The Toyo Bunko Museum
The Toyo Bunko Museum
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The Toyo Bunko Museum(Entrance)
Toyo Bunko was established in 1924. It is Japan's oldest research library for oriental studies and was reopened as the Toyo Bunko Museum in October 2011 to encourage more people to develop an interest in oriental studies.
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Marco Polo
There is a shop at the museum named after Marco Polo, the author of “The Travels of Marco Polo.” Visitors can purchase original merchandise here, along with merchandise from the British Museum, a partner organization of the Toyo Bunko Museum.
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Orient Hall
This is where the nation’s longest display case exhibits rare books written in languages from all around the world. Visitors can also learn about Toyo Bunko's entire book collection through videos here.
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Orient Café
Orient Café is a joint collaboration between Toyo Bunko and Koiwai Farm. Through the windows, diners of Orient Café are able to enjoy the view of the plants associated with Philipp Franz von Siebold, a German physician recognized for introducing Western medicine to Japan and well known for his studies on Japanese botany.
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Morrison's Stacks
Morrison's Stacks, the greatest feature of the Toyo Bunko Museum, is known as the most beautiful bookshelf in Japan. This collection started in 1917 when Hisaya Iwasaki, the founder of Toyo Bunko, purchased around 24,000 books and paintings on East Asia from Dr. G.E. Morrison. Now, about a century later, it has become a valuable collection.
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The Iwasaki Collection
A valuable collection of national treasures, important cultural assets, and the finest ukiyo-e masterpieces are on display in this section of the museum. Exhibits are only displayed for a month to preserve their condition. This room applies the help of technology to enable visitors to better understand the exhibits.