Time Travel Turtle

A travel blog with stories beyond the brochure

Parasite-seeing

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WACKY JAPAN

Meguro Parasitological Museum, Tokyo, Japan

Why would anyone want to go and look at tapeworms?

It’s the question I’m asking myself as I walk up to the entrance of this museum in Tokyo.

It’s not any old museum – no history, artwork, demonstrations, cultural artefacts. This is a museum of parasites: the Meguro Parasitological Museum, to be exact.

As I walk in, I again ask myself the question – why would anyone want to go and look at the tapeworms? Because it seems a lot of people do! The museum is packed and I have to squeeze my way inside.

Meguro Parasitological Museum, Tokyo, Japan

Now, to put things in perspective, this is not a very big place. There are two levels but neither would be much larger than a double garage.

But still – there are dozens of Japanese people here acting as though it’s perfectly normal to spend their Saturday afternoon surrounded by jars of dead parasites!

It proudly declares itself to be the world’s first parasitological museum… but I’m not really sure if that’s much of a boast. It’s kind of like bragging you’re the world’s first rabies theme park – of course you are because nobody else would come up with it!

Meguro Parasitological Museum, Tokyo, Japan

But a Japanese man named Satoru Kamegai did come up with the idea for this museum in 1953 and it’s been going ever since.

It’s part of a bigger research organisation that has many more specimens than are on display (more than 45,000 in total!). The current building has been used for the exhibitions since 1993.

Meguro Parasitological Museum, Tokyo, Japan

There are scores of jars that glow an eerie blue and inside are all sorts of weird looking things you’re glad are not inside you. Worms, crabs, bugs, and things with forms I don’t recognise.

Once upon a time they were all living off someone like us. Most of them look so small and non-threatening so it’s scary to read about the effects these things can have on humans.

It’s also quite scary to read about how some of them have no effect on humans… they just live inside and go about their business. That’s pretty creepy too, if you ask me.

Meguro Parasitological Museum, Tokyo, Japan

Meguro Parasitological Museum, Tokyo, Japan

The centrepiece of the Meguro Parasitological Museum is the tapeworm that measures 8.8 metres in length. It is proudly displayed in a special frame on the wall… although it’s slightly disappointing to see it wound around rather than in a straight line.

I’m not sure the room would even be long enough for it to be displayed out straight. Luckily there’s a handy 8.8 metre-long bit of ribbon you can play with to get a sense of how big the tapeworm is.

Meguro Parasitological Museum, Tokyo, Japan

Meguro Parasitological Museum, Tokyo, Japan

The people here seem fascinated. Little exclamations of shock or revulsion escape their lips.

There are families, young couples, groups of friends. Perhaps they’re from out of town and thought this would be an odd Tokyo experience, perhaps they live here and have never been before, perhaps they’re just big fans of parasites.

Meguro Parasitological Museum, Tokyo, Japan

Personally, I wouldn’t say it is really worth the trip. Most of the information is in Japanese only, which makes it difficult. But even so, it’s a relatively small collection that doesn’t take long to see.

And anyway, do you really want to remind yourself that these things exist and are constantly trying to find their way inside you?

>> More info here about the Meguro Parasitological Museum
Tokyo is a huge city and there are lots of different areas you could stay in. For tourists, though, I would recommend either around Tokyo station or around Shinjuku.
Around Tokyo station
If you’re looking for a budget option, you can get comfortable dorm beds at the great Wise Owl Hostel or the modern Hostel Den.
Tokyo is an expensive city but APA Hotel Ginza-Takaracho is a great price for a nice and convenient option near the station.
For a very trendy modern hotel close to the station, I think you'll like The Gate Hotel Tokyo by Hulic.
And for one of the best hotels in Tokyo, I would recommend The Peninsula.
Around Shinjuku
There are a couple of great budget options here, with good dorms beds at the cool Imano Hostel and the modern UNPLAN Shinjuku.
For an affordable hotel, a good option in central Shinjuku is IBIS Tokyo Shinjuku.
If you're looking for a cool design hotel, then Bespoke Hotel Shinjuku is a great choice.
And for a luxury stay, you can't go past the gorgeous Park Hyatt.
Tokyo Travel Guide

WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT TOKYO?

Here are some of my top stories about Tokyo:

Let someone else do the work for you:

You may also want to consider taking a tour in Japan, rather than organising everything on your own. It’s also a nice way to have company if you are travelling solo.

I am a ‘Wanderer’ with G Adventures and they have great tours in Japan.

You could consider:

When I travel internationally, I always get insurance. It’s not worth the risk, in case there’s a medical emergency or another serious incident. I recommend you use World Nomads for your trip.

Reader Interactions

    Comments

  3. Reply

    I love parasites! they are so interesting.
    Do you know where they found that 8.8m long tapeworm? In which animal? We learned crazy parasitology stuff when I did my zoology degree. I almost became a parasitologist! (now I prefer to look at wolf poo)

  4. Reply

    holy cow this is scary! and some of the worms are huge! i remember the show on TV, “Monsters Inside Me” where they usually caught parasites on their travels.