Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
191
• Beer Museum Yebisu (alas, there are no free samples, but at ¥200 a glass,
this is certainly the cheapest place to imbibe)
• Tokyo Anime Center, located in Akihabara (which abounds in shops selling
anime, manga, and electronics)
• Tokyo Metropolitan Children's Hall, a great public facility for families, with
indoor gyms, a rooftop playground, a crafts corner, and monthly events
and programs
• Showrooms, including the Sony Building that lets you try out all their new-
est products; Megaweb, a huge technology playground featuring more
than 100 Toyota models and a museum of old cars; and the Panasonic
Center, which showcases its products, lets you play games, and even has
a fully designed house of the future (reservations are required to see the
house)
• Free tours of Shinjuku (offered by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government), as
well as Asakusa and Ueno (led by volunteer guides)
• Galleries in department stores, with changing exhibits on everything from
ikebana and art to ceramics and crafts
• Festivals, ranging from biggies such as the Sanja Matsuri in Asakusa to
events such as Gishi-sai at Sengakuji Temple, which commemorates 47
masterless samurai who avenged their master's death
7
Ueno Park, Taito-ku. & 03/3828-5131. www.nmwa.go.jp. Admission ¥420 adults, ¥130 college students,
free for children 17 and under and seniors; special exhibits require separate admission fee. Free admis-
sion to permanent collection 2nd and 4th Sat of the month. Tues-Sun 9:30am-5pm (to 8pm Fri). Station:
Ueno (4 min.). Tokyo Shitamachi Bus: Ueno Koen Yamashita/Ueno Station.
Suntory Museum of Art (Suntory Bijutsukan) Founded in 1961 and moving to
Tokyo Midtown in 2007, this private museum boasts a collection of 3,000 Japanese
antique arts and crafts, including lacquerware, ceramics, paintings, glassware, Noh cos-
tumes, kimono, scrolls, teaware, and other items, which it displays in themed exhibi-
tions, along with visiting collections. Although modern in design, the museum
incorporates such traditional Japanese materials as wood and paper in darkened rooms to
create a soothing, inviting atmosphere.
Tokyo Midtown, 9-7-4 Akasaka, Minato-ku. & 03/3479-8600. www.suntory.com/culture-sports/sma.
Admission varies, averaging ¥1,200 adults, ¥900 high-school and college students, free for children.
Sun-Mon and holidays 10:30am-6pm; Wed-Sat 10am-8pm. Station: Roppongi (2 min.) or Nogizaka
(4 min.).
Ukiyo-e Ota Memorial Museum of Art (Ota Kinen Bijutsukan) This
great museum features the private ukiyo-e (woodblock print) collection of the late Ota
Seizo, who, early in life, recognized the importance of ukiyo-e as an art form and dedi-
cated himself to its preservation. Although the collection contains 12,000 prints, only 80
to 100 are displayed at any given time, in thematic exhibitions that change monthly and
include English-language descriptions. The museum itself is small but delightful. You can
 
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