A Trip to Yashio Hihokan, Japan’s Only Sex Doll Museum

Japan has its fair share of offbeat experiences, but the Yashio Hihokan, better know as the sex doll museum, really takes the cake. Morbid curiosity prompted me to make a trip out to the museum located just outside Tokyo, and what I found was fascinating.

Inside one man’s “deep cult” vision

The Yashio Hihokan, which loosely translates to “Yashio Adult Museum” in English, showcases Yoshitaka Hyodo‘s personal collection of so-called “love dolls.” Every nook and cranny is carefully arranged down to the smallest details, with the aesthetic inspired by Ridley Scott’s sci-fi classic Blade Runner.

As of August 2023, there are around 50 dolls in the museum, which doubles as Hyodo’s home. In addition to around 30 sex dolls, there are also mannequins and anatomical models, including babies and child-sized dolls, which is a bit disturbing. With the exception of one doll, visitors are asked not to touch the exhibits. The touchable doll, which is in the nude complete with pubic hair, can be touched anywhere except her face.

Hyodo periodically changes the outfits of his dolls to match a seasonal theme. We came during lingerie theme, and next month will apparently be a military nurse theme. Hyodo said he is quite the military geek, which was fairly obvious from the start. When we arrived at the museum we had seen a flag of imperial Japan outside.

In addition to the dolls, there is also a plethora of retro gadgets, animal plushies and other erotic sprinkled around the museum. Lingerie hangs from the ceiling, most with the tags on. Hyodo said he purposely left them on so people wouldn’t think he stole them from balconies, lol.

One small room on the second floor that serves as both his office and bedroom has shelves of figurines and posters. He is clearly a fan of Ayanami Rei. I realised later that the house does not have a kitchen. Or rather, the kitchen is buried under all the exhibits. I guess this means he does not cook.

About the man himself, Hyodo

Hyodo was originally a photographer of sex dolls and other erotica, and his works have even been exhibited in Paris and Tokyo. A documentary on his life was also released in selected cinemas in September 2022.

Hyodo began his journey into doll collecting after finding a burnt mannequin in a vacant lot dump over 20 years ago. He opened his home as Yashio Hihokan in 2015. That first doll was enclosed in a glass case and wearing a wedding dress the day we went. In front of her was this extremely creepy doll with her face smashed in. Apparently it happened when she accidentally toppled over one day.

In 2021, he started his own political party, the 大日本ラブドール党 (The Great Japan Love Doll Party), to take down Tokyo Deep Annai and major television broadcaster Fuji Television. He has beef with the former because the website apparently slandered Yashio by ranking it #1 among a list of least desirable Japanese cities to live in. And he calls Fuji TV a “murderous organisation” because he holds the network responsible for the death of Terrace House star Hana Kimura in 2020. But he has disliked Fuji TV since around eight years ago, when he claims the network weaved a false narrative about him in a documentary.

We talked with Hyodo for a bit after we finished looking through the museum. He showed us his portfolio, which included photos of him with his love dolls in various settings, including haikyo. He was stark naked in some of the shots and visibly aroused too. I asked who took the photos and he said he just used a tripod and remote shutter.

Hyodo kept complimenting my friend on her dress, which he said looked like lingerie, lol. He liked her style so much that he gave her a postcard set, worth 500 yen, before we left.

Visiting the sex doll museum

You will need to shoot Hyodo an email before visiting the sex doll museum, since is it his home. It is open on selected days every month, with the latest schedule on his official blog.

There are three courses available:

1-hour “ume” (plum) course: 1,000 yen
3-hour “take” (bamboo) course: 2,000 yen
Full day “matsu” (pine) course: 3,000 yen

The 1-hour course is more than enough for most. If you are wondering how someone can spend a whole day in a small two-storey house crammed with dolls, apparently some people do. Not only do they talk endlessly for the day, they also sleep over, according to Hyodo. There is even a guestroom on the first floor to cater to such needs.

Yashio Hihokan also gets quite a few foreign visitors nowadays. On the day we went, we passed a Caucasian girl as we left whom we later learnt was from Antigua and Barbuda. Hyodo also said that a Hong Kong film crew came to shoot for a television show, and that he would be featured in an upcoming U.S. short film.

Getting to the Yashio Hihokan

Yashio Hihokan is located around a 20-minute walk from Yashio Station on the Tsukuba Express line.

Address: 埼玉県八潮市古新田1036-2
1036-2 Koshinden, Yashio, Saitama Prefecture

The aftermath

Hyodo updates his blog almost on a daily basis, often talking about recent events. I discovered that he actually blogged about our visit the following day. About my friend, he called a “Filipino beauty,” once again complimenting her dress and style, and expressing delight at how she knew of Mecha Godzilla.

About me? He said I “have a mysterious aura.” I’ll take that as a compliment, haha.