Designed by Kikutake Kiyonori, National Showa Memorial Museum was completed in 1999 and it is commonly referred to as the “Showakan”. It is a national museum and it primarily displays items illustrating the lifestyles of the Japanese people, especially by the families of the war victims, during and after World War II (the Shōwa period in the Japanese calendar), providing younger people with an opportunity to learn about this era of Japanese history. Apparently the museum is a sort of response to strong lobbying of the Japan War-Bereaved Families Association, whose headquarters are in the adjacent Kudan Hall. The museum was completely renovated in 2013. The first section – one entire floor – is devoted to life during wartime, with sections covering conscription, life under government control, food rationing, changes in the education system, and preparations for urban air raids. On the second floor the post-war period is the focus, with an eye on economic hardship followed by gradual recovery. Rice cookers, washing machines, radios and black-and-white TV sets hint at Japan’s future as a manufacturing power later in the century.