Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Shōwa-kan
তؗ
• Off Yasukuni-dōri • Tues-Sun 10am-5.30pm • ¥300 •
T
03 3222 2577,
W
www.showakan.go.jp • Kudanshita station
There is something more than a little creepy about the
Shōwa-kan
, a museum devoted
to life in Japan during and after World War II. It's almost as if the designers of this
windowless corrugated building were acknowledging the secrecy that surrounds what
really happened in those years - take a look at the exhibits and you'll see scarcely a
mention of bombs or destruction. To be fair, the government originally wanted the
museum to document the war's origins but ran into bitter opposition from pacifists,
insistent on tackling the hot-potato issue of responsibility, and a right-wing lobby
opposed to any hint that Japan was an aggressor during the conflict. After twenty years
of argument, the compromise pleases almost no one by sticking to a sanitized portrayal
of the hardships suffered by wives and children left behind. Nevertheless, there's some
interesting material in the sixth- and seventh-floor exhibition rooms, most notably that
concerning life during the occupation.
1
