Tokyo Metro Museum

From the moment you enter the Tokyo Subway Museum, you are treated to a hands-on experience dedicated to the nine lines that make up the Tokyo Metro network.

A haven for school field trips, families, and train enthusiasts, the museum features seven exhibits of more than 600 items on display. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to enter a major Tokyo train station when it’s not packed, here’s your chance — the experience of entering an train station and riding a train is recreated as museum entrance tickets are inserted into automatic ticket gates.

The museum’s location, in the Edogawa area of Tokyo, is also extremely convenient to visit other sightseeing areas like Tokyo Sea Life Park, Kasai Rinkai Park and more.

At ¥210 a ticket, you have access to a resource room and a movie theatre where you can watch documentaries on the making of the subway and animated short films, as well. If you plan to spend a lot of time in the museum, there are vending machines and spaces to eat, so feel free to bring a bento box with you.

The first section of museum takes you on a trip through time as you learn about the history of Tokyo’s subway system and its expansion. Afterwards, make your way onto the mock platform of Ueno station complete with advertisements from the early 20th century, and you will be face-to-face with a restored boxcar from Asia’s first subway, the Ginza line. The boxcar is decked out with its stylish wooden interior and mannequins dressed in the fashions of the day.

Photo by: Rs 1421 Unleash your inner train nerd.

Another restored boxcar, from the Marunochi line, the first subway line constructed after World War II, offers opportunity for photos as visitors are welcomed to sit on its seats, open windows, and press buttons.

While all exhibits are primarily in Japanese, the visuals are impressive and easy to understand.  Among the panels featured in the museum are a replica central command station, model train layouts, and even a cross-section of a tunnel boring machine.

The highlight of the museum is undoubtedly the train simulators. Sit in the driver’s seat in the Chiyoda line conductor car or sit at a video monitor featuring routes of the Ginza, Yurakucho, and Tozai lines. Rivaling the train simulator in popularity is the Metro Panorama, a diorama of central Tokyo featuring the entire Tokyo Metro line. Set to catchy music and a voiceover guide, the panorama has four shows daily.

On your way out, check out original items at the gift shop and pick up a few mementos of your time at the museum.