Museum · Nihonbashi

Bank of Japan Currency Museum 日本銀行金融研究所貨幣博物館

A free museum opposite the Bank of Japan headquarters showing 2,000 years of Japanese money, from ancient copper coins and gold oban to the latest banknotes.

About

Run by the Bank of Japan's Institute for Monetary and Economic Studies, the museum sits in an annex across from the bank's 1896 Tatsuno Kingo headquarters in Nihonbashi. Its single floor walks through the history of money in Japan: imported Chinese coins, the 8th-century Wado Kaichin, Sengoku-period gold and silver lumps, the huge oval Tensho oban gold pieces of the Toyotomi era, Edo-period koban and regional paper notes, and Meiji-era modern currency. Interactive displays explain anti-counterfeiting features and economics, and you can try lifting a block equal to a hundred million yen in notes. Admission is free, and bags are checked at the entrance.

Highlights

• Tensho oban, giant gold coins of the Toyotomi era
• Wado Kaichin and early Japanese coinage
• Edo-period han-satsu regional paper money
• Try lifting the weight of ¥100 million in banknotes
• Opposite the 1896 Bank of Japan building by Tatsuno Kingo

Tips

• Free entry; allow 45 minutes.
• The Bank of Japan offers free guided tours of its headquarters by advance reservation; book online if interested.
• Mitsukoshimae Station Exit B1 is right outside.
• Combine with the Mitsui Memorial Museum and Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi, both 3 minutes away.

Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09

Nearby

• Bank of Japan Head OfficeLandmark & Tower · 130 m away
• Tokiwabashi Stone BridgeBridge · 130 m away
• Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi Main StoreMall & Department Store · 170 m away
• Coin Lockers · Mitsukoshimae StationLuggage Storage · 170 m away
• Mitsui Memorial MuseumMuseum · 200 m away
• Mandarin Bar (Mandarin Oriental Tokyo)Bars & Nightlife · 220 m away
• Nihonbashi Sembikiya SohontenUnique Store · 220 m away
• Mandarin Oriental TokyoStay · 220 m away