Tobacco & Salt Museum

After 35 years in Shibuya, this most curious of museums packed up and moved to Sumida-ku, not far from the Skytree, in 2015. The tenuous rationale for this pairing of themes is that both were once nationalised commodities. Tobacco gets the most exposure, with much of the expanded space devoted to the history, manufacture and culture of the killer leaf. Besides the gallery of packet designs, collection of pipes and videos of cigarette production, one of the most fascinating aspects of the museum is the number of families that bring their kids to learn about the marvel of smoking. The sodium-based exhibits are interesting too, but the rotating shows take the price: in the past, items on display have ranged from tequila production paraphernalia to 19th-century prostitutes’ wigs.