Nerima Shakujiikoen Furusato Museum

In short

Nerima Shakujiikoen Furusato Museum is a museum opened adjacent to Shakujii Park in 2010 (Heisei 22). Visitors can enjoy learning about Nerima City's history, traditional culture, and nature through hands-on experiences. It also provides tourist information, making it a great place to stop by before or after strolling through Shakujii Park.

• ​History of Nerima​​: In the permanent exhibition room, you can trace the area's timeline from 30,000-year-old stone tools excavated in the city and pottery from the Jomon and Yayoi periods up to daily life in the Showa period.
• ​Hands-on Exhibits​​: You can learn and experience through exhibits that can actually be touched.
• ​Former Uchida Family Residence​​: A thatched-roof private residence built in the late 1880s (early Meiji 20s). It was relocated and reconstructed in the adjacent Ikebuchi Historic Site Park, and visitors can tour the interior.

History and Highlights

Nerima Shakujiikoen Furusato Museum opened in March 2010 (Heisei 22) next to Shakujii Park, a location rich in history and nature. It is a museum where visitors can enjoy learning about Nerima City's history, traditional culture, and nature through hands-on experiences, and it also offers tourist information.

The museum was designed around the concept of "fu-ru-sa-to" (furusato), an acronym formed from the first syllables of four Japanese words: fureau (interact), ruutsu o shiru (know one's roots), sawareru (touchable), and torikaerareru (replaceable/changeable). Visitors can learn and experience through hands-on exhibits that can actually be touched.

The permanent exhibition room on the second floor presents the history of Nerima from the Paleolithic period to the present day. On display are 30,000-year-old stone tools unearthed in the city, pottery from the Jomon and Yayoi periods, and artifacts ranging from the Nara and Heian periods to the Kamakura and Muromachi periods. There are also exhibits showing how Nerima daikon radishes and takuan (pickled daikon) are produced, as well as a section recreating daily life from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s (Showa 30s to 40s).

Adjacent to the museum is the city-run Ikebuchi Historic Site Park. Excavations of the Ikebuchi site carried out between 1972 and 1973 (Showa 47–48) uncovered Paleolithic spear points, the remains of 16 pit dwellings from the Middle Jomon period, and remnants of medieval ditches. The ruins were reburied and preserved, and the area now serves as a park.

Viewing and Experience Highlights

• ​Former Uchida Family Residence​​: A thatched-roof, hipped-roof (yosemune-zukuri) residence located in Ikebuchi Historic Site Park. Believed to have been built in the late 1880s (early Meiji 20s), it is also thought to incorporate some reused timber from an Edo-period home. Originally located in Nakamura, Nerima City, it was relocated and restored in 2010 as an outdoor exhibition facility of the museum. It is a designated cultural property of Nerima City, and visitors can explore areas such as the doma (earthen floor), wooden-floored rooms, irori (sunken hearth), and zashiki (tatami-mat guest room).
• ​Showa Era Dioramas​​: The permanent exhibition room features dioramas recreating the vicinity of a train station and kitchen scenes from around 1963 (Showa 38) and 1972 (Showa 47). Through everyday household tools such as washboards and shichirin (earthen charcoal grills), visitors can also learn about changes in daily life.
• ​Our Town Nerima Information Corner​​: This section introduces the birds, insects, and plants found around the museum, the sights of Nerima City, tourist guidance for the Shakujii Park area, and traditional crafts. At the Exchange Library, visitors can browse books on the history, folklore, and nature of Nerima City.

Tips for Visitors

The museum is about a 15-minute walk from the Central Exit of Shakujii-koen Station on the Seibu Ikebukuro Line. The Former Uchida Family Residence is about a 1-minute walk from the museum building and can be visited during museum operating hours. About 280 meters southwest of the museum lies Sanbo-ji Temple, which can easily be visited together with Shakujii Park's Sanpoji Pond and the Shakujii Castle Ruins.