Going ’round the museums

Here’s another entry for the “Japan doesn’t have to be expensive” file:

Tokyo Museums – Grutt Pass 2004 (Japanese site here)

The “Grutt” pass in a nutshell is this: for ¥2,000 ($18USD), you get a booklet with free entrance coupons to 44 different art and history museums in the greater Tokyo area, as well as to zoos and aquariums. The entrance coupons are valid for two months from the date of your first use. This is one of those deals that’s so good you swear there’s some catch, or some fine print detail you’ve overlooked.

Naoko told me about this a while ago but I never followed through, and now I’m realizing the error of my ways. I finally bought one when we took Kaika to the Ueno Zoo last weekend (¥600 entry), and while I’ve only used it twice so far (for the zoo and for the Bridgestone (¥700)), I really only need to visit two or three more museums for the coupon booklet to have saved me money.

The list of participating institutions can be found here (in English). As I look over the list, I realize now that for many of them, the coupon will not only get me into the museum for free (eg. to see the Permanent collection), but also to Special Exhibitions. Can you see the yen savings I’m seeing in my head?

One of the nice things about this, as I discovered the other day at the Bridgestone, is that it helps to alleviate the feeling that one must see everything on display, lest one waste that sometimes hefty entrance fee. It gives one the mindset that the entrance was basically free, and lets one relax and see what one feels enough, reducing visual overload. Granted, there is a slight pressure to use the booklet, and to schedule museum visits regularly where one might not have before, but I tend to look at that as incentive rather than pressure, and I’m quite looking forward to taking in some of the more off-the-beaten path museums in the next two months. And when the two months are over, I’ll just buy another booklet. It really is a win-win as far as I can see it.

Whether you’re in town for a week or live here, this is a great deal. You can buy the pass booklet at any of the participating institutions (and use it right there and then), or at Lawson’s convenience stores, Ticket Pia, JTB offices, and a few other places. The program will run to January 31st, 2005, though as the program was done in 2003 one hopes it will continue next year as well.