I wasn’t even aware of the existence of a lovingly put-together Snoopy-inspired museum in Roppongi until a friend mentioned it to me. As a big Snoopy fan, paying a visit to this museum was a dream come true.
Located just around the corner of Roppongi 5-Chome, Snoopy Museum Tokyo is definitely a perfect getaway for an evening stroll to relax and heal your soul after a busy, fast-paced work day. Upon entering, you will see the Snoopy statues just outside of the museum with various facial expressions and postures.
Snoopy Museum Tokyo opened in April 2016 and has welcomed more than 570,000 visitors. This year, in order to celebrate its one year opening anniversary, a special event is currently being held from late April to late September (04/22/2017 ~ 09/24/2017).
This museum is indeed a treasure land with a lot of scattered photo spots and intricate details, where you can feel the amount of thoughts put into designing this whole place. At this museum, 80 pieces of original sketches are unveiled (several for the first time in Japan), which is a precious opportunity for Snoopy fans to see the illustrations of characters from “Peanuts”. Even some original toys from years ago are presented and organized in an almost meticulous fashion. In order to best demonstrate the characters and allow visitors to immerse themselves into the world of Snoopy, some of the rooms and walls are created just to show the both explicit and implicit relationships among characters. As you take a stroll around the museum, you will also find a Snoopy Pillar –– a pillar fully decorated into “Snoopy color” with two droopy ears, which no one can resist from hugging.
For those who are ready to hoard all Snoopy themed merchandise, the souvenir shop located near the exit of the exhibition is almost the same size as the gallery where you can find lots of Snoopy-themed items from Snoopy dolls (around 7000 yen), mugs (around 1200 yen) and handbags (around 2200 yen) to pins (around 800 yen) and snowglobe (around 3000 yen).
To further advance the cuteness, a Snoopy themed cafe can also be found after the museum (Cafe Blanket) for visitors to enjoy some coffee and have refreshments. The menu includes both sweet and savory treats such as deli plates, pancakes, dessert pizzas, dish combo as well as a variety of soft drinks. Outside of the cafe, some terrace seats are also provided for those who prefer sitting in the open air while enjoying some adorable yet delicious cooking.
As a Snoopy enthusiast, I have to admit how little knowledge I have towards the comic and the author despite how much I like Snoopy. It was a great chance to get to know more about the author and the deeper philosophy behind the stories. Cozy as this museum is, the interactive and exclusive exhibition will definitely offer a great experience to visitors through lovely designs.
Images taken with permission: © Peanuts Worldwide LLC
