Located within the expansive Expo Memorial Park, the National Museum of Ethnology is Japan’s largest humanities and social sciences research institute. Its interactive anthropology museum invites visitors to experience the world, starting in Oceania and ending in Japan, through its diverse cultures and practices.
Complete with explanations in English and eight other languages, each exhibition takes you through a certain region’s language, clothing, traditions and history of migration. Some standout displays include Maori and Aboriginal art from Australia and New Zealand, religious influences in South Asia and the gallery of musical instruments from around the globe. The Japan section focuses on the country away from Honshu (Japan’s largest island), particularly Hokkaido and its indigenous Ainu people as well as the Okinawan archipelago.