The Showa Memorial Museum is a repository of historical data and information related to Japanese people's lives during the Showa Period, with particular emphasis on World War II.
Entrance to this iconic building in Yasukunidori is free. Only the 7th and 6th floor exhibit requires a very reasonable admission fee of ¥300 for adults (discounted for seniors, high school and university students, and groups of at least 20; junior high school students and younger are free).
We began our tour on the 7th floor and worked our way down. The 7th floor is devoted to the period from 1935 to 1945, and the 6th floor is for the period from 1945 to 1955. The materials are displayed in a thoughtful and engaging manner, and there's something to catch the attention of visitors young and old. The museum guide said it takes 60-90 minutes to tour both floors but our family spent two hours there and could easily have spent more. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, many of the interactive type of exhibits (i.e. trying out evacuation protective gear, pumping water from a deep well, black out time during the war etc.) have been suspended.
You can download an app that provides English audio guidance on specific points marked with a green mobile phone icon. This is particularly useful as many of the explanations are only in Japanese.
We moved on to the 5th floor audio visual room. We were given a terminal where we could view documentary photos, news films, records, and many other materials, easily accessed from the touch screen. My elementary school aged children particularly enjoyed watching short animation films from the Showa Period. They planned on coming back just to watch more films.
On the 4th floor is a library with mostly Japanese-only materials and for in-library use only. A wide range of literature is available on the situation and background on Showa Period life.
The 3rd floor is where special exhibits are held. At the time of our visit, there was one on The Power of Posters.
Finally, on the first floor is a small theater that shows news reels from the Showa Period. The programs change every Saturday.
