Police Museum (Tokyo Metropolitan Police)
警察博物館（ポリスミュージアム）
Nishi-Gotanda (Shinagawa), Tokyo · near Gotanda (JR Yamanote / Toei Asakusa Line) (8 min walk)
A free, genuinely hands-on museum run by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, where children try police-work simulations, lift fingerprints, sit in a police helicopter and take a numbered-ticket turn in a child-sized uniform. It is one of the places most English roundups get wrong — nearly all of them still send families to the old Kyobashi/“Ginza-area” building, which closed in September 2025.
Why children love it: It is a museum you do rather than look at — dialling a mock 110 emergency call, riding the cycling simulator, and trying on a real uniform for a photo.
What children actually do: Lift fingerprints, run police-work and cycling simulators, make a mock 110 emergency call, climb around real police vehicles and a helicopter, and (with a same-day numbered ticket) wear a child-sized officer’s uniform for photos parents take themselves.
Honest drawbacks: The best-loved uniform photo session runs on limited same-day numbered tickets that can go early on busy days. It currently sits at a temporary Nishi-Gotanda location while a new Kyobashi home is built.
How comfortable will an English-speaking family be?
The official English page states most exhibits carry English captions, and the hands-on nature makes it approachable regardless of language. English-speaking staff are not confirmed — don’t assume live English help.
See the English resource ↗- Best for
- Toddlers (2–4), Primary (5–11)
- Time to allow
- 1.5h
- Opening hours
- 9:30–16:00; closed Mondays. Free.
- Price
- Free
- Booking
- Usually walk-in
- English
- ★★★★☆
- Indoor / weather
- indoor · rainy-day ok
- Confidence
- Verified
Why this is under the radar
Reopened at the temporary Nishi-Gotanda location on 24 April 2026 after the former Kyobashi building closed on 15 September 2025 for redevelopment. Nearly all English articles still list the old address, so families arrive at the wrong place.
Getting there: 3F, TOC Building, 7-22-17 Nishi-Gotanda, Shinagawa — a temporary home since 24 April 2026 (the museum plans to return to a new Kyobashi complex after FY2030). Old English articles still list the closed Kyobashi/Ginza address.
Accessibility & prams: A single floor of the TOC building, served by lifts. Confirm nursing/change facilities on the day.
Sensory & intensity: The 110-call and cycling simulators make some noise but are not frightening.
Crowds & timing: Weekday mornings are quietest; uniform-session tickets go fastest on weekends and in school holidays.
Planning tip: An easy, free 1–1.5 hour stop off the Yamanote Line — pair with a Gotanda/Meguro lunch.
Turn this into a real day
Our itinerary builder paces a trip around your children’s ages, the weather and realistic travel time — and it draws on this whole verified database, not a hard-coded shortlist.
Add Police Museum (Tokyo Metropolitan Police) to a plan →Editor’s note: Temporary Nishi-Gotanda site — re-verify the address before each season; a permanent Kyobashi home is planned after FY2030.