During the Edo period, the city of Edo, where the shogunate was established, flourished as a political and cultural center, growing into a major city where samurai and many others resided. In this vibrant urban setting, dishes featuring vegetables from nearby farming villages and fresh seafood from Edo Bay became widely enjoyed by the common people.
With the arrival of the Meiji era, Western cuisine was introduced from abroad, and the Meiji government actively promoted its adoption, particularly as official cuisine in diplomatic settings. Although people initially struggled with table manners and unfamiliar customs, they gradually embraced these new influences and blended it with existing culinary traditions to create yōshoku—Western-influenced cuisine—that soon became widely beloved.
This exhibition presents a carefully curated selection from the collection of the Edo-Tokyo Museum, which is currently closed for long-term renovations. Through these exhibits, we will explore how the everyday diet of Edo’s common people met and blended with Western cuisine, evolving into the rich culinary heritage of Japan we know today.

 

Exhibition Period	March 20 (Thu.) to June 15 (Sun.), 2025
Venue	Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum Exhibition Room 《access》
Museum Hours	Until March 21 (Fri.) — 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM (Admission until 4:00 PM) From March 22 (Sat.) — 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM (Admission until 5:00 PM)
Museum Closures	Every Monday *When Monday is a national holiday, closed on the following day. *The Museum will be open on March 24
Organizers	Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum (Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture)
Admission Fee	The Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum admission fee applies for this exhibition. 《Admission Fee》