Museum sights in Western Honshū
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Matsue History Museum
Matsue's new museum, which was opened in March 2011, has various displays and articles relating to the clan history of Matsue and its castle.
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Mazda Museum
Popular for the chance to see the 7km assembly line – the longest in the world. See the website for tour times; reservations are required. The museum is a short walk from JR Mukainada (向洋) Station, two stops from Hiroshima on the San-yō line.
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Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum
Next to the Shukkei-en garden is the splendid Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum, featuring Salvador Dali's Dream of Venus and the artwork of Hirayama Ikuo, who was in the city during the bombing. Enter the garden through the museum.
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Hiroshima Children's Museum
The Hiroshima Children's Museum is good fun for adults and kids. It's in Hanover Park, just southwest of the castle.
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Tomo-no-Ura Historical Museum
This museum sits at the top of the hill behind the ferry pier. Nearby is the site of the old castle, of which nothing remains but a few foundation stones. Stone steps lead down from here to a network of narrow streets lined with old houses and shops, which then leads towards the harbour.
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Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo
Just to the right of the shrine's front gate, this museum contains exhibits on local history. These include reconstructions of the shrine in its pomp, and recordings of the annual ceremonies held to welcome the gods to Izumo. There is also a superb collection of bronze from the ancient Yayoi period.
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Peace Memorial Museum
The lower floor of Hiroshima's peace museum presents the history of the city and, interestingly, explains the living conditions and sentiment during the war years leading up to the dropping of the bomb. Upstairs, along with a depressing display showing the development of even more destructive weapons in the years since, are rooms filled with items salvaged from the aftermath of the explosion. The displays here are harrowing – ragged clothes, glasses, a child's melted lunch box – and there are some gruesome photographs of victims. It can be overwhelming, and you might not want to bring young children through here, but it's a must see in Hiroshima. In the corridor on the wa…
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Onomichi Literature Museum
Close to the fourth temple along the temple walk, Hōdo-ji, this museum features displays on the lives and works of Hayashi Fumiko and other writers connected with Onomichi. It's all in Japanese, but the proprietor speaks English and will delight in taking you through it all at length.
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Okayama Prefectural Museum
A range of historical artefacts from the region, including documents, tools, armoury and Bizen pottery. The museum is near the entrance to Kōraku-en.
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Morijuku Museum
This is something of mixed bag. The lovely preserved building itself once served as the home of a shōya (village headman). Downstairs is a collection of soft-edged scenes painted by local-born artist Nakao Shō, a roomful of bullfight sketches by Goya, and a framed set of beautifully embroidered Taishō-era kimono collars. The caretaker will gladly point out the features of the building, including the pinhole camera hidden away upstairs.
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Miyajima History & Folklore Museum
Set in a fine garden, this museum combines a 19th- century merchant house with exhibitions on trade in the Edo period, as well as displays connected with the island.
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Marukin Soy Sauce Historical Museum
Shōdo-shima's first olives were planted in 1908, but the island was famous for its soy beans long before that, and several old soy-sauce companies are still in business here (as frequent whiffs around the island will remind you). Marukin is situated in an old black-and-white building on the main road between Kusakabe and Sakate. There are good English explanations, and souvenirs available include soy sauce–flavoured ice cream.
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Kurashiki Museum of Folk-craft
Housed in an attractive complex of rice warehouses dating from the late 18th century, with interesting exhibits of ceramics, glassware, textiles and furniture.
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Kojima Torajirō Memorial Hall
Kojima Torajirō was the European- style painter who went above and beyond in helping Ōhara build up his art collection; head to this museum to immerse yourself in his life.
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Koizumi Yakumo (Lafcadio Hearn) Memorial Museum
This memorial museum has displays on the life and work of the well-travelled , as well as some of the man's personal effects – including his dumb-bells, his spectacles, and a stack of Japanese newspapers on which he wrote words and phrases to teach English to his son. Hearn enthusiasts should pop round next door to have a look at his old residence, where he lived for 15 months.
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Katsushika Hokusai Museum
Near the post office, this museum features a small collection by the Edo-period artist and his disciples, and shows the wood-block process plate by plate.
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Japan Rural Toy Museum
Four rooms are crammed with displays of wooden toys, masks, dolls and spinning tops (including a world record breaker), and a colourful array of kites just beckoning to be put on a breeze. You can purchase a new toy of your own in the attached shop.
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Hayashibara Museum of Art
Small museum with exhibits of scrolls, armour and paintings that were once the property of the Ikeda clan (who ruled Okayama for much of the Edo period). Find Hayashibara near the back entrance of the castle.
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Hagi Uragami Museum
Here you'll find a superb collection of ceramics and wood-block prints. There are fine works by Katsushika Hokusai and Utamaro Kitagawa.
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