Saitama City Iwatsuki Doll Museum

A great museum to explore the artistry of Japanese dolls. The collection is big & beautifully preserved. The staff were welcoming, and one member was fluent in English. While much of the information is translated, a photo-translation app is helpful for the rest. I highly recommend this museum to anyone interested in Japanese culture or traditional dolls.

Only regular exhibition is open under this quarantine.

Well maintained relics and artifacts

The Saitama City Iwatsuki Doll Museum is located in Honcho, Iwatsuki Ward, Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture, about 700 meters northeast of Iwatsuki Station. Opened in 2020, it is Japan's first public museum dedicated to dolls, aiming to pass on the history of Iwatsuki, one of Japan's leading doll-making towns, to future generations. The background to Iwatsuki's development as a "town of dolls" lies in its long history dating back to the Edo period. Iwatsuki was once a post town on the Nikko Onarimichi, a road exclusively for the shogun traveling to Nikko Toshogu Shrine, and flourished as the castle town of the Iwatsuki Domain. In the late Edo period, the production of Hina dolls and May dolls began, driven by the demand for souvenirs for travelers passing through the post town and castle town, and the high level of woodworking skills of the craftsmen. In particular, the technique of using paulownia wood (kiri), which is abundant in the Iwatsuki area, to create "toso" (a mixture of paulownia wood powder and glue) was established, and this became synonymous with Iwatsuki dolls. From the Meiji to Showa periods, doll making in Iwatsuki made a significant leap from a handicraft to a local industry. Especially after the war, with the arrival of the high economic growth period, demand surged, and nearly 300 workshops and doll wholesalers lined the streets of the city. Thanks to the excellent division of labor among the craftsmen, high-quality festival dolls were mass-produced, and Iwatsuki established itself as "Japan's leading doll town in terms of both production volume and value." Today, the doll industry is declining due to changes in lifestyle and the declining birthrate, but the fervent desire of local associations and citizens to protect and pass on Iwatsuki's doll culture has never ceased. Amidst these circumstances, the former site of the Iwatsuki Ward Office was selected as a hub for tourism and community revitalization, and finally, in 2020, the Saitama City Iwatsuki Doll Museum opened. Centered around the collection of Fueho Nishizawa, a Japanese painter and renowned researcher of dolls and toys, the museum currently houses over 5,000 doll-related items.

Iwatsuki, Saitama City Special Exhibition "Miniature x Ninpaku Hinamatsuri" is currently being held (until March 22, 2026). Miniature Hina dolls and accessories from the Edo period through the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa periods were on display. It was also great to see the mustard-colored Hina dolls and intricate Hina accessories from "Nanasawaya," an Edo-period miniature specialty store also known as "Zeitakuya." You will receive a pamphlet about the special exhibition upon admission. Admission Fee: ¥300 (General Admission) Parking Available (Free parking shared with Nigiwai Community Center Iwatsuki)