Best History Museums Spot List

An open-air museum where historical buildings having high cultural value are restored and displayed on a large site.

The building and the interior itself are the display! Experience Kyoto's elegance

The Kyoto National Museum houses many artworks and cultural properties of Kyoto dating from the Heian period (794-1185) to the Edo period (1603-1868).

Experience the world inside the Man'yoshu

An octagonal, three-story western-style home in Maiko Park

Articles from Ryoma Sakamoto and the Shinsengumi are on display

Learn from the Great Hanshin Awaji Earthquake

An introduction to the history of Hyogo from all angles

Hokkaido's oldest museum of Ainu culture, with exhibits featuring lifestyle objects and clothing

Buildings that saw actual usage offer a unique historical experience

Fukumatsu Tanaka, the ”Herring Magnate” leader of a fisherman's union, built this lodge in Tomari-mura. Displays include implements related to the herring industry

Chock-full of discoveries about northern peoples

Showcases the culture of northern tribes in expert detail

Passing down Ainu lifestyle and culture

Once a storehouse, now a museum showcasing Otaru's history and nature

All sorts of history-rich trains on display

This museum was once a ferry that connected Japan's main island to Hokkaido

Discover the history of a beer dating back to Hokkaido's frontier age

Reproduces the streets of Fukagawa Saga-cho in the Edo Period so visitors can see the scene and lifestyle of that period.

This is one of the three greatest commemorative ships in the world. It has been preserved as a symbol of the nation’s pride that attained the victory in the naval battle for defending national independence.