Takayama Shōwa-kan Museum — Attraction in Takayama

The best place in Takayama. Might be the craziest place I've been to in my whole life, it makes Don Quijote look like a sterile, modern post office. A must-go if you're in Takayama, and it makes Takayama a must-go if you're in any way a fan of the showa era.

As soon as you step through the door and enter what appears like a candy store, but it's the weird old candy your grandpa might have, the kind that predates the internet and might have been made before the invention of expiration dates, it's a complete blast from the past.

Astro Boy, city pop, first generation home console video games, this place isn't so much a museum as it is a time capsule in the form of a building. There's a tiny alley with mock storefronts. There's a period classroom, a period barbershop, even a period restaurant. There's an old-timey phonebooth and a car that could have been driven by Brendan Fraser in the Mummy, both of which you can actually enter.

Vinyl records, original Nintendo cartridges, clothes, phones, toys, cameras, there's even working pachinko and pinball machines you can play and an actual Space Invaders. There's a CRT TV playing ancient anime and even a small movie theater screening black-and-white movies.

If you're a fan of retro games, if you're old enough to have sciatica, even if you just like wacky and unique places this is a possibly one-of-a-kind experience you...

A blast from the past! This amazing museum features all sorts of memorabilia and little things from the 50's (with a few things from the 60's - 80's). All sorts of little gems can be found, from old transistor radios to all the cigarette cartons. Old posters from movies and advertisements from the time line the walls. Old television sets can be found playing tv shows and cartoons including Thunderbirds and Astro boy. Walking through the halls makes it feel a little like you've stepped back in time with a mock up barbershop to be found as well as displayed model trains. Climb the stairs to find an old school room; complete with typewriters, a blackboard, biology experiments and old desks. A room dedicated to retro videogames can be found with a set up super Nintendo or two and the walls display an impressive, albeit unplayable collection of game cartridges. Also to be found is a room decked to the brim with old usable Japanese betting machines that are like a cross of slot machines and a pinball game which are a ton of fun. An old cinema featuring black and white movies can also be found hidden away. A great museum and I would highly recommend for anyone who appreciates things retro and curious to see what things were like...

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. 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....