A short train journey from Kyoto is the Omi Jingu Shrine. A pleasant complex to spend a day visiting. Their museum was opened in 1963 and has more than 3,500 objects, documents and excavated articles focusing on historical Japanese clocks. However, only a small number are on public display. The museum is dedicated to Emperor Tenchi (626-671 A.D.), who is credited with bringing timekeeping to Japan by establishing a water clock.

The Daimyo Clock Museum is a large roomful of clocks in an old house on an overrun property in the picturesque Yanaka district, Tokyo. The Museum dates from 1974, and houses the lifetime collection of Japanese Wadokei collector Guro Kamiguchi.

Photography is not permitted within the building other than a single photograph.

The Seiko Museum Ginza relocated from its previous site in 2020 with a new modern and extensive museum celebrating Seiko’s history in the heart of Tokyo. One of its rooms is dedicated to Edo Period clocks and timepieces. It provides a good display of the history of these clocks.

I visited the old Seiko Museum in 2014 where they had a very small room displaying Wadokei within their two floor building. However, their Senior Manager, Masayasu Akizawa, kindly took me to their 3rd floor that housed their storeoom of Wadokei !!!!

I include this Museum as it is where my passion for Wadokei all started. It was on my third day in Japan. The Museum is dedicated to timepieces from inside and outside of Japan. The museum, which is spread over three floors, showcases watches and clocks of many kinds.