INFORMATION

• address3-2 Kitanomaru Koen, Chiyoda City, Tokyo
• tel03-3214-0621
• business_hourExhibition room: 9:15 a.m.–5:00 p.m. (During Special exhibition, until 8:00 p.m. on Fridays)
  Reading room: 9:15 a.m.–5:00 (Last entry is until 4:30 p.m.)
• access5-minute walk from Subway Takebashi Sta. Exit 1b

National Archives of Japan houses more than 1.7 million archives. You can browse important materials that record history.

At National Archives of Japan, located five-minute walk from Subway Takebashi Station, is a facility that houses and disclose historically precious documents such as archives like the original Constitution of Japan, ancient books in the Edo era. In the facility, there is an exhibition room and reading room, so you can see the documents closely.

The government's work and social situations are recorded in archives. In National Archives of Japan, more than 1.7 million different kinds of archives are kept in the building. Among them there are documents with the Emperor's Imperial Seal, records on the Cabinet's meetings and documents that show the processes of policymaking. In addition to these archives, they house about Cabinet Library with as many as 500,000 books collected by the Edo and Meiji Governments. National Archives of Japan is a facility that has a role to preserve these precious documents forever and pass them down to the next generation.

At "Japan's History" of the Permanent Exhibition, you can trace back how representative events happened in the Meiji, Taisho and Showa eras were recorded in archives. Only at National Archives of Japan, you can see the original source (duplicated) of history that is familiar in the textbook. Other than the Permanent Exhibition, they hold the Special Exhibition and Featured Exhibition under various themes on a regular basis.

In the building, there is a reading room, where you can pick up a part of the archival documents and take a look. A broad range of people use the facility: From students and researchers for writing reports and theses to history enthusiasts who read ancient documents for personal interest. The good point is that if you have a hard time searching, you can receive a reference service from specialized staff.

They conduct a backyard tour to look around the facility as well as the exhibition and browsing of documents. Looking around the restoration room and book storeroom, you can glimpse the backyard of document preservation. At the shop, they sell original goods based on the catalog and housed materials in the past. Their plastic sleeves with Heisei Calligraphy and Reiwa Calligraphy on can be good souvenirs.

At National Archives of Japan, you can feel the history with reality through archives. Check the information about exhibition and backyard tour on the official website. Please confirm the Japanese history archives show you. Website.