Alternative program: Museum Day

That evening, I checked the weather forecast: snow was predicted for the next day across several regions, including Kantō. I was less than thrilled, but Amber assured me it wouldn’t be too bad. She was right—sort of. The next morning brought light snow that dusted the streets like powdered sugar. It was cold, and the wind had picked up even more than the day before.

The solution was obvious. During my exploration of Ueno Park, I’d already spotted several museums. With weather like this, today would be a museum day. Besides, I had evening plans and didn’t want to spend all day battling the elements. Perfect.

I headed back to the station, where two museums stood conveniently side by side: the Tokyo National Museum and the National Museum of Nature and Science. A good mix of history and science. There were some intriguing art museums in the area too, but I suspected (correctly, as it turned out) that these two would keep me plenty occupied.

I turned up my collar and stepped into the icy wind. Snow was still falling. I couldn’t wait to reach Kyushu in a few days, where sunshine supposedly awaited. So much for escaping Germany’s awful weather…

Tokyo National Museum

The Tokyo National Museum is the oldest and largest museum in Japan. Spread across five buildings, it offers deep insights into Japanese art history, Asian art, and Japanese archaeology. You could easily spend a full day exploring and still not see everything.

I focused on two departments:

The Japanese Gallery

This gallery presents an overview of Japanese art from 10,000 BC to the late 19th century. Its 24 exhibition rooms cover an impressive range: ceramics, sculpture, woodblock prints, silk paintings, and calligraphy, plus dedicated sections on swordsmithing, historical armor, and weaponry. Photography was prohibited in many rooms, which was frustrating since I couldn’t capture the magnificent silk paintings in all their splendor. If you visit Tokyo and have any interest in Japanese history or art, you’ll need to see these treasures for yourself—I highly recommend it!

You can find a nice summary of the Mouse Wedding tale here. The painting’s attention to detail is extraordinary. Fairy tales like this were popular motifs during the Muromachi period in the 16th century.

Heiseikan

The Heiseikan houses the exhibition on Japanese archaeology. Among its treasures are the oldest polished stone tools in the world, dating back to the Paleolithic period around 30,000 BC! Unfortunately, photography was prohibited almost everywhere here as well.

After almost four hours (I’d only planned to stay for two), I was starving and headed to the museum restaurant. I enjoyed a delicious meal of soba and tempura that replenished my energy reserves. Before moving on to my next destination, I stopped by the museum shop to pick up some omiyage.

National Museum of Nature and Science

Well-fed and warmed up, I strolled to the National Museum of Nature and Science. I’m a huge fan of science museums, so I was excited to see what awaited me. The weather had cleared up, and I spent some time exploring the steam locomotive on display in front of the museum before heading inside.

The museum spans seven levels across two buildings. The newer, more modern building features a dinosaur exhibition and various displays on ecosystems, disaster prevention, and climate change, plus departments on space exploration and technology. Many exhibits highlighted Japanese achievements in these fields. Beyond the dinosaurs (who doesn’t love dinos!), I found the exhibitions on Japanese space exploration and Japanese Nobel Prize winners in the natural sciences particularly fascinating. The latter is located in the basement, alongside several interactive exhibits where you can experiment with the displays yourself—if you can read Japanese, that is.

The second building focuses on ecosystems in Japan. This section was highly specific with very few translations, so I relied heavily on Google Translate. While still interesting, it might be less appealing to an international audience.

Dinner

The museum closed at 5 p.m., so I made my way back to the hotel. That evening I had plans: my boss had connected me with an employee at our Japanese reseller who was eager to meet someone from our team, and I thought it would be nice as well. We’d agreed to meet at 6:15 p.m. at one of the prominent statues in Ueno Station, which gave me a bit of time to get ready. I quickly showered, found the least dirty clothes in my bag, and headed out.

Fusion in an Izakaya

He had reserved a private room at an izakaya: https://irohaueno.owst.jp/en/. This was a different dining experience from Takahashi, but equally excellent. The menu featured an intriguing fusion: “Japanese interpretations of Western cuisine,” like a potato salad served with schnitzel, alongside traditional Japanese snacks—so many different dishes that I’ve already forgotten most of them. Everything was incredibly delicious. Whatever we ordered, the waitress brought it immediately, almost as if she could read our minds.

I had a wonderful conversation with him and learned a lot about the places I wanted to visit. He’d studied in Sendai, which was also on my itinerary, and he was originally from Kyoto, another destination on my tour. It was interesting to hear his perspective on my home country. He told me he traveled to Germany often for work but never had much time to explore. Unfortunately, he’d never made it to Tübingen. Perhaps next time he’s in the Stuttgart area, I can show him around my hometown—though I doubt the food will be as good.

We left around 9 p.m. He had to work the next day, and I was exhausted. I’d initially planned to explore Tokyo’s nightlife, but I wasn’t dressed for it and was far too tired anyway. With a full day planned ahead, I went straight to bed.