Yokohama Museum of Tin Toys – Yokohama, Japan

Yokohama Museum of Tin Toys displays the personal collection of Teruhisa Kitahara, who has amassed thousands of tin toys over almost five decades of collecting.

Kitahara created the space in 1986 to share his collection with the public, and he continues to serve as the museum’s director. Located in a modest white house with the word “TOYS” hanging above the door, the museum holds mainly Japanese-made items manufactured from the 1890s to the 1960s. Futuristic robots, astronauts, spacecraft, communication devices, transportation vehicles, animals, firetrucks, and other objects rendered in tin are carefully displayed on glass shelves. Kitahara is often on-hand to answer questions (in Japanese or English) and provide the history behind his toys.

Yokohama Museum of Tin Toys is accessible by rail and a short walk. Look for the white house with the pink rabbit figure on the porch. The Museum is open every day of the week and offers a student discount on the price of admission.

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