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This museum truly captures the essence of everyday life in Japan during the Showa era. The vibrant atmosphere, coupled with an impressive collection of household items and vintage automobiles, transports visitors back in time. The curated displays, including popular brand signage, offer a unique perspective on Japanese culture and history. Highly recommend experiencing this nostalgic journey for both locals and foreign visitors alike!

My favorite piece is a painted wooden and metal sign for Gekkeikan Sake. What I find particularly interesting is the depiction of a rugby player on the sign. I had thought rugby only recently gained popularity in Japan, but this sign shows that the sport has been popular for quite some time.

There is a tatami mat room with a round table in front of the television set. This is a typical vision of Japanese family life during the Showa period, as portrayed in television programs like Sazae-san and Chibi Maruko-chan. This was the fascinating scene that greeted me at the Showa Era Lifestyle Museum in Kitanagoya.
The plastic models of Godzilla, reminded me of two classic Godzilla movies, Mothra vs Godzilla and King Kong vs Godzilla. I watched these two movies in movie theaters back home in the United States, and dozens of times on TV in America and Japan.
Godzilla, created in 1954, is still running around in 2023, with the latest installment in the franchise Godzilla Minus One.
Television programs and movies still have Japanese people enjoying the Showa lifestyle.

I enjoyed my first trip to the Showa Era Lifestyle Museum. It was a really enlightening experience to see different pieces from history and how things have changed over time. The museum reminded me of my late grandfather as he was a collector of local artifacts and had built up quite a collection for a display and would go on to donate quite a few pieces to the local museum. I’m very thankful for having a chance to visit this museum as it has proven to be a very informative and engaging visit.

The hand-cranked washing machine was very interesting for me and how times have changed. From the days of scrubbing clothes by hand to the strange invention of hand-cranked washing machines, and now to the marvelous modernized machines with built-in tumble dryers! To me, the evolution of the washing machine is a tale of innovation and convenience and have revolutionized our daily routines, making the once laborious task of laundry much easier and more comfortable. I remember many stories from my grandmother on how her family, and even my father, had to hand-wash clothes every day when they were children.

OUR-MUSEUM　BROSURE    Click here

The Kitanagoya City Museum of History and Folklore (also known as the Showa Era Lifestyle Museum) was established in Aichi Prefecture with the purpose of preserving the daily life experiences of the Showa era. The museum’s main focus is on fostering nostalgic experiences and memories of the middle Showa era.
With a collection of over 100,000 daily life necessities from those times, the museum hosts over 40,000 visitors every year. One look at the exhibit prompts visitors to remark, “Wow, that really takes me back to that age!” Visitors are provided with nostalgic feelings and sentiments and encouraged to actively share their memories.