Ad Museum Tokyo is a free museum about advertising in Japan, on the second basement floor of Caretta Shiodome in Minato City. Its permanent exhibition follows advertising from the Edo period to the present, with historical prints, later graphic design and modern ads. Interactive displays, video screens and a postcard stamp activity add a hands-on stop, while explanations in Japanese and English help you follow the exhibits. There is also a library of advertising and marketing books upstairs, making this a useful visit for design enthusiasts and curious passersby alike.
From Edo prints to modern campaigns
The museum’s permanent exhibition follows advertising in Japan from the Edo period to the present. Early displays include colorful woodblock-print advertisements; later sections move through 20th-century graphic work and into digital advertising. The timeline gives you a way to see how the forms and styles of Japanese advertising changed over time.
Advertising is presented as part of everyday culture, with material that connects commercial design to the periods in which it appeared. You can also encounter campaigns and graphics shaped by influences from outside Japan, including examples of Western companies adapting their advertising for the Japanese market.
Displays to explore
The exhibits combine printed material with video and interactive elements. Video screens let you watch commercials, while other displays invite you to engage with advertising in a more hands-on way. One activity uses a stamp-making machine near the gift shop, and a postcard activity lets you gather stamps as you move through the museum.
Some displays present ads in a playful format, including emotional advertisements shown on cloud-like forms. The exhibition also includes material beyond standard campaigns, such as tea tags and matchbox designs. These objects offer a close look at how advertising and graphic design reach into small, everyday items.
The library and special exhibitions
A library on the upper floor holds books and other materials on advertising and marketing. It gives visitors interested in the subject a place to read beyond the exhibition displays. The museum also holds special exhibitions that focus on current developments in advertising, alongside its permanent history exhibition.
The museum opened in 2002 to mark the centenary of Yoshida Hideo’s birth. Yoshida was the fourth president of Dentsu. Its collection includes advertising material from the Edo period onward, bringing together examples that span different eras and formats.
Finding the museum in Caretta Shiodome
Ad Museum Tokyo is on the second basement floor of the Caretta Shiodome building in the Shiodome area of Minato City. The building contains multiple levels, so look for the museum signs once inside. The displays and library occupy different floors, and the museum also has a gift shop.
Admission is free. The museum is closed on Mondays and Sundays, so plan your visit for Tuesday through Saturday. If you want to use the stamp-making machine, arrive more than an hour before closing. A visit of about an hour gives you time to work through the exhibition and try the interactive features.
Perguntas frequentes
Is Ad Museum Tokyo free to enter?
Yes. Admission is free.
Where is Ad Museum Tokyo?
It is on the second basement floor of Caretta Shiodome in Minato City, Tokyo. Follow the signs inside the building.
How long should I spend at Ad Museum Tokyo?
Allow about an hour to see the exhibits and try the interactive activities.
Which days is Ad Museum Tokyo open?
It is open Tuesday through Saturday and closed on Mondays and Sundays.
