Money makes the world go round

A new version of Hyper Edohaku, the popular interactive phone app from the Edo-Tokyo Museum, has been released, focusing on the money situation in the Edo period.

In Edo, people and goods gathered from across Japan, fostering the development of diverse businesses. Players become one of the merchants and experience the money-related culture of Edo through their lives.

The main character is the third-generation young master of a lantern shop in Nihonbashi. Disowned by his parents and penniless, he searches for a place to live, finds a job, learns about money and business, and opens up a new path in life.

Just as a flower that has fallen in the fall will bloom again in the spring, money will always pass through people's hands, bringing happiness and hardship.

Discover 100 Items from the Museum Collection

The main character lives in Nihonbashi during the Edo period, which flourished as a commercial center. The　bustling thoroughfare of Nihonbashi, teeming with various types of businesses, has been recreated in a 3D space. Hidden in the landscape are 100 items, especially selected from the 350,000 in the museum collection.

How to use money in Edo

How did the common people of Edo perceive money compared to modern-day standard? The app vividly portrays various scenarios depicting the usage of money in Edo, from everyday expenses such as food, clothing, and housing to disparities in wages, and even ceremonial occasions like funerals and weddings.

Various businesses in Edo

In Edo, where people gathered from all over Japan, there were many different types of businesses. The main street from Kanda to Nihonbashi is lined with odana (large merchant, lit., “big stores”), and while there are businesses that support people's daily lives, such as bathhouses, secondhand clothing stores, and fishmongers, there are also many businesses that flourished, such as moneylenders and money changers.