[2025 Kobe Attraction] Travel Guide for Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum (Updated Mar)

We visited the museum on a day trip out to Shin Kobe. We were pleasantly surprised that they were having a free admissions day that day. We browsed the well-designed first floor exhibit on woodwork from South East Asia. When we reached the second floor, an English speaking volunteer guide asked if he could guide us through the floors for an hour. He was very pleasant and explained the different tools use (and how it compared to different cultures) especially when it came to the construction/renovation of the various temples. It was interactive where we could try out some of the tools. At the end of the tour, we went back into the museum to try some woodworking. Planning a piece of word is not as easy as it seemed. As a souvenir, we were given a piece of wood sawed from a small tree trunk. After some polishing, it was good as a coaster. Great place to visit. Highly recommend. #givethanks #givethanks

📍Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum Japan's only museum specializing in carpentry tools. The permanent exhibition features approximately 1,000 carefully selected carpentry tools, as well as large models such as a 7-meter-tall model of the Toshodaiji Kondo temple and a structural model of a teahouse. There are also plenty of hands-on exhibits that you can touch and smell. The building, which at first glance appears modern, is filled with traditional craftsmanship, making the museum itself a place where you can experience the skills of a master craftsman. The museum relocated to Shin-Kobe Station and opened in October 2014 with the theme of "connecting people and nature, connecting tradition and innovation." In addition to about 1,000 carpentry tools selected from the 35,000-plus items collected to date, there is a full-scale model of the pillars and joinery of the Kondo Hall of Toshodaiji Temple, which stands over 7 meters tall in an open atrium, and a skeleton teahouse that shows the delicate work of the sukiya style, and other special models packed with the finest craftsmanship by modern artisans. #0yentravelFebruary2025

This time, I visited the Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum in Kobe. The building was beautiful, and it exceeded my expectations. Everything from the carpentry tools on display to the walls and stairs is made of wood, giving the interior and exterior a very traditional Japanese feel, making it a very calming place. Next to the exhibition hall, there is a rest area, which is also entirely made of wood, designed for tourists to relax comfortably. I would love to visit again. 📍〒651-0056 Hyogo Prefecture, Kobe City, Chuo Ward, Kumanoicho 7-5-1