Samurai Museum — Attraction in Tokyo

I never write reviews but felt compelled for this museum. I labored over planning my family’s itinerary while in Japan. This wasn’t on my original plan but after learning my first two museum choices for the day were closed (around midnight before going) I scrambled and stumbled upon this little (it is small) museum. I can’t say how grateful I am to have found it. I took my wife, 5 yo, and 7 yo. We waited about 20 minutes for the English tour and it was really great. It was short enough to keep their attention and the guide was super nice and knowledgeable. I recommend waiting for the tour as we wouldn’t of known anything we were looking at and would of finished quickly. The tour ended and we waited another 15 minutes for a short and entertaining Samurai show (on the hour every hour from 2 pm on). We were able to try on replica armor and kimonos and the guide took family pictures for us. My kids had a blast and were even given small plastic swords at the end which they slashed all day long. When the tour went upstairs we were able to sit down and listen which doesn’t sound like much but with two small children and a few long days so far on their feet was huge. We spent about 2.5 hours there and if you have children or an interest in Samurai I highly recommend it. The staff is really friendly and the exhibits contain many original items (one sword was over...

The Samurai Museum was awesome, and to think we almost missed it on our visit to Tokyo! First, the building is bigger than it seems, although the rooms are small and cramped so larger people might find it awkward. There was nothing obstructive or difficult, just lots of low ceilings. If you're over 6' you'll need to watch your head. There are also lots of steps into the rooms.

With those out of the way, the museum has lots of information about the different eras and what the samurai did and what the various masks meant. Unfortunately our guide wasn't the best; she had lots of knowledge and information but just didn't impart it well enough. Her English was good enough, she just didn't take enough time to get her thoughts out.

There is also a samurai demonstration that's pretty neat, and at the end you get to try on partial outfits (the full samurai armour set weighs around 30kg and takes 30mins to don) and take pictures. And they have a little souvenir/gift shop where you can buy (unsharpened) swords. You can buy generic swords, and ones that have been made in the specific styles of various generals, with a certificate to prove it. Since the swords are pretty big and won't fit into most luggage, they can also ship them to your address.

Definitely worth the price of admission and...

I love museums but something I struggle with in Japan is that many museums promote themselves in English material but when you get to the actual museum, its just a handful of translations. If I'm lucky, I can get a guidebook or audio guide. The samurai museum is the only museum I've been to that offered a guided tour in English. When I went, everyone there was fluent in English. I also went on a slow day so I was able to have a long tour where I could just talk to the guide and other employees about the exhibits. I got to ask a lot of questions and when they found out I studied history and worked in a museum, they also asked me questions about western perceptions of samurai/Japan and what tourists would want to know more about. I really appreciated how friendly they were and how they wanted to make the information accessible and relevant to patrons. They even got into nitty-gritty and some of the less glamorous aspects about the figures and events which was cool! Because usually, museums here sell either a very basic or fairly positive/romantic side to tourists. The admission fee is pricey but for the experience, I think it...