Japan · MUSEUMS

The 15 Best Museum Visits in Japan

34 tours  ·  from $5 a head

On a wet June afternoon a museum is the plan, not the fallback. The 15 below cover the art islands, the sword halls and the digital rooms, with entry prices and which tickets are timed.

Osaka Castle: Museum and Tower Entry Ticket - What Osaka Castle really offers
Museums, Osaka Tours, Tickets, Tour Reviews

Osaka Castle: Museum and Tower Entry Ticket

2.Osaka Castle: Museum and Tower Entry Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 2,380 reviews · 1 month · from $7

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!”

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Tokyo: Samurai Ninja Museum Guided tour and Experience - Samurai armor, helmets, and swords up close
Guided, Museums, Samurai & Ninja Experiences, Samurai and Ninja Experiences in Tokyo, Tokyo Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Tokyo: Samurai Ninja Museum Guided tour and Experience

3.Samurai Ninja Museum Guided tour and Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 1,010 reviews · from $27

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.”

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Kyoto: Tea Museum Tickets and Matcha Grinding Experience - Why the Museum Matters
Kyoto Tours, Museums, Tickets, Tour Reviews

Kyoto: Tea Museum Tickets and Matcha Grinding Experience

4.Tea Museum Tickets and Matcha Grinding Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 739 reviews · 1 hour · from $23

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.”

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Skip the lines Basic Ticket at SAMURAI NINJA MUSEUM KYOTO - The guided history tour sets the tone
Kyoto Tours, Museums, Samurai & Ninja Experiences, Samurai and Ninja Experiences in Kyoto, Tickets, Tour Reviews

Skip the lines Basic Ticket at SAMURAI NINJA MUSEUM KYOTO

Ninja Experience (Family Friendly) at Samurai Ninja Museum TOKYO - Dressing as a ninja and taking the photo
Museums, Samurai & Ninja Experiences, Samurai and Ninja Experiences in Tokyo, Tokyo Tours, Tour Reviews

Ninja Experience (Family Friendly) at Samurai Ninja Museum TOKYO

Tokyo Studio Ghibli Museum and Ghibli Film Appreciation Tour - Meeting at Keio Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku
Anime & Pop Culture Tours, Museums, Tokyo Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Tokyo Studio Ghibli Museum and Ghibli Film Appreciation Tour

7.Tokyo Studio Ghibli Museum and Ghibli Film Appreciation Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 421 reviews · from $193

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”

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Kyoto : Geiko Maiko Dance of Kyoto & Visits of Gion Museum - Arriving at the Gion Kagai Art Museum
Geisha & Gion Tours, Kyoto Tours, Museums, Tour Reviews

Kyoto : Geiko Maiko Dance of Kyoto & Visits of Gion Museum

Tokyo Sword Experience - includes Museum Ticket/Ninja Experience - Learning iaido with a safe replica sword
Museums, Samurai & Ninja Experiences, Samurai and Ninja Experiences in Tokyo, Tickets, Tokyo Tours, Tour Reviews

Tokyo Sword Experience – includes Museum Ticket/Ninja Experience

9.Tokyo Sword Experience – includes Museum Ticket/Ninja Experience

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 314 reviews · from $84

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”

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Samurai Ninja Museum Asakusa: Samurai Sword Lesson & Tour - The katana lesson with Sensei Ryo
Museums, Samurai & Ninja Experiences, Samurai and Ninja Experiences in Tokyo, Tokyo Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours, Workshops

Samurai Ninja Museum Asakusa: Samurai Sword Lesson & Tour

Kyoto Sword Experience - includes Museum Ticket/Ninja Experience - First step: putting on samurai hakama
Kyoto Tours, Museums, Samurai & Ninja Experiences, Samurai and Ninja Experiences in Kyoto, Tickets, Tour Reviews

Kyoto Sword Experience – includes Museum Ticket/Ninja Experience

Kyoto: Samurai Ninja Museum guided tour - Samurai dress-up, helmet, and replica sword
Guided, Kyoto Tours, Museums, Samurai & Ninja Experiences, Samurai and Ninja Experiences in Kyoto, Tour Reviews, Tours

Kyoto: Samurai Ninja Museum guided tour

13.Samurai Ninja Museum guided tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 145 reviews · 1 hour · from $28

Kyoto’s one-hour Samurai Ninja Museum tour blends Japanese history, armor, costume photos, katana lessons, and ninja star throwing.

“The tour guide was amazing, Miu our guide showed all the history and craftsmanship of the ninja times, would definitely come back!”

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Ninja Experience (Family Friendly) at Samurai Ninja Museum KYOTO - Learning how ninjas worked
Kyoto Tours, Museums, Samurai & Ninja Experiences, Samurai and Ninja Experiences in Kyoto, Tour Reviews

Ninja Experience (Family Friendly) at Samurai Ninja Museum KYOTO

14.Ninja Experience (Family Friendly) at Samurai Ninja Museum KYOTO

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 132 reviews · from $56

Review of Kyoto’s family-friendly ninja experience, with shuriken, blowguns, costumes, samurai history, pricing, timing, and practical tips.

“This place is a conveyor belt where kids come in, put on a robe, throw plastic “ninja stars” / shoot blow darts at a styrofoam wall and leave. All in a span of about 25 minutes. Had it been five dollars, sure, but for over 50 bucks apiece, this is both a rip off and a waste of a cab ride.”

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