World Bags & Luggage Museum — Attraction in Tokyo

This museum is a gem that everyone should visit. Easily an overlooked jewel of Tokyo showcasing travel bags from around the world. Don't judge it until you go, it is a really fascinating place. The museum is about 10 minutes south of Senso-ji Temple on foot, is open M-F and most Saturdays, and is free. The museum is owned and maintained by the ACE luggage company, so thank you to ACE for the lovely free museum. Stop at the visitor desk on the main floor to get a guest badge (no signing in, they just give you a badge on a lanyard and a museum pamphlet) then go to the 7th and 8th floors using the elevator on the right. 99% of the displays have been translated into excellent, natural English and are very interesting to read. The 7th floor bag collection is beautifully displayed and all of the items are of very high quality. The Japanese section goes back well into the samurai era, and European pieces start with steamer trucks and wardrobes (think Titanic) and advance to the present day. The focus is definitely on older pieces rather than modern goods.The 8th floor is an homage to the company founder Ryusaku Shinkawa, who was a fascinating innovator and businessman. Here, you can really understand the evolution of Japanese society and ideas of Japanese leisure in the way Shinkawa thought about his company. For example, he designed low-cost airplane luggage at a time when airplane travel was only available to the wealthy because he was confident that Japan would prosper and that airplane travel would eventually be available to all. The 8th floor also has a large lounge with tables and benches that is great for resting. The Senso-ji area doesn't have a lot of indoor places where you can linger, especially not for free, so this museum is a great place to add to your Senso-ji itinerary for an interesting...

A Well-curated museum of the history of bags and luggage with free admission. It starts off with a section explaining the history of bags and the need for containment of goods throughout the ages, and then transitions into a showcase of bags produced from each of the major continents. There are some signature rarities from Italy, France, the US, Germany, and Japan.

On the other floor is a section dedicated to the museum’s (the Ace company) creator, his life, inspirations, and eventual rise to success. There are plenty of areas to sit, a vending machine with drinks, and great views on this floor.

I visited on a Wednesday and I was the first person there early in the morning. Even towards the afternoon it was very quiet with only a handful of other tourists.

I gave it a 4/5 rather than a solid 5 because an area in the museum, “Tips for Bags,” which provides advice on bag cleaning and maintenance, was not translated to English unlike...

I'm giving this 5 stars with a minor caveat - it's as good as a museum can be when it is about a rather dry topic. I don't find bags and luggage to be overly enthralling - I'm not sure many people do.

That said, this quiet little museum just down the street from Senso-ji is a very well presented affair, with a lot of information (including full English translation for much of it) and some interactive elements (you can pull a suitcase on a tiled path, for example).

The staff member we dealt with was very friendly and helpful and there are frequent toilets throughout. There's also a rest area that has a vending machine and a decent view of the Sky Tree.

All in all, well worth 30 minutes of your time if you're in the area and have...