Tobacco and Salt Museum, Sumida-ku, Japan

The Tobacco & Salt Museum（たばこと塩の博物館）, a rare museum that specializes in tobacco and salt, was founded in November 3rd in 1978. The Museum currently houses more than 35,000 items of historical interest related to tobacco and salt. In addition to the permanent exhibition on tobacco and salt, The Special Exhibition Room regularly held short-term exhibitions on the themes of tobacco and salt in various aspects. Due to the aging facility and limited space for exhibition and storage, the Museum has decided to move to a new venue in Yokokawa, Sumida-ku. Re-opening is currently scheduled on April 25, 2015.

The Tobacco and Salt Museum (Tobacco and Shiobu no Tsukuba) is a museum located in Sumida Ward, Tokyo, a corporate museum operated by Japan Tobacco. The hotel was founded by the Japan Monopoly Corporation (currently Japan Tobacco Inc.) as a museum with the theme of history and culture of “tobacco” and “salt” which were monopoly, and was opened in November 1978 , Opened in Koen line in Shibuya.

In the ancient civilization of the Americas, tobacco has been used as cultural origin for human race as a plant for rituals, since the 16th century, it spread all over the world as a luxury item (shop) and features various areas A culture has been formed. To Japan, it was introduced at the end of the 16th century, through the Edo era, it crowded into common culture and created its own tobacco culture.

Salt has also taken a deep involvement with mankind as food for life. In Japan, which is not blessed with inland salt resources such as rock salt and has a climate not suitable for salt production, since its Jomon period, it has developed its own salt-making technology to make thick salt water and boil it using sea water as a raw material.

The hotel collects data on tobacco and salt, conducts research and research, and introduces its history and culture widely. Moreover, while focusing on tobacco and salt, we take up a wide range of themes and hold various exhibitions and special exhibitions.

It was opened along Shibuya Park Street in Shinjuku-ku, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo with the aim of collecting and investigating tobacco and salt data by the Japan Monopoly Corporation (then) in 1978 (1978). The opening was part of the project commemorating the 70th anniversary of Tobacco manufacture and sale by Nippon Monolo Corporation, and various materials such as various cigarettes smoked and smoking articles collected before the war, rock salt all over the world were exhibited.

The museum in Shibuya, Tokyo, was closed on September 1, 2013, due to the aging of the building and the fact that it became tameless due to an increase in collected materials. The site of the museum (plain area with a land area of ​​880 square meters) is expected to be sold. Instead of this, the museum has been refurbished in the warehouse on the premises of Japan Tobacco Inc, located in Yokokawa, Sumida-ku, Tokyo, opened on April 25, 2015 (Heisei 20).

The museum currently holds about 30,000 items of materials, and publishes publications as well. In addition, it has 83 Ukiyoe prints, more than 1550 Ukiyo-e prints, 300 books etc.

1F (Entrance Hall) – Mural painting of Maya’s Pictorial Document
M2F “Road where tobacco came” – occurrence of smoking and transmission of tobacco, transmission to Japan, tobacco of the world etc.
2F “Japanese tobacco” – Edo period · Modern Japanese cigarettes etc.
3F “Japanese salt, world salt”

Tobacco, home to the Americas, has established itself as a favorite item while forming a tobacco culture suitable for each area in the process of spreading around the world. Here, we will discuss the history and culture of tobacco in the items “Tobacco culture home”, “Tobacco culture propagation” “Tobacco culture spread” “Edo period tobacco culture” “Tobacco culture since the Meiji era” “Topics” to introduce.

Tobacco culture hometown

Propagation of Tobacco culture

The spread of tobacco culture

Tobacco culture in the Edo period

Tobacco culture since the Meiji era

Museum Shop
In the museum shop on the 1st floor entrance hall, we sell exhibitions and books of the museum, other publications of the hotel, Japan and world salt, reference books, smoking articles, original goods. In addition, special corner is set up according to the exhibition / special exhibition, we also sell exhibition related products / books.