In Japan, you’ll find that there are museums dedicated to anything and everything. From the standard art, history and architecture museums to the quirky, cute or outlandish like cartoon character museums and one spotlighting ramen, dolls, teddy bears and more. In Chiba, there’s even a museum dedicated to soy sauce!

There is plenty to discover and enjoy at area museums, no matter where in Japan you find yourself. Below are some of my favorites close to the U.S. military bases around the country.

Misawa Aviation and Science Museum (Near Misawa AB)

Right next door to Misawa Air Base, the Misawa Aviation and Science Museum is the nation’s largest aeronautical science museum and a must-see attraction. The exhibits give you a good overview of the history, technology and innovation used to conquer the sky.

The two-story building has an aircraft hangar, exhibition rooms, a science laboratory, and historical aircraft replicas like Miss Veedol and Japan-made passenger aircraft YS-11.

Beyond the interesting exhibits, visitors can also try “Prove IV,” a freefall experience, or test their skills in the flight simulator. Outside, there is an open field with 10 American and Japanese aircraft to see up close. Get in the cockpit of an F-104J Japanese jet fighter or T-3 training plane to feel like a real pilot.

With a large playground, the museum is also a great attraction for children. Check the museum website for special events.

View Video

Misawa Aviation and Science Museum

• Location: 158 Kitayama, Misawa, Misawa City, Aomori Prefecture

• Hours: Tue. – Sun., 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

• Admission: 510 yen for adults, high schoolers 300 yen, 15 years old and under free

• URL

• Tel: 0176-50-7777

Japan Open-air Folk House Museum (Near Kanto Bases)

Japan Open-Air Folklore House Museum in Kawasaki has 25 authentic traditional houses and structures, ranging from wealthy merchant homes to rustic farmhouses.

Travel back in time as you visit each of the museum’s buildings set in a typical Japanese rural landscape. Inside each home or structure are the typical furnishings or tools used during the time period.

Try a taste of Japan on site at the soba noodle shop housed inside a folk house. Visitors can also participate in arts and crafts workshops like indigo-dying or handloom-weaving workshops throughout the year.

Nearby you’ll find a few of Kawasaki’s other attractions like the Fujiko Fujio Museum, dedicated to the cartoonist who created “Doraemon,” and Kawasaki Science Museum, which houses the world’s newest planetarium. The museum and Kawasaki’s nearby activities make for a great fun-filled day.

View Video

Japan Open-air Folk House Museum

• Location: 7-7-11 Masugata, Tama-ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture

• Hours: Tue – Sun, (Mar – Oct) 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., (Nov – Feb) 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

• Admission: Adults 550 yen, high school and college students 330 yen, middle schoolers or younger free

• URL

• Tel: 044-922-2181

Nissan Heritage Collection (Near Camp Zama)

Not far from Camp Zama is a place car enthusiasts won’t want to miss – the Nissan Heritage Collection.

The 80-minute tour in the large facility provides an up-close-and-personal look at the nearly 300 vintage Nissan cars that demonstrate the evolution of vehicles, from vintage to modern models.

The Nissan Heritage Collection owns a total of 400 vintage cars, and 300 are on permanent display throughout the year. Among the huge collection, there is a first generation Fairlady Z and a fourth generation Skyline GTR, nicknamed “Ken & Mary,” of which only 197 were manufactured in 1973. Both are must-see exhibits.

The Nissan Heritage Collection is open to the public and is free. The 80-minute tour also includes a 25-minute guided tour with an English-speaking guide and 45 minutes of free time to explore the garage and take all the photos you want.

The tour is available only with advanced reservations here.

Nissan Heritage Collection

• Location: 2-10-1 Hironodai, Zama City, Kanagawa Prefecture

• Hours: Mon. – Fri., 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

• Admission: Free

• URL

• Application for facility tour

• Tel: 046-298-4355

Kikkoman Soy Sauce Museum and Goyogura (Near Kanto Bases)

Kikkoman, a name synonymous with soy sauce itself, boasts 30% of the market share in Japan, and products are widely available throughout the U.S. and more than 100 other countries. Learn more about this Japanese cooking staple at their facility in Chiba.

Kikkoman’s Goyogura Brewery dates to 1939 and has a gray tile roof and traditional gate. A visit to the museum means a front row view of the traditional soy sauce-making process. The traditional brewing method takes one year in a natural climate, giving the soy sauce its deep dark brown color, rich flavor and aroma.

