Takayama Shōwa-kan Museum

A total feast for the eyes with so much to see! I loved that it was set up like a vintage street with shops cafés and businesses to duck into and the upstairs is like a family house from the era with video games to play. Brilliant attention to detail and so fun to explore. The candy and souvenir shop out the front is cute as well.

It is a small museum that has enough to see to take between 2-4h if you don't rush it. We especially liked the room showing a child's room in the showa era. There were games to play there, digital and analog and we played together for an hour which was a lot of fun. The museum has many small rooms with different themes that embody what life was like during the showa era. A fun and educational experience.

I had more fun than I expected at this little museum. The retro vibes were awesome. I particularly liked the room where they had an old style classroom as well as the room where you could actually play an old Sega game (which I did!). It was like a trip to a not so distant past, where things are very familiar and yet very different.

Probably the highlight of my time in Takayama, this is a great little museum that is very dense with products from the Showa era. There were several interactive areas like a car and telephone booth that you could get into, or old video games and pachinko machines that you could play. This is not the kind of museum that would be worth it to rush through, but if you allow yourself to spend time meandering through each room I think it can be very rewarding. It made me feel nostalgic for that era of Japan. Overall I would recommend this museum to most visitors.

This very dense museum can take 30 minutes or 2-3 hours, depending on how interested you are in the Showa period of Japan! Every room is absolutely full of historical items, with a lot of trust put in visitors to not touch / break all of the items. Rooms are convincing, and vary from classrooms, opticians, living rooms, arcades, and plenty more. The effect is made convincing by street signs and advertising all over the place. Each room is absolutely full of unique details, and there's hundreds of opportunities for selfies if interested. Tickets are purchased at the door, after a small souvenir / traditional sweet shop.

Such good fun for all, especially with kids who want to touch things. Everything is interactive and lots of games, role plays etc. We went on a weekday and it wasn't busy at all. Pricing is based on age. What a trip down memory lane for the adults and interesting insights into modern Japanese culture

The “main event” in my opinion. Well worth a visit if you have a fascination with getting a sense of Japan in modern history. I have a massive fascination with the Showa era where “old” and “new” Japan was blended together. I just loved this place. Shop was a bit of a let down, I was hoping to find reprints of Showa era posters etc. Unfortunately, it’s just a sweet shop with some over-priced t shirts.

I personally like Showa things 1970s a lot. Strongly recommend this little museum. So impressed to see things in my chikdhood. Touched.

Takayama Showa Museum / Hida-Takayama -- I think the Japanese are in love with the period of prosperity they experienced after World War II and continued into the 1980's. That might explain why there are Showa-era museums throughout the country including at least two different ones in Takayama. While the Retro Museum was a lot more kid-friendly, this one was targeted to grown-ups. In particular, it probably has a special appeal to baby boomers who may have faint memories of those days of yore. Even though I wasn't raised in Japan, the gadget-filled rooms evoked instant memories of my parents' house. They never threw anything away, so the thrift shop vibe here generated an instant kinship for me. They have rooms dedicated to various appliances around the house... Portable TV sets, washing machines, rice cookers, cameras. There was familiar mid-century bric-a-brac as well as extensive vinyl record and fan magazine collections. When I saw photos of Pink Lady plastered on the wall, I knew I was home (Photo 6). If no such memories exist for you, consider this more of an archeological curio shop. OK, maybe a junk shop if you want to dismiss it. Admission was ¥800. RELATED - Exploring Japan? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2qrUBZo

Such a cool museum! There are a variety of movie-set type rooms here of Japan in its retro days. You're able to walk inside each room, so it feels like you're actually living in that era. Just be mindful of any large bags or backpacks so you don't accidentally knock everything over in tight spaces. There are a lot of interactive sections at this museum such as the video games and getting to sit inside an old car. Admission is fair- you can purchase the combo too which gives you access to another smaller museum that's similar. My only issue is that there was no explanation regarding what things could or couldn't be "touched". Given that it's a museum, I chose to err on the side of caution.

Time Warp Overall Enjoyment (+1): Loved this place. I am a big fan of theme parks and this small little museum was definitely reminiscent of them in that there were many separate little areas, "shops" you could walk into, even a throwback Pachinko area where you can play old Pachinko machines. I think my personal favorite was the restaurant-themed room as it felt the most organic. Value (+1): 800JPY per adult, I would say it's totally worth it. Probably spent around 30-45 minutes total perusing the two floors of the museum. Environment (+1): Great themes in all of the various areas, loved the classroom, restaurant, barber. The first "street" that you walk down when you enter the museum and head to the right is captivating and truly puts you in the Showa era. Quality (+1): Everything was well taken care of. The fact that they have dated functioning Pachinko machines shows how they take care of the contents of the museum! Service (+1): Friendly, courteous, and informative. No complaints.

The Showa Kan Museum is a hidden treasure. You're taken back in time to mid-1900s Japan. The museum has re-creations of old streets and various scenes from everyday life. As you explore the museum it feels like part movie set, part antiques shop with thousands of old items scattered around.