Izu is a popular tourist destination known for hot springs and beaches. Located in the touristy city, The Weird Museum for Boys and Girls, as its name suggests, is a bit of a weird museum. The retro-looking museum is filled with a collection of a wide variety of items such as realistic figurines and occult objects.

“The Weird Museum for Boys and Girls” as seen from the outside. It may take a little courage to enter for the first time.

On the first floor, toys and fashion items that were in trend from the Meiji period through the Showa period are on display. At the entrance, you will be welcomed by a cute autorickshaw. It is exciting to see a three-wheeler in person because you rarely see them in Japan today.

As you go further into the museum, there is a culture section featuring items related to Japanese fashion, music, etc. There is also an old video game console, which is an essential part of Japanese culture. It will give you nostalgia if you are familiar with the time, and it will probably appear new to you if you are not. You can actually play the video game, so be careful not to get too absorbed and lose track of time.

The 80's record boom in Japan has been coming recently, and of course it is on display here as well!

Not only Japanese objects, but also foreign dolls that were once popular in Japan are on display.

It is nice to be able to play retro games such as SEGA SATURN.

The atrium-like space at the center of the museum is packed with fashion and baseball items, making you feel as if you have wandered into a different world. There are not so many other places that are as chaotic as this space.

View of the atrium from the second floor.

Next, let's go to the second floor. On this floor, a slightly scary occult collection and realistic figures are on display.

There are full-size figures of animals and dinosaurs, as well as a variety of yokai. The atmosphere is quite chaotic.

In addition to these displays, the museum also has a haunted house called “Yoru no Gakko” (meaning “night school”) in the annex. Featuring objects given from soon-to-be closed amusement parks, the museum’s original items, and many ghosts and gimmicks, this place is pretty spine-chilling. Go check it out to see how scary it is!

It's a haunted house that's more creepy than scary.

Going to the beaches and enjoying hot springs are of course nice when you are in Izu, but why not visit this abit-bizarre museum that might start to appear in your dreams once you go there?

■DATA The Weird Museum for Boys and Girls Address: 1029-64 Tomido Kaidoshita, Ito-shi, Shizuoka, Japan Opening hours: 9:00 a.m.~5:00 p.m. (Last entry until 4:30 p.m.) Open 365days Tel: 0557-51-8800 Admission fee: Adults 1,100 yen 　　　　　　　 Elementary/Junior high school students 600 yen Official website: https://ayashii.pandora.nu/index.html (Information as of March 2024) ＜Related articles＞ ・Enjoy art at the Shimose Art Museum, a complex facility built on the Seto Inland Sea coast. ・Experience “Showa-era Japan” in Bungo Takada City!