(?) packet which has a really soothing scents. Everyone is so kind 🥰. It's such a wholesome visit....

A nice cosy place where you can learn about the evolution of traditional Japanese toys. We were lucky enough to have the founder giving us a live demonstration of how some of the traditional toys like spinning tops work. It was fun getting hands on with some of the traditional toys, reminding us of simpler times.

We were in time to catch the Christmas Special Exhibition. Some toys from around the world were also housed in another building.

It was a unique experience and admission fee was 600yen/ adult. Although a little far off from the city, the trip was enriching and well worth it. More awed to read the brochure about how the founder converted his own home into a museum in order to showcase his private collection of toys!

Truly a testament of how following your passion can sometimes lead to building remarkable things!

We visited during the winter and the kerosene burners became overwhelming after a while. Otherwise, it was a most pleasant trip and I would like to contribute some traditional Singaporean toys if I...

A little off the beaten path but definitely worth the trip. Get off at Koro station and follow the signs along the way.

Amazingly friendly staff - the owner of the museum in particular, Mr Inoue. Although my Japanese isn’t very good his passion for what he does shows, and it’s clear it’s a labor of love for him. The collection here is nothing short of incredible really, and covers old and new toys from all over the world. Really has to be seen to be believed. Not just for kids either - even as an adult, I enjoyed wandering around for a couple of hours taking in the sheer volume of toys that spread over 6 buildings.

The owner actually offered to personally drive me to the train station when I left, which I’ve never had happen at any other museum I’ve visited. Would...