Many museum facilities in Minato Ward have elaborate, original items available. This time, we will focus on shops in the National Art Center in Roppongi and the Minato City Local History Museum in Shirokanedai. We also will introduce 5 of the most popular original items.

The National Art Center has a unique wave-like appearance, designed by Kisho Kurokawa. It has one of the largest exhibition spaces in the country and many exhibitions are held throughout the year. The museum shop, "Souvenir From Tokyo" has shops on the 1st and underground floors.

Just as its name tells us, the shop sells a wide range of items chosen from a "Tokyo" perspective.

Let's go through some of the most popular original items from Souvenir From Tokyo!

Original goods of the National Art Center include items designed using the museum logo by creative director Kashiwa Sato and collaboration items with up-and-coming artists that are introduced in the annex gallery.

In February this year, a new-colored logo using three colors with the key visual artwork was revealed, celebrating the "Kashiwa Sato Exhibit". Of those items using the logo, the most popular item is the "National Art Center Original Standard BAGGU reusable bag WHITE" (¥2640).

This nylon-ripstop reusable bag is a collaboration item with the Californian brand BAGGU.

"SFT x Bob Foundation Original Magnet" (¥825) is a 3-magnet set. The cute illustrations are by Bob Foundation, a creative unit consisting of Mitsunori and Hiromi Asakura. There are two types of designs, and there are magnets with designs of the National Art Center, Tokyo Tower, and Sensoji Temple.

The "SFT x Ryu Itadani Original Mug" (¥1540) has the outer appearance of the National Art Center designed around it. It is a collaboration item with Ryu Itadani, an artist that expresses scenery and objects in a unique way.

Artist collaboration postcards such as "SFT Original Postcard magma" (¥220 each, photo above) are also popular. magma is an artist unit by Jun Sugiyama and Kenichi Miyazawa.

The last item is "SFT x HIROCOLEDGE Bespoke Handkerchief Charcoal x Scarlet". This handkerchief is designed by HIROCOLEDGE, operated by artist Riko Takahashi, who uses only circles and lines to create unique geometric designs. The item uses "charcoal" and "scarlet" motifs, Japanese traditional colors that are also used in the logo of the museum, and are dyed with traditional "Chuuzome".

These original goods are also sold online, so if you're interested, please go take a look at the online shop.

"Souvenir From Tokyo"
Address: National Art Center B1-1F, 7-22-2 Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo

The Minato City Local History Museum, located right next to Exit 2 of Shirokanedai Station, utilizes the preserved/reformed Former Institute of Public Health Building built in Showa 13 (1938). The remarkable appearance of the building is called "Uchida Gothic" from its designer, Yoshikazu Uchida, and is a photogenic spot.

The museum shop is on the right of the central hall, after walking straight from the central entrance. The items are mainly original goods and goods created with companies in Minato Ward.

Let me introduce popular original items in this store.

Original items of the Minato City Local History Museum are made "to be used daily". Many of the goods have subtle designs such as the museum logo, which is based on the top view of the building, and floor designs of the central hall.

The best-selling item of the original goods is the "reusable bag" (¥495). Out of the two reusable bag variants, this one has a bottom gusset and is stable even when you put wide bento boxes inside.

The "T-Shirt" (¥2200) has designs of the floor pattern of the central hall. It has a loose silhouette and has a relaxed fit. The sizes range from Small to X-Large and can be worn by both men and women. Kid's T-shirts are also available (¥1760).

Also, there are many fabric goods such as towels, masks, and organic cotton handkerchiefs. Out of those, the "Furoshiki" (¥2750) is popular with its calm and chic design.

Another popular item to use in schools and offices is a "plastic holder" (¥330 each) that has Ukiyoe designs of scenery and people related to Minato Ward. There are more than 20 varieties and is fun to choose your favorite.

The last item is "Chocolate chip cookie and Madeline", which has the museum logo printed on it. It has a rich taste with a lot of butter. It is also large in size, so it's great to share with your children.

That's it! These are popular original items in two museum shops in Minato Ward. Stay tuned for the next article, we'll continue to introduce other museum shops.