Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Cultural History

Better than I expected. Staff were really friendly although because I can speak Japanese I’m not sure if they could speak English. The exhibit rooms and the exhibits themselves are excellent if somewhat low-lit. There are also explanations in English in many places. Definitely worth a trip there if you are in the vicinity and have time.

This is a nice museum with lots of interesting historical and cultural displays that spans from the paleolithic period to post war Japan. It was amazing to see how early on humans began to build tools and pottery. Even more interesting was to see how far back the roots of some current day Japanese culture originated from. The only reason a five star is not given is because the museum is not laid out in chronological order. Displays jump between time periods and the layout is such that there are small rooms that can easily be missed because they are off to the side or at the end of a corridor. Regardless, it is a fascinating museum with lots of interesting cultural displays and is well worth a visit.

The building was the former Yokohama Specie Bank. A place to learn about the history of the Kanagawa Prefecture. You can also enjoy ¥50 discount at the cafe.

Historical museum that present you various era. In the 3rd floor, there is ancient era exhibition. In the 4th floor, there is pre modern era and in 5th floor there is modern and contemporary area. Closed at 17.00. Nice 👍

Some interesting things to be learned here about Kanagawa's history in Japan. Not too crowded. Nice visuals of letters written by, paintings of and uniforms used by some of Japan's greatest leaders. But, if you don't speak Japanese, you'll probably learn very little of it. Tour guides are available but they speak only Japanese. Some of the displays have brief English summaries that only loosely relate to what you are seeing. There is a seemingly sophisticated English guidance app, which leads you to astonishingly poor readings of those very same summaries. More than you can see in an hour but you definitely won't need the whole day there. The reception service is great!

A good museum with limited English, Korean, and Chinese translations for written information. While the exhibitions are not a comprehensive retelling of Japanese history, it gives a solid overview and survey of important historical events and lifestyles of ancient peoples living in Japan. This museum may be better suited for individuals with prior knowledge and interest in Japanese history rather than novice or beginner enthusiasts. The museum also features a modest selection of goods and books related to Yokohama and other Japanese history for sale at the gift shop.

Excellent exhibits to learn more about Kanagawa's history, from Jomon period onwards. Most of the exhibits dont have english captions but 'Pocket curator' and downloadable PDFs are available for english speakers I recommend that you start from the 3F and work your way downwards as that is following the chronological order.

The museum is small but it's full of amazing beautiful things, definitely worth a visit.

What makes this museum four rather than three stars is the early twentieth century building it's in (okay, the mismatched mid-century brutalist annex is yucky but....) There's a pretty cool stained class light fixture inside the entrance facing Bashamichi and the hallway from there around to the entrance to the museum has lots of photographs of Yokohama's twentieth century architecture, many of which haven't been torn down by developers (yet). The museum proper holds a diverse collection of artifacts from Kanagawa prefecture, from Jomon and even pre-Jomon era pottery and spear tips to samurai armor and any number of Buddhist statues and such. I wouldn't go out of my way to come to this museum over any other, but if you're in the area and looking for something to do, it's not a bad place to spend your 300 yen on. .... And if you don't want to spend that 300 yen, you can always just pop into the building and wander around the ground floor as long as it's open.