With the rainy season approaching, you may be wondering where to go on a rainy day in Tokyo. Apart from all the department stores and shopping malls or electronics stores where you can spend hours looking around, we have compiled a list of places you can visit without being affected by the weather.
Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo – The Making of Harry Potter [Area: Nerima]
If you are a Harry Potter or Fantastic Beast fan, this place is a must-visit! The Studio Tour is the largest Harry Potter attraction in the world and the first Warner Bros. Studio Tour to open in Asia. Visitors are invited to the authentic sets and the iconic locations of the film, including the Great Hall of Hogwarts, the Platform 9 ¾, the Forbidden Forest, Diagon Alley or the Ministry of Magic and to learn about the world of film-making. You may want to rewatch all the Harry Potter films after the visit!
Maxell Aqua Park Shinagawa [Area: Shinagawa]
Shinagawa is one of the popular locations to stay in Tokyo because of its easy access to Shinkansen, and this Maxell Aqua Park is located right beside the Shinagawa Station. About 350 species and 20,000 creatures are displayed in an innovative way with projection mapping and other advanced technologies. The centerpiece of the park is the dolphin performance at the Stadium, but you cannot miss the world’s only dwarf sawfish exhibited in the 20 meter-long fishtank tunnel where you can see the dwarf sawfish swimming freely with his majestic fellow stingrays. For those who would like to wind down, seeing jellyfish swaying in the water at the spacious jellyfish section will definitely give you a relaxing time.
Tokyu Kabukicho Tower [Area: Shinjuku]
Opened in April 14, 2023, this new iconic tower rises in the middle of Kabukicho, Shinjuku, the nightlife hotspot with flickering neon lights for locals and tourists alike. This 225-meter supertall building houses hotel, cinema, theater, live concert hall, entertainment facilities and F&B establishments. The 1,000 sqm food hall “Shinjuku Kabuki Hall – Kabuki Yokocho” spanning on the second floor opens from 6:00am to the following 5:00am, offering a variety of Japanese local food. If you are a crane game lover or capsule toy collector, head to NAMCO Tokyo on the third floor. Video game enthusiasts will be more interested in the fourth floor, Tokyo Matrix, which is a dungeon quest attraction where you can team up with your friends, fight monsters, collect items and clear traps. You can enjoy for the whole day and forget that it is rainy outside!
Tokyo Mystery Circus [Area: Shinjuku]
Opened in February 2017, this is a world’s first entertainment park with a theme of mysteries. Inside the building, there are various types of mystery events, or escape games, while you solve the mysteries with your team mates. There are games in collaboration with popular manga series, such as Chainsaw Man (until June 30, 2024), That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, and Detective Conan. Some events are only available in Japanese but you can check it beforehand on their official website.
Art Aquarium Museum GINZA [Area: Ginza]
Goldfish is part of Japanese traditional culture. Goldfish is not just red small fish – there are many species in different colors, sizes and shapes. This museum invites you to the world of artwork woven with the beauty of goldfish and the elements of Japanese culture such as origami, temple architecture, kimono, Edo-Kiriko cut-glass, and Ukiyo-e woodblock prints.
Tokyo Trick Art Museum [Area: Odaiba]
There are numerous trick art museums in the world, but this features the Edo era (1603 - 1868), when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional daimyo. Once you step into the museum, you feel like you time-traveled to the Edo era. Don’t be shy and take funny pictures with your family and friends with your original poses. It will make memorable moments with a lot of laughter!
Immersive Fort Tokyo [Area: Odaiba]
One of the latest attractions in Tokyo – Immersive Fort Tokyo – opened on March 1, 2024. This is the world’s first immersive theme park that boasts one of the largest floor areas in Japan (approximately 30,000 sqm) offering more than 10 totally-immersive attractions/shows and 6 merchandize shops/F&B establishments. You will decipher codes in a chase, or become one of the casts in a lively dance party, solve puzzles with the members of B-Komachi, the popular idol group from the manga “Oshi-no-ko”, and experience many more!
teamLab Planets Tokyo [Area: Toyosu]
This interactive museum lets you become part of the artwork. The artwork transforms as you move and you can be thoroughly into the world of art. The museum comprises of four art spaces and two gardens. Visitors go barefoot to feel the water or the cushiony floor, which also forms the exhibition. You can download the teamLab app to learn more about the concept of the artwork you are at and create changes to the exhibit “The Infinite Crystal Universe”. This is totally a different experience from traditional museums.
Small Worlds Miniature Museum TOKYO [Area: Ariake]
Small Worlds TOKYO is one of the world’s biggest indoor miniature museums. The former logistic warehouse was transformed to recreate the world’s famous places, the world of our childhood hero Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, and the world of Evangelion - one of the legendary manga series that still attracts millions of manga fans, all in miniature. You want to be a resident of this miniature world? There is a workshop where you can make your own figurine using their state-of-art 3D scanner and place it anywhere you like inside the museum exhibit for a period of 1 year (additional fee applies).
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