Go to touristing: Parasitological Museum

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these posts, but this one is worth a visit. When taking someone out on a date in, say, Meguro, a nice area full of restaurants and bars, afterwards why not take her to see a museum devoted to the many horrific things the tiniest of creatures can visit upon the human body at the Meguro Parasitological Museum, the world’s only, as the website claims.

Hidden away in an unassuming apartment building, and thus easy to miss unless you’re looking for it, the museum claims, via the website, “try to think about parasites without a feeling of fear” and then goes on to show you all manner of horrific and disgusting photographs, schematics and overgrown parasites in formaldehyde, which is enough to make even the most manly of men shudder. But despite the horror show it is indeed fascinating, and as the world’s only, apparently, worth visiting just to be able to say you’ve been there.

The museum isn’t that huge, so you could see most things within an hour, probably, and spend some time at the small museum shop, where you can purchase books and cute parasite-themed key chains and T-shirts. And due to the nature of the exhibits, you can end the day with yet another dinner date, as it’s extremely likely you’ll be tempted to void your bowels from either end, though whether you will still have an appetite is debatable.

Location: Meguro is centrally located along the JR Yamanote line, a short ride from Shibuya and Shinjuku. The museum is a short, straight walk from the station.
Website: here (in English)
Map: here