Japan · MUSEUMS
On a wet June afternoon a museum is the plan, not the fallback. The 12 below cover the art islands, the sword halls and the digital rooms, with entry prices and which tickets are timed.
Walk barefoot through teamLab Planets TOKYO, where water, light, flowers, and your own movements shape a memorable digital art visit.
“This was incredible, I would highly recommend this activity.”
Explore Osaka Castle’s museum, panoramic tower views, and Toyotomi Stone Walls with a $7 QR-code ticket that skips the purchase queue.
“Was a really easy entry! Definitely recommend buying this ticket beforehand as the ticket line was super long. Further recommend going morning of a weekday as it was quite busy in the afternoon. Definitely a must while visiting Osaka!”
Explore samurai armor, ninja history, shuriken throwing, and a samurai dress-up session on this lively one-hour Tokyo museum tour.
“Nami our guide was fantastic and shared lots of information on samurai and ninjas and life in japan. throwing shiruken and dressing as a samurai was an added bonus.”
Grind tencha into matcha, whisk your own tea, and explore Uji’s interactive Chazuna museum in this hands-on one-hour Kyoto experience.
“The matcha grinding experience was great, it was fun to include a hands-on experience in our trip. The ladies were extremely helpful and so fun! After the matcha grinding display the museum was short but full of informative information and videos. It was fun to see the history of Uji tea. Uji is a very cute city, I really recommend exploring if you are staying in Kyoto. It is known for great food and friendly people.”
Kyoto’s Samurai Ninja Museum offers a lively one-hour tour with armor, replica swords, shuriken throwing, and practical samurai history.
“Kids entertainment only. Very small rooms, bad condition, no time to watch or study at all Not recommendable, not worth at all to be named a museum at all”
Dress as a ninja, learn about samurai and ninja tools, throw stars, and hunt for treasure in this 75-minute Tokyo family activity.
“So much fun! We had an absolute blast dressing up and learning how to use Japanese Ninja weapons. We highly recommend adding this to your Kyoto trip”
Explore Tokyo’s Ghibli Museum with lunch at Hotel Gajoen, historic architecture, coach transport, and practical tips for this full-day tour.
“Firstly, the meeting place information on Viator is very misleading. It just says 'Keio Plaza Hotel', but it's actually the JTB office in the 3rd floor lobby of the hotel. This lack of information meant I missed the departure and I joined the tour an hoRead more”
See a 15-minute Kyomai dance by a Kyoto geiko or maiko, then explore Gion art, kimono, a water garden, cafe, and shop.
“It was amazing, the duration of the show is about 15 minutes, including 2 dances. After you can stay at the museum as long as you want”
Dress as a samurai, learn iaido with a safe replica sword, tour a small museum, and try ninja stars at Tokyo’s Asakusa experience.
“We were advised to get there early which we did and the venue wasn't even open. We didn't get a tour as mentioned on the add. The experience was more stressful than fun. Not something I would recommend”
Dress as a samurai, practice katana movements, throw ninja stars, and explore Japanese warrior history in a lively two-hour Tokyo experience.
“The sword lesson was very enjoyable and we wish we had longer to practice. The tour was also very interesting and informative. Would do again.”
See goldfish transformed into living art at Tokyo’s Art Aquarium Museum GINZA, with light, music, scent, and seasonal displays.
“This experience was amazing. It was definitely worth the money. I would highly recommend it!”
Make a personalized Seki knife, sharpen and test it, enjoy sushi, and explore Japan’s swordmaking tradition with an English-speaking guide.
“My expectations were completely surpassed! The team of Sumi, Yoshi and Hiro put in a lot of effort and spoke perfect English, much better than me! We were allowed to make our own knives from blanks, received key rings, ate sushi prepared by a sushi master and received a sumi-e picture matching the motifs on our knives! At the end, we were allowed to try out our knives and then went to the forging museum. I can recommend it to anyone who is interested in Japanese culture or just interested in knives! Thank you very much for this day!”
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