The Tobacco & Salt Museum is one of the few museums in the world that specializes in tobacco and salt. Like tea and alcohol, tobacco is a non-essential luxury with a long history of consumption by humans. Salt, on the other hand, is not only indispensable to the sustenance of life, but is also a vital requisite in many areas of contemporary society. Tobacco and salt are deeply connected with human history and culture, and have tremendous significance in the history of industry. As such, the Tobacco & Salt Museum is rather wide-ranging in nature; it concerns itself not only with tobacco and salt as commodities, but also examines the various eras, regional histories and cultures to which they are tied.
The Museum’s permanent exhibition on tobacco presents displays on a variety of themes. These are based around a chronological progression from the origins of smoking, through the arrival of tobacco in Japan to the present day.
The exhibition on salt, meanwhile, mainly consists of information on salt and what exactly it is, as well as world salt resources and the history of salt making in Japan.
Each of these exhibitions is designed to provide the most up-to-date information on its respective subject. In the “Mini Display Corner” on the 2nd floor, we use airtight cases to introduce artwork and other objects that could previously only be seen in the 4th floor Special Exhibition Room. The 1st floor Entrance Hall, meanwhile, has an “Information Box” giving audiovisual and textual information not found in the Exhibition Room.
The Special Exhibition Room on the 4th floor is used for various short-term exhibitions on the themes of tobacco and salt.