[Tokyo] Free but full of exhibits! Let's go to the fire museum!

1st floor entrance

Why not take a closer look at real fire engines, ambulances, and fire helicopters right in front of your eyes?The Fire Museum has a wide selection of fire engines from the Meiji era to foreign-made fire engines from the Taisho era.

There are also lots of hands-on exhibits, including animation and moving dioramas that kids can enjoy!And it's free! We also have a rest area where you can bring your own lunch, so it's also recommended for families.

Be impressed by the real firefighting helicopters and vehicles on display!

Fire helicopter on display on the first floor

The Fire Museum is directly connected to Exit B2 of Yotsuya-sanchome Station on the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line. You can enter from either the basement 1st floor entrance or the ground floor 1st floor entrance. You can begin your tour after receiving your admission badge at the reception desk and putting it in a visible place.

On the first floor, there is a mini theater and a fire helicopter on display. The mini-theater shows disaster prevention animations, fire brigade introductions, and more. The firefighting helicopter was actually used until 1981. This aircraft is suspended from the ceiling, and directly below is a staircase to the first basement floor.

Fire engine on display on the first basement floor

This is the view looking down from the stairs to the first basement floor. On the first basement floor, there are seven vehicles on display that were used from the Taisho era to the Heisei era, including ladder trucks, fire pump trucks, and ambulances. By the way, the first fire pump truck appeared in Tokyo in 1919. Since then, fire engines have improved year by year. There is also an explanation that explains how fire engines have changed over time.

There is also a museum where you can purchase disaster prevention supplies and original goods. After finishing the tour, take the elevator to the exhibition hall on the third floor. The second floor is the Yotsuya Fire Department and there are no exhibits.

Learn about firefighting through animation and moving dioramas

Fire diorama linked to anime

The theme of the third floor is "Modern Firefighting," and there are exhibits about efforts to deal with various disasters. In an easy-to-understand manner for children, animation and moving dioramas are used to explain the process from the outbreak of a fire to extinguishing and saving lives.

At the Anime Theater, fire prevention and disaster prevention animations are always shown. This anime also has an English version.

Actual exhibition of the latest firefighting equipment, etc.

There are actual displays of the latest firefighting equipment and first aid equipment, a model of a fire engine, and a panel explaining fire engines that resembles a silhouette quiz. There is also a fire truck exhibit where children can experience a simulation of a fire brigade dispatch. There are mainly exhibits that the whole family can enjoy.

Showa era fire equipment

The exhibition theme on the 4th floor is "Changes in Firefighting." The exhibits show how firefighting equipment has modernized and developed from the Meiji period to the present day.

Exhibits include steam pumps pulled by horse-drawn carriages, firefighting equipment, and dioramas of firefighting activities used in the Meiji era, as well as video footage and photographs of the Great Kanto Earthquake from the Taisho era. You can see the modernization of firefighting since the Meiji era, from wartime firefighting to the response to fires in high-rise buildings.

Let's take a ride on a firefighting helicopter!

Fire helicopter outside on the 5th floor

A firefighting helicopter is on display outside on the 5th floor. You cannot ride the fire helicopter on the first floor, but you can ride the fire helicopter here. Now, let's take a moment to enter the cockpit.

Fire helicopter cockpit

This is the cockpit of a firefighting helicopter. This is a genuine product that has actually been used. The door is always open, so if you're bringing your kids, you can sit them down and take a commemorative photo. There are also chairs outside where you can take a break.

Let's learn about fire extinguishing in the Edo period!

Firefighters in full robes

Let's say you take a helicopter ride outdoors and want to see the exhibits on the 5th floor. The theme of the exhibition on the 5th floor is "Dawn of Firefighting: Firefighting in Edo." Exhibits about the birth of firefighting, which protected the town of Edo during the Edo period, and how it works.

There are two major attractions: one is a diorama that recreates the townscape of Edo. You can clearly see the role of fire extinguishers in a fire. The other is a matoi, which is the symbol of a firefighter. All the kimonos of the 48 Iroha and 16 Honjo Fukagawa firefighters in Edo are on display at half the actual size.

As you can see in the photo, it is 1/2 the size of the one in the showcase, so you can see how huge it was in real life. This means that you have already seen all the main exhibits on the 5th floor. Also on the 6th floor is a special exhibition room and video room. The 7th floor is a library and reference room that opens at 1pm on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. Let's take a final rest in the observation lounge on the 10th floor before heading home.

Enjoy the view from the observation room!

10th floor rest room with a panoramic view of Tokyo Sky Tree

The 10th floor is an observation lounge with drink vending machines and about 10 tables that seat 4 people. Here you can bring your own lunch or snacks and relax while eating and drinking. You can see the Tokyo Sky Tree and Shinjuku's skyscrapers, and on clear days you can even see Mt. Fuji. It's a popular spot that gets crowded during lunchtime, even on weekdays.

How was it?

The Fire Museum, which can be enjoyed for free, is closed on Mondays (or the next day if Monday is a holiday) and during the year-end and New Year holidays (12/28-1/4). The opening hours are from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It is recommended because both adults and children can enjoy it and it can also serve as a social studies field trip. Please give it a try.

INFORMATION