According to the engineer leading the tour during my visit, this process has been ongoing for 110 years and is used to produce high-end soy sauce for the Imperial Household Agency. 

The Kikkoman Soy Sauce Museum and Goyogura brewery are open to the public but require reservations.

View Video

Kikkoman Soy Sauce Museum and Goyogura

• Location: 110 Noda, Noda City, Chiba Prefecture

• Hours: Mon. – Fri., 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

• Admission: Free

• URL

• Reservation: (by call) 04-7123-5136 (Mon – Fri, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.)

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum (Near MCAS Iwakuni)

Hiroshima is known as the “City of Water” due to its many large rivers, bridges, fountains and water monuments. However, it is the city’s dark history as the epicenter of the devastation caused by the atomic bomb dropped during World War II that remains its legacy.

In the city center, Gembaku Dome, one of the symbols of this history, is a monument to the devastation. Nearby, the Peace Memorial Museum exhibits wide-ranged artifacts related to the atomic bomb, the disaster and the war.

When you visit the museum, be sure to rent the English-language audio guide at the entrance of museum for a small fee. Although each exhibit has a brief explanation in English, the recording will help you understand the details of the displays.

For further study, the library at the museum also has English translations of archives, journals, letters and victim recordings.

View Video

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum

• Hours: March - November, 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.; August, until 7 p.m.; December - February, until 5 p.m.

• Address: 1-2 Kakajimacho, Naka-ku, Hiroshima City (in Peace Memorial Park)

• Admission: Adults, 500 yen ($2.50); high school students or younger, 300 yen; (Audio guide, 300 yen)

• URL

• Tel: 082-241-4004

Museum of Japanese Emigration to Hawaii (Near MCAS Iwakuni)

Suo-Oshima, just off the coast of Iwakuni, is known as “Hawaii of Setouchi” thanks to its beautiful landscape, sandy beaches and crystal-clear waters. The locals have embraced this moniker, and local customs include wearing Hawaiian-style clothing and other Aloha State traditions.

Suo-Oshiima has a deep connection to Hawaii dating back 130 years. Learn about the history at the Museum of Japanese Emigration to Hawaii, where displays tell of the nearly 130,000 Japanese who migrated from 1885 to 1908.

The unique museum is a 60-minute drive from MCAS Iwakuni via 3,346-foot-long Oshima Ohashi Bridge. The island and its history make for a great day trip to get a taste of Hawaiian culture without leaving Japan.

View Video

Museum of Japanese Emigration to Hawaii

• Open: Tues. – Mon., 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

• Location: 2144 Nishiyashiro, Suo-Oshima Town, Oshima-gun, Yamaguchi Pref.

• URL

• Admission: 400 yen; elementary/middle schoolers 200 yen

• Tel: 0820-74-4082

Hirado Hidden Christian Museum (Near Sasebo NB)

Between the 17^th and 18^th centuries, Western religions were forbidden in Japan and worshippers of these religions suffered persecution.

In Nagasaki Prefecture’s Hirado City, a small sect of Christians known as “Kakure Kirishitans” hid their religious affiliation. This group hid their religious artifacts and prayed in secret, a tradition still kept to this day.

In 1635, 70 local Christians that were discovered here by the authorities were executed at Neshiko Beach.

Located in the Neshiko Village, a one-hour drive from Sasebo Naval Base, the Hirado Christian Museum displays many historical documents and artifacts, such as “nandogami” (cabinet god), icons, statues and paintings that the area’s Hidden Christians used to keep and venerate.

View video

Hirado Kirishitan (Hidden Christian) Museum

• Hours: Thursday – Tuesday, 9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

• Address: 1502-1 Oishiwakicho, Hirado City, Nagasaki Prefecture

• Admission: Adults 200 yen; high school students, 150 yen; elementary-middle school students, 70 yen.

• Website

• Tel: 0950-28-0176

Fore more about Japan’s Hidden Christianity, see Discovering Japan’s ‘Hidden Christians’ in Hirado City.

Misawa Air Base

Naval Air Facility Atsugi

Yokosuka Naval Base

Yokota Air Base

Camp Zama

Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni

Sasebo Naval Base

related stories

• VIDEO: Japan’s Open-Air Folk House Museum
• Taste of Japan: Satisfy your soy sauce cravings at Chiba’s Kikkoman factory
• VIDEO: Virtual Vacation: Hirado, Japan