Tobacco & Salt Museum – Tokyo, Japan - Atlas Obscura
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Tobacco & Salt Museum

Tokyo, Japan

This museum is dedicated to the cultural history of tobacco and salt, once monopolized in Japan.  

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Replica of the Planque relief depicting a smoking deity.
Replica of the Planque relief depicting a smoking deity.
The front entrance of the museum.
Replica of the Saint Kinga sculpture of Wieliczka, Poland, carved from rock salt by Polish artisans.
The salt exhibits.
A collection of antique European pipes.
Pre-columbian pottery depicting a smoking deity.
Kiseru pipes from the Edo period.
11-16th century Mayan pipes.
Replica of a typical Showa-era tobacconist store.
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The Tobacco & Salt Museum first opened in the Shibuya ward of Tokyo in 1978. The museum was founded by the Japan Monopoly Corporation (now Japan Tobacco Inc). At the time, tobacco and salt were under protections by a government monopoly, abolished in 1985 and 1997, hence the themes of the museum. 

In 2015, the museum moved to Yokokawa in the Sumida ward, into a renovated warehouse building. Today, permanent exhibitions are split into two sections, salt on the second floor and tobacco on the third. The museum also hosts several temporary exhibits throughout the year. 

The museum houses more than 30,000 items including collections of rock salt specimens, Pre-Columbian artifacts, ukiyo-e, antique pipes, tobacco paraphernalia, and vintage posters. There are also life-size replicas of an Edo period tobacco shop, as well as one that would have been commonplace during the 1970s. Be sure to check out the museum’s piece of Polish rock salt that weighs close to two tons. 

Know Before You Go

The museum is a 10-minute walk from Oshiage Station and is open every day except for non-holiday Mondays. The hours are from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The entrance fee only costs 100 yen for adults and 50 yen for students.

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Fred Cherrygarden
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Fred Cherrygarden
Osage
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January 30, 2020
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