The Showakan, or Showa Hall is an interactive museum located in the Kudanshita section of Tokyo, dedicated to depicting the life or ordinary Japanese people during the war time years and the early postwar years. Ironically, it is located just down the street from the Yasukuni Shrine, the memorial to the Japanese war dead. Here is a picture of the very modern looking Showakan:

The three large characters in white on the left read Sho wa kan while the adjacent characters in red read: Senchu, sengo no kurashi or "Life during and immediately after the war."

The Showakan contains exhibits, posters, video archives, still photographs and many artifacts. Also, a great deal of material is stored on a server and accessible from computer stations on the 5th floor. I enjoyed the poster display quite a bit. Here are some examples:

This poster encourages Japanese citizens to open passbook savings accounts.

This poster encourages Japanese people to listen to radio only when it is permitted.

The poster below advises citizens on the potential dangers during an air raid and gives suggestions on what to do:

Finally, a poster for Shiseido cosmetics during the early postwar era features actress Hara Setsuko:

During the war, any form of adornment (clothes, hairstyles, make-up) was discouraged.

Some of the exhibits show clothing and articles associated with daily-life such as this factory worker below:

Here, also, are some somber work-clothes worn by women and children:

Or, we can see a mother and her two children shortly after the war:

Another compelling photo for me was one of women gathered outside of Mistukoshi Department Store in the early postwar years engaged in sewing projects:

Given the centrality of appliances and high-tech gadgets in Japan today, it is interesting to see an exhibit of early postwar appliances: a TV, a Refrigerator, a Tsohiba washing machine and a mixer.

There is also an interesting photo of an early postwar demonstration of a washing machine which drew quite a crowd:

As much as anything, the Showakan may want to remind us that war is not only between goverments and countries, but happens to people, it involves people and affects them. Here was a family portraitr from the wartime era:

Here is another wartime picture of kids in the street "playing" war a reminder, perhaps, of how we get to war as a solution.

Perhaps no more dramtic moment in Japanese history occurred that the surrender announcement August 15, 1945. Here is the newspaper headline from the Asahi Shinbun of that day:

The headline reads: "Imperial Rescript Ending War is Proclaimed."