The Fukagawa Edo Museum - a great experience to explore the life in Edo

To get a glimpse into the life of Edo people, I´ve been to the Fukugawa Edo Museum, which is very close to the Japanese Garden Kiyosumi. The best way to reach the museum is from Kiyosumi-Shirakawa Station in just 3 minutes. The entrance fee for persons over 16 years is 400 yen.

At the entrance is a small exhibition of several sumo wrestlers, as the Tomioka Shrine, which is also located in the district of Fukagawa, is one of the founding places of today's sumo sports. Right after you can read everything about important personalities of the district also of the famous poet Basho.

However, the main exhibition is one floor down. After going through a small passage you will have a great view over the roofs of the streets of Fukagawa-Sagacho from the year 1840. You will find yourself standing in a reconstructed small Edo town.

There is also something very special. Every few minutes, the light and sounds change in the small village, recreating day and night. It looks really beautiful when suddenly the sun goes down and you see the moon shining. If you look closely you can also see a cat sneaking over the roofs. The small village is changing depending on the season.  You can enjoy cherry blossom or the autumn leaves or other festival decorations depending on the season.

The small village consists of 8 small houses (greengrocery, rice storage, boat-trolling, etc.), a small marketplace, and a river. Since everything was reconstructed, you can almost touch everything and sit down. This is something special, usually it is not allowed in museums. Especially for foreign tourists that is really great.

The small museum is an absolute highlight, because you can immerse yourself in the old Edo and everything can be explored. I liked the most the many little streets and that you can use many items for photos. Of course, the old paper umbrellas, which used to be there, are very popular as a photo motive.

In addition, I was lucky that during my visit three women in kimono and with the old Japanese hairstyle walked around the village and you could take photos with them. They have advertised their own concert, which does not take place in the museum but in another venue. Nevertheless, they were so nice and took pictures with all visitors.

The museum is really perfect to get an insight into the life of the past. I also love the Edo Tokyo Museum in Ryogku where you can get a good look at old Edo, but I found the Fukugawa Edo Museum even better.

Especially for tourists who do not have much time, the small museum is highly recommended and you can really take photos there. Even if you do not speak Japanese you have the possibility to get an English audio guide or a personal tour guide. Of course for free.