Museum · Shiodome

Old Shimbashi Station Railway History Exhibition Room 旧新橋停車場 鉄道歴史展示室

A free museum in a faithful replica of Shimbashi Station, the Tokyo terminus of Japan's first railway in 1872, with the original platform foundations visible beneath glass.

About

Japan's first railway ran from Shimbashi to Yokohama in 1872, and the original stone-faced terminus building designed by American architect R.P. Bridgens stood here until it burned in the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake. When the old freight yard was redeveloped into Shiodome, excavations uncovered the foundations, and in 2003 the station facade was rebuilt on its exact site. Inside, a free exhibition room shows parts of the original stone foundations through a glass floor, artefacts dug from the site such as ticket stubs and tableware, and rotating exhibitions from the East Japan Railway Culture Foundation; the 2026 show is Showa Station Scenes, railway photographs from the 1950s to 1970s (to Nov 23). Outside, a short reconstructed section of platform and track, along with the zero-mile marker, makes a good photo.

Highlights

• Rebuilt 1872 station facade on its original site
• Original stone foundations seen through a glass floor
• Zero-mile marker and reconstructed platform outside
• Showa Station Scenes photo exhibition (Jul 28 – Nov 23, 2026)

Tips

• Admission is free; 30 minutes is plenty.
• It sits among Shiodome skyscrapers right by Shimbashi; combine with the Advertising Museum Tokyo and Panasonic Shiodome Museum.
• The ground floor houses a restaurant, so look for the exhibition room entrance at the side.

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

Nearby

• Panasonic Shiodome Museum of ArtMuseum · 30 m away
• Don Quijote Ginza HonkanUnique Store · 110 m away
• ADMT Advertising Museum TokyoMuseum · 140 m away
• Caretta Shiodome Sky ViewFree Observatories · 140 m away
• Dentsu Shiki Theatre UMIShows & Entertainment · 170 m away
• Yurikamome (Shimbashi to Odaiba)Transit Hub · 180 m away
• Shimbashi Ekimae Building No. 1Local Secret · 190 m away
• Mendokoro GinsasaRamen & Noodles · 190 m away