Osaka Mint Bureau (Zoheikyoku)

This museum is great for those interested in the history of Japanese coins. The entrance is a bit hard to find if you rely the GPS direction. Best to look for the main entrance where there are guards. When you arrive, you will need to sign in and be given a pin. The mint museum is around the corner in a very distinct red building. Entrance to the museum is free however be wary of what you can and cannot take photo off. There are staff on every floor and this museum always felt like someone is watching you and is quite quiet. The day I came, there was not much tourists. The souvenir store has very cool collectibles but most of them are on the very pricey end. I found them quite genuine and worth the buy if you want to.

If you happen to be in Osaka and have seen cherry blossoms but would like to see how many varieties there are, this is the place to visit. Free to enter but requires register for a code. I saw people applying for the code at the gate so I guess same day entry is also possible.

I have to many coin museums and this one was short and sweet. I enjoyed the layout and the short history lesson since coins pressed in Osaka are only since the mid 1800s. Still quite interesting.

Wow, this is possibly the best coin museum I’ve ever visited! The displays feature an extensive (if not complete) collection of Japanese coins from different series and years, making it incredibly informative and fascinating for numismatists. There’s even a dedicated library on-site, where you can sit down and conduct in-depth research.

The collection they have is very interesting, but explanations are only in Japanese. Unfortunately the city wifi and the ntt-docomo connection on my phone did not work well enough to do live translations. Ended up taking photos of just about everything, so i can translate it later when i do have a connection. Overall still a worthwhile visit