I really wanted to go to the Samurai museum to see swords and armor.  My husband thought it was probably a tourist trap (and it kind of was), but I really enjoyed it. They give you a tour and you learn about the history, get to handle some weapons, and throw ninja stars!  If you pay a little extra, you can also dress in armor and/or like a ninja. We did not do that part. 

You start on the third floor that has some history written on the walls.  

Then you head to one of the armor sections.  The guide explained that you could become a samurai at 12 years old.  Therefore, they wore a mask as part of the armor and many masks had mustaches.  This way the enemy was unaware of the age of the samurai. 

The helmets often gave homage to the sun with their various embellishments. 

I had fun trying to throw a ninja star.  It was made of plastic, but it was still fun to fling.  It took me several tries to get it to stick.  My husband was better at it.  I got it in the wall a few times though. 

I really enjoyed looking at all the armor and swords at the museum.  

On the way to the museum we stopped at a shrine.  I loved all the statues.  These are known as Jizo, which I talked about before (they protect children and travelers).

The hats protect them from evil spirits.  

I had some dumplings for lunch. They were very tasty. 

On the way to the railway museum, I wanted to get my afternoon coffee. We found this cafe that has all these cool train seats. It’s like you are on the train.  The coffee was good too!

My husband loves trains.  He was very happy about this museum.  He said it’s one of the best he has been to see. 

I wandered around the first floor which had all kinds of things for kids to play with and test.  You could also get inside quite a few of the trains.  When we went up to the second floor, I let my husband wander around alone.  

There was a roundhouse with all kinds of steam trains, which I think is a major reason why he liked the museum so much.