The Japan Spinning Top Museum (日本独楽博物館) is a
toy
A toy or plaything is an object that is used primarily to provide entertainment. Simple examples include toy blocks, board games, and dolls. Toys are often designed for use by children, although many are designed specifically for adults and pet ...
museum located in the city of
Nagoya
is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most pop ...
, central
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
.
History
The spinning
top
A spinning top, or simply a top, is a toy with a squat body and a sharp point at the bottom, designed to be spun on its vertical axis, balancing on the tip due to the gyroscopic effect.
Once set in motion, a top will usually wobble for a few ...
, called ''koma'' (独楽) was and still is a popular traditional toy in Japan and the
Chubu region. The museum has a collection of over 20,000 spinning tops not only from Japan but all over the world, many pieces which are very old. Toys that are sold in ''dagashiya'', which are old-fashioned candy stores, and other traditional toys such as
gyroscope
A gyroscope (from Ancient Greek γῦρος ''gŷros'', "round" and σκοπέω ''skopéō'', "to look") is a device used for measuring or maintaining orientation and angular velocity. It is a spinning wheel or disc in which the axis of rota ...
s from around the world are also part of the collection.
Visitors are also shown and taught how to play with the toys. The museum has a store attached to it that is family-run, where visitors can buy the toys.
Access by public transport is
Tsukijiguchi Station
is an underground metro station located in Minato-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan operated by the Nagoya Municipal Subway's Meikō Line. It is located 5.4 kilometers from the terminus of the Meikō Line at Kanayama Station.
History
Tsukiji-guchi St ...
on the
Meikō Line, or
Inaei Station
The is a third-sector railway line in the city of Nagoya operated by the . Officially called the , it connects Nagoya Station with Kinjō-futō Station, and was a freight branch line of Tokaido Main Line, converted for passenger usage in Oct ...
on the
Aonami Line
The is a third-sector railway line in the city of Nagoya operated by the . Officially called the , it connects Nagoya Station with Kinjō-futō Station, and was a freight branch line of Tokaido Main Line, converted for passenger usage in Octob ...
.
External links
Homepage of the Japan Spinning Top Museum
Museums in Nagoya
Toy museums
Children's museums in Japan
{{japan-museum-stub