The Showa Era Lifestyle Museum

The Showa Era Lifestyle Museum opened in 1990 in Kita Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture. It features a large collection (over 160,000 items) of Showa era (1926-1989) items, from cars to televisions to full storefront replicas. The focus of the museum is to show what life was like during this period for a typical Japanese person. Despite the Showa era spanning a considerable amount of time, the era is mostly associated with the mid-20th century and thus most of the items in the museum are from this period. The museum has over 40,000 visitors per year.

The Showa Era Lifestyle Museum

Photo by: PIXTA/ いお Entrance is free.

The museum has multiple floors, and its basement is full of many valuable classic cars and motorcycles. On its main floor, there are multiple full-room replicas, including living rooms, kitchens, a bicycle repair storefront, a candy store and many others. Nearly all of the items in the museum are donations.

Occasionally, the museum also has special exhibitions. One previous exhibition that was quite unique featured Showa era items, such as radios, clocks, etc., opened up to reveal their inner workings. From March 1 to May 31, 2025, the museum’s special exhibition will focus on items from the 1980s.

The Museum’s Creator: Yoshinori Ichihashi

Photo by: James Rogers The mechanical brake lever of a vintage bicycle.

The museum’s creator, Yoshinori Ichihashi, showed great insight in establishing it in 1990. He realized early on that people who grew up or raised children during the Showa era would eventually feel nostalgic about the period. He has even published a book about the era.

Moreover, the museum’s creator realized that the museum could serve an important function to Japan’s elderly population. As people age, the potential for developing dementia increases. One proven method to prevent the onset of dementia is active usage of one’s mental faculties, such as by studying languages, doing puzzles and so on. Another way to stimulate brain activity to prevent dementia is the action of recollection. Retrieving memories activates and strengthens synapse connections in the brain, and this museum can create such an effort as elderly visitors reminisce about past items they perhaps once had but hadn’t thought about in decades.

Even if you didn’t grow up during the Showa era, the museum may pique your interest to learn more about the lifestyle of the era. If you are visiting Nagoya, it is certainly worth a quick visit.