There's a Poop-themed Museum in Japan-- But It's Wildly Colourful and Quirky!

No scientific facts and tidbits in this "museum"-- but you'll love it anyway!

Facebook is absolutely brilliant when it comes to marketing! On my first day in Japan, the Suggested Pages and ads have already made me visit a teddy bear hotpot restaurant in Shibuya, buy kimono shoes in Asakusa, and book tickets for the Unko Museum just because the thumbnail image was cute and colourful. At the time, I did not even know what an "unko" was. When I finally found out, I was literally squirming with excitement in my seat on the train to Odaiba.

Welcome to Odaiba!

It's Doraemon!

The Unko Museum is themed around that which we excrete as our bodies' waste products-- dung, sh*t, excrement, feces, poo; in Japanese, unko. However, the place is not so much a museum as a space of pure novelty. Here, there are no specimens behind glass cases nor scientific plaques and information placards. Instead, we get a plethora of colourful swirly displays, neon lights, arcade games, photo opportunities, and a cacophony of loud J-pop.

The "museum" is housed in the DiverCity Tokyo Plaza which is a huge shopping mall in Odaiba. Additionally, this mall is also famous for the big Gundam statue at its front. There is a Gundam Base Store which is humongous, it takes up an entire floor! There are lots of other specialty shops too, such as a Sanrio shop, the Doraemon Future Department Store, Odaiba Market, a Matsumoto KiYoshi, and so much more! (I have posted more photos towards the end of this blog post.)

My ticket for the Unko Museum cost 2,000 JPY at the time of my visit. The experience started with guests being led to a row of colourful toilets where they are encouraged to sit on one and uhm-- strain (or at least pretend to). After a few seconds, a piece of unko will magically produce itself in the toilet. The staff will then prop your unko up on a stick so you can easily carry it around with you. This unko also acts as your key to be able to play the free arcade games and access the interactive displays.

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I got a blue one! Does this mean my diet is lacking in vitamins?

THE UNSTAGENIC AREA

The person who coined this portmanteau is a genius, I believe. Just as the term implies, the Unstagenic Area is a visually-appealing area where the perfect Instagram photos can be captured. They're very creative in their consistency in keeping up with the theme of unko. There is a giant white unko in the middle of the room where colourful projections are mapped in time with upbeat J-pop. The UnkoMart manned by the remarkable Unko Museum mascot Unberto is a delight to visit while the Unko Afternoon Tea Party display is fun and quirky.

Besides, if you haven't had your picture taken with this psychedelic display in the background, then did you really visit?

This is the only kind of unko I am actually tempted to touch.

(Related post: This famous and perfectly-Instagrammable teddy bear hotpot restaurant in Shibuya is a unique, one-of-a-kind experience only available in Japan! Oh, and Hong Kong.)

The giant audio-visual unko in the centre of the room with 3D projection mapping in time with music.

Welcome to the not-at-all repulsive poo-themed kombini that is UnkoMart!

Is it just me, or do those chips actually look appetizing?

I would be tempted to buy a ton of these!

UnSoda looks safe to drink, at least.

UnCheese and UnChips.

Poop Teen magazine. This place is hilarious!

Toilet rolls, anyone?

And here's Unberto, Unko Museum's mascot and "guardian angel" (that's seriously how they described him in their official website).

The unko-themed Afternoon Tea Party display.

Nothing wrong with this lot. I see this kind of piping all the time!

UNKO DOUBUTSU (POOP ANIMALS)

Newly opened in 2022 is a section for poop animals because-- well, because why the h*ck not?! According to their official website, these poop animals were previously invisible to the naked eye but they can now finally be seen due to the "enhancement of humanity's poop level" and I'm pretty sure I don't understand it as if they had simply just written it in hiragana. Guests can now interact and stroke these twelve poop animals, watch their tails wag in delight, and hear them purr.

Forget dogs, cats, and rabbits! Your new furry friend should be a strawberry-pink unko doubutsu or you're not trendy enough.

(Related post: Our experience in a one-of-a-kind food theme park in Japan.)

THE UNTERACTIVE AREA

The Unteractive Area is where guests get hands-on with poop. Well, not literally. But the activities will involve guests to use their bodies, voices, hands, feet, etcetera to enjoy. My favourite is the game where you shout "unko" into a microphone and watch as the poop on the screen swells with your voice.

Erect thy poop on the pedestal to activate a mini light show.

The kids had a ball with this one. It's fun to step on poop, it says-- and just for this occasion, it's true.

This is the game where you shout "unkooooooo". Long, loud, and proud is the key.

THE CRAPPY ARCADE

I'm not at all being mean-- the arcade area is officially named the Crappy Arcade and if you don't get the pun then that's sh*tty (pun intended). Honestly, though, the arcade is not at all crappy; it's actually quite fun and entertaining. My favourite game among the bunch is the Poop Reflex Game wherein you have to catch a piece of (plastic toy) poop that drops from an overhead hatch unannounced. (I've also learned that I have a bad reflex reaction time.)

THE UNTELLIGENCE AREA

The last area to explore before you exit the museum is the Untelligence Area wherein guests are free to "satisfy your intellectual curiosity" by drawing "your own one-of-a-kind poop" (I'm not making this up-- check the official website). You then have the opportunity to display this in a frame shaped like a toilet seat where it will be forever immortalized in the Untelligence Area wall.

UNBERTO'S ROOM

Unberto's Room is practically the last area to explore before your "museum" tour is over. Guests have to exit through a giant toilet manned by a giant Unberto! Is it symbolical somehow? Like it's imparting some rhetorical (yet ridiculous) wisdom like "all life begins and ends with poop"? Unko Museum's official website describes it as a spiritual "poop power spot" that is connected to the mysterious cosmic space; entering so will apparently greatly increase your luck. And who wouldn't want to be blessed like that?

A giant not-at-all-intimidating Unberto mans the entrance to "a mysterious cosmic space".

"It's safe-- and hygienic!"

The cosmic space that "greatly increases your luck" is actually a lovely infinity mirror room with floating unko under soft, colourful lights,

THE POOP FACTORY

Unko Museum's official shop is called the Poop Factory, where cute unko-themed merchandise are up for grabs! Unko keychains, colourful toilet paper rolls, stamped cookies, candies, cakes, notepads, etcetera-- it's a psychedelic paradise!

A bag for you to take your unko-in-a-stick home with you.

This in itself would make a great souvenir!

That's the end of our Unko Museum tour! Thank you for coming with me on this crazy journey! Please be sure to like and subscribe to my blog if you like my content.

Check out the other pictures I've taken from the other novelty shops inside the Odaiba DiverCity Tokyo Plaza including the Gundam Base store, Sanrio store, and so much more!

The Sanrio store is right beside the Unko Museum so if you're in the mood for more kawaii then be sure to check this spot out!

The Odaiba Marketplace is a huge shop selling souvenir items and items that are trendy in Japan. This giant Glico Caplico Man's multicoloured giant Pocky sticks are selling like hotcakes!