Depachikas’ Free Food Sampling
Free: All time “There’s no such thing as a free lunch?” There actually is! Visit one of the depachikas in Tokyo and you’ll find out why. Depachika is a contraction of the words Depato (department store) + Chika (basement). As the name suggests, depachikas can basically be found in the basements of most department stores...
Tokyo Fire Museum
Free: All time Being an island located in the ring of fire, Japan is prone to natural disasters. Many of these hazards always lead to fire. To learn how the Japanese cope with the elements, visit the Tokyo Fire Museum. The museum gives a history of fire and rescue from the bamboo ladders of Edo...
Meguro Parasitological Museum
Free: All time Apparently the Meguro Parasitological Museum is the world’s only museum focusing on everything parasite-related. Since its establishment in 1953, the quirky museum showcases gruesome specimens that will make your stomach churn and your skin itch. Boasting a collection of over 45,000 specimens, the Meguro Parasitological Museum’s most popular piece is probably the...
Tokyo Gas Museum
Free: All time The Gas Museum has a display of gas appliances from as early as the Meiji period. These artifacts tell the century-long story of how gas technology crossed the ocean during that period and forever westernized the then tightly protected Japanese culture. Address: 2-590 Ohnuma-cho, Kodaira-shi, Tokyo 187-0001 Opening hours: Tue-Sun 10am –...
Free Magazines | Only Free Paper
Free: All time Free zines aren’t anything new in big cities. You can find them in restaurants, shops or even on the sidewalks. But a store right in the middle of one of the trendiest area in Tokyo, offering nothing else but free magazines? “Only Free Paper” is and does just that. Located at the...
Irrawaddy River Dolphins
Free: All time If your travels should take you through the northeast portion of Cambodia, easily one of the most primitive areas of Cambodia and all of Asia, for that matter, you may want to duck into the little crossroads town of Kratie to see some the last of the fresh water dolphins. See these rare...
Chofu Aerospace Center
Free: All time The Chofu Aerospace Center has an exhibition area where visitors can learn about aerospace-research activities in general. Besides having displays on aviation and space vehicles and technologies, the center also offers a space mission simulation. Visitors get to experience being a space shuttle pilot navigating a flight. Address: 7-44-1 Jindaiji Higashi-machi, Chofu-shi,...
Suginami Animation Museum
Free: All time The area of Suginami in Tokyo is home to many animation production houses, hence it’s also known as “anime town.” Staying true to its claim to fame, the neighborhood opened up the Suginami Animation Museum in 2005. The museum provides various exhibits including a chronological history of Japanese animation, the behind-the-scene animation...
Espace Louis Vuitton Tokyo
Free: All time Louis Vuitton opened its art space, “Espace Louis Vuitton Tokyo”, on the 7th floor of a landmark building in the Omotesando area of Tokyo in 2011. Free rotating art exhibition are offered throughout the year. Check the official website for details. Even if you’re not into art, the building with its wide...
Tokyo Fire Department Life Safety Learning Center
Free: All time Tokyo Fire Department at Ikebukuro provides free life safety learning courses for disasters ranging from earthquake to fire to smoke. Get a feel of being in a level 7 earthquake with their simulated experience. The course will instruct you on safety measures during such occasion. Be prepared to get down on your...
Yebisu Garden Place
Free: All time Yebisu Garden Place is essentially the main tourist attraction in the Ebisu neighborhood of Tokyo. This buildings in this neighborhood is strikingly more European than Japanese, giving a feel of a city of its own within Tokyo. Ebisu was founded around 1928 as a community developed around the Japan Beer Brewery Company,...
Museum of Yebisu Beer
Free: All time Yebisu is one of the oldest Japanese beer brand. First brewed in Tokyo in 1890 by the Japan Beer Brewery Company, through a complicated set of mergers and divisions, the brand is now part of the modern-day Sapporo Brewery. A museum dedicated to the Yebisu brand is free to enter. It is...
