The Oceania display has the most unique items at the Miyamoto-Unosuke Drum Museum in Tokyo. (Kelly Agee/Stars and Stripes)
At the Miyamoto-Unosuke Drum Museum in Tokyo, visitors don’t just look, they make themselves heard.
This museum allows you to beat drums from around the world and immerse yourself in the rich cultural heritage of drumming. This unique interactive experience is a must-see for any music enthusiast or cultural explorer.
Miyamoto Unosuke Shoten, a 150-year-old maker of taiko, mikoshi shrines and festival equipment, opened the museum in 1988. Today, it displays 800 drums and more than 3,000 books collected from around the world.
Prepare to embark on a global journey as you explore the museum on the fourth floor of the Nishiasakusa building in the city’s Taito ward.
You'll find about 800 drums, some playable, at the Miyamoto-Unosuke Drum Museum in Tokyo. (Kelly Agee/Stars and Stripes)
The tour is self-guided, and the displays have English text. The museum is only one small room, but visitors may make the most out of their experience in about 30 minutes.
Displays are organized by region, showcasing the rich diversity of drumming traditions from Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Europe, South Asia, East Asia, North America and Oceania. Each regional display offers a glimpse into the drums’ production, cultural significance and history.
A balafon from Burkina Faso at the Miyamoto-Unosuke Drum Museum in Tokyo. (Kelly Agee/Stars and Stripes)
The Oceania display had the most unique items, including the Apa drum from Papua New Guinea, which is carved from wood with a opossum or lizard-skin drumhead and is shaped like a crocodile. And the Kundu, an hourglass drum used during religious ceremonies and celebrations, with carved handles with open-mouthed crocodiles, human faces or dancers.
Drums that are marked with an eighth note can be played, which is encouraged by the staff.
Visitors can play these steel pan drums from Trinidad at the Miyamoto-Unosuke Drum Museum in Tokyo. (Kelly Agee/Stars and Stripes)
The one that was the most fun to play for me was the steel pan drum from Trinidad. Displayed above the drum is the scale that indicates what note will play when you hit it.
Next to each display is a CD from which visitors may select and play tracks that are examples of music played on the various drums on display.
A Native American powwow drum from the United States is one of the many items on display at the Miyamoto-Unosuke Drum Museum in Tokyo. (Kelly Agee/Stars and Stripes)
On the QT
Directions: A short walk from Tawaramachi Station. 2-1-1 Nishiasakusa, Taito City, Tokyo, 4F Miyamoto Unosuke, 111-0035.
Times: Open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday through Friday
Costs: 500 yen, or about $3.22, for adults and 150 yen for children 6 and younger. Tickets are available in the first-floor Asakusa Life and Culture Shop.
Food: You’ll find plenty of options in the surrounding area.
Information: Online: miyamoto-unosuke.co.jp/taikokan
