About us

“Karakuri”means mechanical device. “Naramachi” is the old Nara town.

The Naramachi Karakuri Toy Museum is a hands-on facility where you can touch and play with old-fashioned toys, which were played during the Edo period, in the space of a traditional townhouse in Naramachi.

The toys were reproduced based on the literatures and the pictures published in the Edo period.

You can discover the wisdom and ingenuity incorporated into the toys while touching the gentleness of natural materials such as wood, bamboo and Japanese paper. All toys can be touched and played, and the staff will explain the origin etc. while playing together.

The Naramachi Karakuri Toy Museum utilizes the former Matsuya family residence built in 1881 and donated to Nara City to revitalize old Nara Town and promote tourism in Nara City. The building remains the appearance and the structure of a traditional old townhouse.