Takayama Showa-kan

The Showa Era (1926 - 1989) encompasses a large part of the 20th century and also refers to the long reign of emperor Hirohito, that was notably marked by World War II. Japanese people have kept a fond souvenir of the high economic growth period of the 1950s to the early 1980s. These decades were indeed seeing the return of prosperity after long years of hardships and reconstruction. This supposedly much simpler time has been largely idealized, as shown by the success of the movie series Tora-san.

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This nostalgic trend started to grow in the 1990s, after a succession of crisis in Japan and in the world. Museums and reconstitution of the happy days then flourished throughout the country, providing places that were both heartwarming and fun to Japanese tourists.

The Takayama Showa-kan museum was born from this trend. Located in the "old town" side of Takayama, near the Asaichi morning markets, the museum is displaying its retro theme at its colorful storefront, decorated with advertisement and cinema posters, neon signs and quaint objects.

Diving in a bygone era

The museum’s 2 floors offer a time travel back to the 1960-1970s specifically, with the following replicas:

• 2 streets, Showa Alley and Showa Yokocho, with about 20 shops, bars and restaurants, music instrument shops, beauty salon, etc. at the ground floor;
• Children’s rooms and an elementary school classroom, for a more intimate ambiance at the 1rst floor and on a reduced surface.

The nostalgic atmosphere is recreated through the staging of various vintage objects, like old cathode-ray tube TVs (and even a Daihatsu Midget scooter), metal signs, shops filled with merchandise, home interiors that look as if they were still inhabited and their owner had just invited us in.

Childhood memories have a particularly important place a shown by the dagashi shop, specializing in typically Japanese sweets and snacks, at the entrance of the museum. It is not unusual to encounter adults reliving their childhood memories and play with passion with one of the NES game console available to use either.

Takayama Showa-kan is a fun indoor visit to discover a long-gone Japan, that can be enjoyed without specific knowledge. The picturesque decors are designed with intricate details to explore.

Note that there is another Showa-kan in Yufuin (Oita prefecture, Kyushu). Moreover, Takayama has another temple of vintage, the Hidatakayama Retro Museum, whose shop is located just next to the Showa-kan, but whose main building is located further down south near Takayama Jinya, and is the counterpart of Odaiba’s Retro Museum.