Japanese Overseas Migration Museum

Available on our Japanese Nikkei Ancestry Tours vacation series.

Located in Yokohama, The Japanese Overseas Migration Museum is dedicated to collecting and sharing the history of the Japanese people who migrated to North and South America. The museum shows the detailed history of the Japanese emigrants and what their lives were like in their new homes. The museum is filled with pictures of Japanese families, farming tools, suitcases, and other items belonging to the Japanese migrants and their descendants, the Nikkei. The museum is situated in Yokohama, where the first group of emigrants left Japan for the United State's Hawaiian Islands. While many of the Japanese emigrated to North America, there's also a rich history of the Japanese people in Brazil, Peru, and other South American countries. The museum showcases all the exhibits in both English and Japanese, making this a popular destination for Japanese and those with Japanese ancestry who want to learn more about their family history.

In addition to exhibits based on the early lives in North and South America, the museum also includes exhibits based on the current Japanese & Japanese American communities overseas. There are exhibits on the Little Tokyo Nisei Week held in Los Angeles, Obon Festivals around the world, and information on Taiko Drum Troops outside of Japan.

You can learn more about the Japanese emigration to North and South America during our fully-escorted Nikkei Ancestry Japan Tours with packages available in Spring & Year-round. You can also opt to use our Ancestry Search to learn more about your family's home town and life in Japan.