UNKO MUSEUM | A Colorful and Playful Art Experience

What Is the Unko Museum?

The "Unko Museum" is, as the name suggests, a hands-on entertainment facility built around the theme of unko (poop). It started in 2019 as "Unko Museum YOKOHAMA" in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, became a huge hit, and now operates as a permanent venue at "Unko Museum TOKYO" in Odaiba, Tokyo.

The museum's appeal lies in taking unko—a subject normally treated as taboo—and elevating it into a "cute" cultural experience through colorful, pop design and inventive interactive content. Built around the concept of "look at, touch, photograph, and play with poop," it offers a space that visitors of all ages can enjoy.

According to the official website, the Unko Museum has welcomed a cumulative total of more than 1.6 million visitors (as of April 2024) and has become hugely popular with international tourists. It has also become a talked-about, photo-friendly destination on social media platforms like Instagram.

Going Global: Expansion and Response

The Unko Museum isn't limited to Japan—it has also been expanding internationally. In October 2019, it made its first overseas move with a location in Shanghai, China, and in January 2024 it opened in Melbourne, Australia.

The Melbourne Unko Museum opened on Bourke Street in the heart of the city and was packed with visitors—many of them Australians—from its very first day. It's especially popular with young people and families with children, drawing more than 700 visitors a day at times.

Reactions from overseas media and visitors have been overwhelmingly positive, earning high praise as "a unique taste of Japanese culture," "a space kids get completely absorbed in," and "colorful, photo-worthy exhibits." Australia's The Guardian introduced it as "a new form of Japan's kawaii culture."

The Unko Museum's Main Exhibits and Hands-On Attractions

The Unko Museum's charm lies in its variety of interactive exhibits. Here are the main attractions.

1. MY UNKO MAKER

A popular attraction you can try as soon as you walk in. Sit on one of the colorful toilets, strike a "straining" pose, and your very own colorful "my unko" appears. You can carry this poop with you as a companion throughout your visit, and it's a popular, one-of-a-kind souvenir.

2. Unko Volcano

A dramatic exhibit where small poop-shaped balls erupt from a giant poop sculpture. The moment of eruption, complete with a countdown, is an especially popular photo spot with kids.

3. Unko-go ("poop language") Neon Gate

A neon-sign gate—unko-go means "poop language"—that displays the word "poop" in languages from around the world. Beyond the Japanese unko, you'll find the English "poop," the Chinese bianbian, and many more glowing in an internationally flavored display. It's an especially popular spot with international visitors, who enjoy hunting for the word "poop" in their own native language.

4.Flying Unko

Step into a dreamy, mirror-lined wonderland where countless pastel-colored poops float and drift through the air! With mirrors facing each other, the space stretches on infinitely, filling your view with poops of every size dancing freely in every direction. Grab your very own "My Unko," strike a pose in this endless poop universe, and snap a photo so adorable you won't be able to help shouting, "Unko kawaii!" ("Poop is so cute!"). Thanks to the magic of the mirrors, no matter where you look, you're surrounded by a swirling, twirling poop fantasy. It's a truly enchanting photo spot that brings a smile to everyone's face—kids and adults alike.

5. Unko Shout

A game where you compete to see how loudly you can yell "Unko!" It's especially popular with international visitors for the sense of release that comes from shouting out something considered taboo in Japan. At the Melbourne venue, staff reported that "many people scream at a volume you'd never hear in Japan."

6 . Hop! Step! Jumpoo!

An interactive game where you stomp on colorful poops projected onto the floor. Stomping the moving poops scores points, and you can compete for a high score. It's a hit with kids and adults alike.

7. Kusoge Center

A game corner that, true to its name, gathers together a collection of kusoge ("crappy games"). You can take on a range of poop-themed mini-games, such as "Unko Shiraha-dori." The games are surprisingly tough, and you'll see plenty of adults tackling them in earnest.

Draw It! Everyone's Unko

Look at a toilet a little differently, and it becomes a blank white canvas! At this creative hands-on corner, you can enjoy digital painting on a giant toilet-shaped touchscreen. Pick up the oversized digital pen to draw freely, or decorate your masterpiece with cute poop stamps—your imagination will run wild. Evolved from the classic analog drawing board, this digital experience lets you create artwork that's more vivid, colorful, and limitless than ever. Team up with the whole family to complete a single creation, or let the kids each draw whatever they dream up. So go ahead—flush away your shyness and dive into some bold, playful art!

Visitor's Guide to Unko Museum TOKYO

Basic Information

Ticket Types and How to Buy

Unko Museum tickets are sold for specific date-and-time slots. To avoid the crowds, we recommend buying online in advance.

How to buy tickets:

• Official website (available in Japanese and English)
• Various ticketing sites (Klook, Trip.com, and others)
• Same-day tickets (sold at the front desk, though sales may be limited depending on crowds)

Things to note:

• Tickets cannot be canceled or changed to a different date or time after purchase
• If you miss your designated time, you may still enter at a different time slot on the same day (check with staff)
• Each adult can bring up to two children aged 3 or under in for free

Tips and Things to Know Before You Go

Best time to visit: Weekday afternoons, or evenings on weekends (from around 6:00 p.m.), tend to be less crowded. According to reports from the Melbourne branch, it's generally easy to move through the venue after 6:00 p.m.

