Edo-Tokyo Museum Collection —Life and Food in Edo-Tokyo

■ Exhibition Period:
March 20 (Thu.) to June 15 (Sun.), 2025
■ Venue:
Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum Exhibition Room 〈Getting here〉
■ Museum Hours:
Until March 21 (Fri.) — 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM (Admission until 4:00 PM)
From March 22 (Sat.) — 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM (Admission until 5:00 PM)
■ Museum Closures:
Every Monday *When Monday is a national holiday, closed on the following day. *The Museum will be open on March 24
■ Organizers:
Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum (Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture)
■ Admission Fee:
The Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum admission fee applies for this exhibition. 〈Admission Fee〉

Edo-Tokyo Museum Collection —Life and Food in Edo-Tokyo

During the Edo period, the city of Edo, where the shogunate was established, flourished as a political and cultural center, growing into a major city where samurai and many others resided. In this vibrant urban setting, dishes featuring vegetables from nearby farming villages and fresh seafood from Edo Bay became widely enjoyed by the common people.
With the arrival of the Meiji era, Western cuisine was introduced from abroad, and the Meiji government actively promoted its adoption, particularly as official cuisine in diplomatic settings. Although people initially struggled with table manners and unfamiliar customs, they gradually embraced these new influences and blended it with existing culinary traditions to create yōshoku—Western-influenced cuisine—that soon became widely beloved.
This exhibition presents a carefully curated selection from the collection of the Edo-Tokyo Museum, which is currently closed for long-term renovations. Through these exhibits, we will explore how the everyday diet of Edo’s common people met and blended with Western cuisine, evolving into the rich culinary heritage of Japan we know today.

Exhibition Overview

Chapter 1: The Flourishing Food Culture of Edo
Chapter 2: Westernization of Food Culture
Chapter 3: Food in Wartime and Postwar Japan
Chapter 4: The Growth of the Dining Industry and the Diversification of Food

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①Early Modern Craftsmen's Picture Collection　Reproduction by Ansen Kano (Original Painting by Keisai Kuwagata)　1890 Exhibition period: April 22 to May 18
②New Store in a Fashionable Samurai District　Painting by Yoshimori Utagawa　July 1868 Exhibition period: April 22 to May 18
③“Ryōri no Tomo” February Issue 1915 Exhibition period: May 20 to June 15
④Tokyo at Night: Shinjuku　Painting by Tōshi Yoshida　1938
⑤Thirty-Two Daily Scenes: ‘Looks Delicious’, Mannerisms of a Courtesan from the Kaei Period　(Painting by Yoshitoshi Tsukioka　1887) Exhibition period: March 20 to April 20
⑥Oryōri Kondate Kurabe (Ranking List of Fancy Restaurants) (Edo Period)
⑦Thirty-six Amusing Views of Famous Places in Tokyo: Sukiyagashi　Painting by Ikkei Shosai 1872 Exhibition period: March 20 to April 20, May 20 to June 15
⑧Fruit Compote (Porcelain) (Shogunate Warship Second Nagasakimaru-related Document) (Manufactured by Spode)
⑨Big Plate Used in French Restaurant “Ryudoken” (Meiji Period)
⑩Circular Bulletin of Tonarigumi (Neighborhood Association) in Minatochō, Kyōbashiku: Save Food (Issued by Tokyo City　 Early Showa Period)
⑪Noodle - Making Machine (Manufactured by OCM　1945-1946)
⑫Electric Rice Cooker ER-5 (Manufactured by Tokyo Shibaura Denki　1955)
⑬McDonald’s Store　Photographed by Kazuaki Nakada　1974
All from the collection of the Edo-Tokyo Museum

展示Exhibition