Kyoto is filled with iconic sights from Nijojo Castle to Fushimi Inari-taishi, but there are also so many hidden spots that only those who know get a chance to see.
A special place we like to visit is the Toy Film Museum located in a historic home in Japan. This cozy museum will show you how film developed from simple children’s toys. You have to pop in to see how toys became what we know as film. You can even watch a project made at the museum of a silent film based on Japanese fables.
We were delighted to meet the owners and they showed us the film archives all from private collections in Japan. Onea and Fumiya Ota, have done a wonderful job of curating the space with all things film. There is a limited amount of film and cameras remaining in Japan and the museum aims to have a collection so that people worldwide cant visit and enjoy. Visit their website to learn more https://toyfilm-museum.jp/
A fun fact that we learned was that Kyoto used to be a hub for film and actors in Japan. Many the original samurai film actors are from Kyoto. Including Seizo Fukumoto who was in the Last Samurai. For more information visit the Instagram post about the museum HERE
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