How long to budget: Plan on about 1 to 1.5 hours to take your time and enjoy the whole venue. If photos are a priority, give yourself even more time.

What to bring and how to prepare:

• A camera or smartphone (there are tons of photo spots)
• Stow large bags in a nearby coin locker—there's no cloakroom inside
• There's no re-entry, so use the restroom and take care of anything else beforehand

Things to keep in mind:

• Bringing in food and drinks is prohibited
• Children under 7 must be accompanied by a guardian who is a junior high school student or older
• Photography is allowed inside, but commercial shoots and live video streaming are prohibited

"Unko" in Japanese Culture

The way poop is treated in Japanese culture actually has some historically fascinating dimensions.

A Blend of Tradition and the Modern

In Japan, there's a long-standing folk belief that unko brings good luck, and during the Edo period it was associated with "fortune" and "business prosperity." Even today, it holds a distinctive cultural place—treated as taboo yet, for example, fueling the runaway hit of the "Unko Kanji Drills" in classrooms.

The Unko Museum reinterprets poop's place in Japanese culture as contemporary pop culture, presenting it in a new form to visitors from Japan and abroad.

Sights Near the Unko Museum

Because Unko Museum Tokyo is in the Odaiba area, there are plenty of attractions nearby. Working them into your plans makes for an efficient day of sightseeing.

Main Attractions in the Odaiba Area

Sample Itinerary: An Odaiba Entertainment Day

Morning:

• Enjoy the Rainbow Bridge and Tokyo Bay views at Odaiba Seaside Park
• Tour the Fuji TV Headquarters Building

Lunch:

• The food court at DiverCity Tokyo Plaza
• See the life-size Gundam statue

Afternoon:

• Visit the Unko Museum (about 1.5 hours)
• Shopping and the giant Ferris wheel at Palette Town

Evening to night:

• Visit teamLab Planets
• Dinner at DECKS Tokyo Beach
• Take in the illuminated Rainbow Bridge

Original Unko Museum Merchandise

The Unko Museum sells a wide range of unique items to commemorate your visit. Because you can enter the "Unko Mart" merchandise corner without a ticket, you can stop by just to shop.

Best-Selling Items

1. Unko keychains: colorful, expressive poop keychains
2. Unko T-shirts: T-shirts with vivid, multicolored poop designs
3. UnChips: poop-shaped snacks, popular as souvenirs
4. Unkola: a drink with a poop-themed label
5. Unko plushies: poop plush toys in various sizes and expressions

These are especially popular with international visitors as "a uniquely Japanese souvenir," and many buy them as gifts for friends and family.

Why International Visitors Love It

There are several reasons the Unko Museum is so popular with international visitors. Let's look at the main factors.

A Uniquely Japanese Pop-Culture Experience

Japan's kawaii culture draws attention worldwide, and the idea of turning unko—a subject usually treated as taboo—into a pop, colorful experience has earned high praise overseas as something distinctly Japanese. For visitors to Japan, it becomes "a cultural experience you simply can't get anywhere else."

Fun That Crosses the Language Barrier

Visual communication built around poop transcends the language barrier, making it something you can enjoy intuitively. Visitor write-ups often include comments like, "There's plenty of English signage, but you can have a great time even if you don't understand the language."

Instagram-Worthy Photo Spots

The colorful, one-of-a-kind exhibits are perfect for photos to post on social media like Instagram. Many international visitors snap and share pictures as "an unusual experience to brag about to friends," which in turn brings in even more visitors.

The Freedom of Embracing a Taboo

In many cultures, talk about poop tends to be treated as taboo, but the Unko Museum offers a liberating space where anyone can enjoy poop without embarrassment. The "Unko Shout" experience in particular—yelling at the top of your lungs a word you normally couldn't say out loud—seems to leave a strong impression on international visitors as "a special memory from Japan."

Conclusion: A Taste of Japanese Pop Culture

The Unko Museum offers travelers to Japan a fresh sightseeing option as a unique spot for experiencing Japanese pop culture. Even while built around the often-taboo theme of poop, the distinctly Japanese sensibility that transforms it into a colorful, fun experience has won high praise internationally.

If you've had your fill of Tokyo's standard tourist routes, why not try the unforgettable, offbeat experience of Odaiba's Unko Museum? A space awaits where everyone from kids to adults can have fun, across differences of language and culture.

Letting you feel Japan's diversity and creativity firsthand, the Unko Museum looks set to keep drawing attention from around the world as a new highlight of travel in Japan.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Here are answers to questions we often get from visitors to Japan.

Q: Is it okay to go to the Unko Museum alone? A: Visiting alone is fine, but the official account recommends going with someone if you can. You'll have more fun visiting with friends or family.

Q: How long does a visit take? A: The average visit is about an hour—plenty of time to take in every area. That said, it can run longer or shorter depending on the crowds and how many photos you take.

Q: Can I enjoy it even if I don't understand Japanese? A: Signage inside is in both Japanese and English. Many of the attractions are also intuitive and don't rely on language, so you're unlikely to feel much of a language barrier.

Q: Is photography allowed? A: Photography is fine inside. However, video recording, commercial shoots, and live streaming are prohibited.

Q: Do I need a reservation? A: It's not required, but we recommend booking ahead to avoid the crowds. Same-day tickets are sold too, but entry may be limited depending on how busy it is.