I went to the Railway Museum in Omiya.
Before I moved to Tokyo, I’d heard the original Transport Museum was closing, and it had been on my radar ever since.
Admission: ¥1,000. Entry by Suica, of course.
More trains than I expected — a pleasant surprise. As you can see in the photo, a steam locomotive sits on a turntable at the center, with other trains arranged radially around it. Look carefully and you’ll notice the far and near sides share a single track through the turntable — I assume that’s for easy switching.
In front of the Blue Train and the Series 0 Shinkansen, older visitors were reminiscing: “I came to Tokyo on a train like this back in the day.” That stayed with me. A large portion of Tokyo’s population moved here from other parts of Japan, after all.
Some of the trains you can walk inside, and you can eat a bento there too — experiencing what it used to feel like to eat an ekiben on a journey. That’s really something.
In one section, simple model exhibits explain how trains work — kids were having a great time.
Fewer people than I expected, so it was easy to take your time.
Recommended for anyone who likes trains.