Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Parking Lot Shoeprints
Dewey Square Pylon & Bent 38
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Athenaeus described various kinds of Greek drinking vessels, like the deep, rounded skyphos and wide, flat kylix.
The Ancient Greek Guide to Succeeding at Dinner Parties
about 6 hours ago
No thanks.
AO Mailbag: Which Places Just Aren’t Worth Visiting?
1 day ago
Benshi would introduce and provide commentary for films like A Page of Madness.
Remembering the Heyday of Japan’s Silent Film Narrators
2 days ago
The Horn & Hardart Automat was a staple of urban dining in midcentury New York City.
All Hail the Slop Bowl, Lunch of Our Ancestors
2 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Japan Tokyo Ancient Orient Museum
AO Edited

Ancient Orient Museum

A hole-in-the-wall antiquities museum in one of Tokyo's most popular megamalls.

Tokyo, Japan

Added By
Fred Cherrygarden
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
A humped bull figurine excavated in Iran.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
A humped bull figurine excavated in Iran.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
A reconstruction of an ancient Syrian household.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
A miniature depicting the ancient coining process.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
Egyptian artifacts and gold jewelry.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
A collection of ancient pottery.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
A bust of Hercules.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
Terracotta humped bull figurines.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
The entrance.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
Indus Valley artifacts.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
A miniature reconstruction of Palmyra.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
Weapons of the Bronze Age.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Sunshine City is a massive urban complex consisting of five buildings in the Ikebukuro district, one of Tokyo’s busiest commercial hubs. Containing multiple shopping malls, an aquarium, a planetarium, an indoor amusement park, an observation deck, a whopping 60-story office building and a four-star hotel, it’s visited by over 30 million people every year.

But very few of them have heard of—let alone visit—the Ancient Orient Museum, one of Sunshine City's least-appreciated attractions. Located on the seventh floor of the Culture Center annex building, where there is far less traffic than inside the megamall, it's not something one might come across by accident. But do go up and you're in for an antiquarian treat.

Established in 1978, the museum currently holds about 4,000 items in its possession, including artifacts from ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, Persia, Gandhara, and the Silk Road. This collection consists of pottery, bronzeware, gold jewelry, coins, statues, and terracotta idols, as well as miniatures of archaeological sites and life-size replicas of world-famous artifacts such as the Code of Hammurabi stele.

The Ancient Orient Museum has also led several excavation projects from its founding to 2001, researching several archaeological sites in Syria, Turkey, and Uzbekistan. The exhibit of a reconstructed Syrian household in the museum was modeled after the 3,600-year-old ruins in Tell Rumeilah that the museum helped dig up.

Unsurprisingly, the museum is small enough to see everything in an hour or so, but it is a fascinating detour nonetheless. It takes a family-friendly approach to archaeology, often hosting interactive workshops for kids as part of its educational program, and its exhibits are sure to quench any history enthusiast's thirst for ancient artifacts while in Tokyo. Such collections are not commonly found in this side of the city, after all.

Related Tags

Museums History & Culture Artifacts

Know Before You Go

The museum is open from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, admission for adults 600 yen. To get there, walk through the first or B1 floor of the Alpa shopping mall towards its eastern end, and take the elevator there to the seventh floor of the Culture Center. The entrance will be on your left.

Atlas Obscura Adventures

Hidden Japan: Sado Island, Nara & Kyoto

Explore a different side of Japan.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

Fred Cherrygarden

Published

September 24, 2021

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Ancient Orient Museum
Toshima City
Tokyo, 170-0013
Japan
35.728838, 139.720916
Visit Website

Nearby Places

Owl Police Box

Tokyo, Japan

miles away

Ikebukuro Shimento Pagoda

Tokyo, Japan

miles away

Detective Bar Progress

Tokyo, Japan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Tokyo

Tokyo

Japan

Places 220
Stories 13

Nearby Places

Owl Police Box

Tokyo, Japan

miles away

Ikebukuro Shimento Pagoda

Tokyo, Japan

miles away

Detective Bar Progress

Tokyo, Japan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Tokyo

Tokyo

Japan

Places 220
Stories 13

Related Places

  • Savannah, Georgia

    WEBB Military Museum

    At this privately owned collection, conflicts are humanized through soldiers’ personal belongings.

    Sponsored by Visit Savannah
  • Saddles on display.

    Galveston, Texas

    Bryan Museum

    One of the largest historical collections on Texas and the American West.

  • The living history museum El Rancho de Las Golondrinas.

    Santa Fe, New Mexico

    El Rancho de Las Golondrinas

    Step back in time at an outdoor living history museum where New Mexico's cultural traditions come alive.

  • The 7,000-square-foot Museo del Vaquero de las Californias explores more  than 300 years of vaquero history in the Californias.

    El Triunfo, Mexico

    Museo del Vaquero de Las Californias

    This bilingual museum explores the more than 300 years of vaquero history.

  • Brun, Pakistan

    Kalasha Dur Museum

    The rich cultural heritage of the Kalasha people is on display in this state-of-the-art museum.

  • People’s History Museum

    Manchester, England

    People’s History Museum

    One of Manchester’s museums has gathered and preserved British political paraphernalia covering over 200 years.

  • Tableau depicting “The Legends of Dilmun”

    Manama, Bahrain

    The Legends of Dilmun

    Is this amazing tableau depicting Gilgamesh and Enki 4,000 years old?

  • Sveta Srca

    Pula, Croatia

    Sveta Srca

    A former church turned museum, complete with changing exhibitions.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.