Showa Life: Postwar Phase

Three objects offer a useful route through the exhibition. A visitor guide to the 1949 Takamatsu Tourism Exposition links the rebuilding of a city damaged by wartime air raids with the promotion of local sights and products. A 1956 Toshiba ER-5 electric rice cooker, used in a household in what is now Higashikagawa, brings that story into the kitchen. A hand-knitted sweater from the Showa 30s, roughly 1955–1964, adds the perspective of someone who learned knitting and dressmaking after work and followed a pattern in Kurashi no Techo magazine. Together, these objects let you compare public reconstruction, domestic technology and handmade clothing. The earlier prewar and wartime phase ended on 6 September; the current display is the postwar phase.

Reservation

Not confirmed

Tickets / booking

Adults pay ¥500, or ¥400 per person in adult groups of 20 or more. Admission is free for high-school students and younger visitors, Kagawa residents aged 65 or over, and holders of the specified disability or medical certificates and their caregivers; bring proof. During the run of Otoroshii Mon, its special-exhibition ticket also covers this permanent-gallery display. Museum talks on 26 September and 25 October at 14:00, and the 23 September night talk at 18:30, have no additional fee but require an exhibition ticket.

Price note

Adults ¥500; adult groups of 20+ ¥400. High-school students and younger visitors, eligible Kagawa residents aged 65+ and specified certificate holders with caregivers enter free with proof.

Access

Use the second-floor permanent exhibition rooms 4 and 5 at 5-5 Tamamocho. The museum is 900 m east of JR Takamatsu Station, 800 m east of Kotoden Takamatsu-Chikko Station or 500 m north of Kataharamachi Station. East-side piloti parking and bicycle parking are restricted by earthquake-resistance work, planned through 22 December 2026. The completion date may change. Use the temporary bicycle area on the north side and consult the current construction notice if arriving by car.

Rain

The exhibition is indoors. The 19–23 September evening opening, until 20:00 with last entry at 19:30, gives more flexibility when fitting it around an outdoor walk. On other open days, last entry is 16:30.

Crowds

On 19 and 20 September, the library corner is unavailable from 09:00 to 20:00 and the learning room from 13:00 to 20:00. These are facility restrictions, separate from the exhibition’s opening hours. Do not plan on using those spaces between visits to the galleries.

Nearby spots

Tamamo Park is next to the museum. A visit there can provide an outdoor counterpart to the exhibition’s account of modern everyday life, with its own admission and opening arrangements.

Itinerary hint

Follow the objects from the 1949 exposition to the electric kitchen and handmade clothing, then compare what changed in public and private life. If combining this with Otoroshii Mon during their overlap, use the special-exhibition ticket for both. Check the full closure list before booking travel: 16–21 October is a continuous closure within the advertised exhibition period.