Kanto Earthquake Memorial Museum

Why Kanto Earthquake Memorial Museum is special ?

The Kanto Earthquake Memorial Museum is a fairly small museum set in the grounds of Tokyo Memorial Temple. As well as remembering those who died in 1923, the temple is also a memorial to those that died at war.

This museum presents sombre exhibits about the 1923 earthquake that destroyed more than 70% of the city and killed more than 50,000 people. There is a harrowing collection of photographs and paintings of the aftermath. The museum has generalised to cover other disasters to strike Tokyo prefecture, including WWII air raids. The museum sits in Yokoyama-kōen (Yokoyama Park), with other memorial buildings and a garden dedicated to quake victims.

Source: http://www.lonelyplanet.com

What to explore at Kanto Earthquake Memorial Museum?

There are two floors. As you go in, make sure you pick up the English leaflet. Most of the exhibits are labeled in Japanese only, but with lateral thinking and a stretch of the imagination you’ll only be momentarily baffled.

The first floor acknowledges the devastation and destruction. Charts and maps show which parts of Tokyo were most affected. The ferocity of the fires that followed, and the sheer intensity of the heat can almost be felt from the various contorted metal and glass objects on display.

Up onto floor number two and pictures by local artists, school diary accounts and personal notes and jottings once again highlight the enormity of the damage. These are exhibited alongside some scale models of the city.

Once you’ve finished inside the museum, the grounds with its temple and pagoda make for a diverting wander.

Source: http://www.tokyoessentials.com

How to get to Kanto Earthquake Memorial Museum?

Take the JR SOBU LOCAL LINE to RYOGOKU STATION. Leave via the exit for the sumo stadium. Find the stadium’s main entrance, then look for the over-head expressway. Keeping the sumo stadium on your right, follow the line of the expressway until you come to a set of traffic lights. Turn right here and follow the road until you get to another set of traffic lights. At this point, if you look to the right you should be able to see Tokyo Memorial Temple and Pagoda. The museum is the sandstone building situated just behind.