Taito City Shitamachi Museum

Set in Taito Ward, it traces the memories of the downtown area and evokes the scenery and emotions of the city in the past

Cultural Spaces

Feel the "downtown atmosphere" conveyed by the vast collection of everyday items, imagine everyday scenes, and evoke memories of the downtown area.
[Changes in the downtown area (permanent exhibition)] The exhibition introduces the changes in lifestyle and culture in the downtown area in chronological order. The movable shelves allow for flexible display of a variety of materials.
[Streetscape from the 1950s (Reproduction)] A life-size house combined with Video Production creates an immersive space where you can experience the old downtown area.
[Streetscape from the 1950s (Re-enactment)] A re-enactment that allows you to relive memories of life in the 1950s through everyday items and spatial composition.
[Reception entrance] Recycled roofing tiles are used for the reception counter and shelves. The memories contained in the materials are incorporated into the interior, creating a space that exudes the atmosphere of the downtown area.
[Shitamachi Information Corner] This area is equipped with search terminals and hands-on exhibits. In an environment overlooking the lotus pond, it is a space where you can learn more about and experience life in the downtown area.
Sign and Graphic with an enamel sign motif. By reproducing the texture and feel unique to enamel, the sign is both highly visible and evocative of the nostalgia of the town.

Photo: Nacása & Partners Inc.

About the Project

Overview	This project involved renovating the exhibits at the Folklore Museum, located on the banks of Shinobazu Pond in the Ueno Park area. Set in Taito Ward, the project focused on the history and culture of the downtown area from the Meiji period to the mid-Showa period. The project involved reorganizing the existing full-scale replica exhibits, creating a new space that displays Video Production of the streetscape and everyday items from that time. The project aimed to create a facility where people of all generations could trace the memories of the downtown area.
Issues/Themes	In today's rapidly digitalized world, experiencing the lifestyle of the old downtown area holds great significance. This project aimed to create a space that evokes memories of "connections between people" and the "warmth of everyday life."
Space Solution/Realization	By structuring the exhibits so that visitors can sense the "memories of the time" and "the atmosphere of life," we aimed to create a space where visitors can immerse themselves in and experience life in the downtown area. For the finish, crushed old roofing tiles are mixed into the plastering material, preserving the memory of real materials, and the signs feature a design based on enamel signboards. Through materials and shapes, we have evoked the scenery and atmosphere of the city bygone days, and sought to create a place that serves as a point of contact between the vibrant life of the past and the present.
Design for Environment	3R design: In updating the exhibits, we aimed to reduce waste generation and make effective use of resources. Specifically, some of the discarded materials used in the previous exhibits were crushed and reused as plastering material. In addition, roofing tiles that were scheduled for disposal were similarly recycled and incorporated into the interior finishing materials. This not only contributed to reducing waste through the reuse of waste materials, but also woven the history and memories contained in the materials into the space, creating an environment that evokes the atmosphere of the downtown area.

Basic Information

Client	Taito Ward
Services Provided	Display Planning, Design, Layout, Production, Construction, Video Production
Project Leads at Tanseisha	Design Direction: Toshitake Tanaka Design: Shunpei Hashimoto Production, Construction: Masayuki Kuramochi Display Planning and Video Production: Tansei Institute Co., Ltd. Tatsuro Shiota, Hanako Yoshiya Project Management: Junji Sato
Awards	"KUKAN DESIGN AWARD 2025" Longlist
Location	Tokyo, Japan
Opening Date	March 2025
Tag	Cultural Spaces Museum Award Award Kanto

Design, Layout

Shunpei Hashimoto

He focuses on enhancing the meaning and value of spatial design by engaging with the local community and unearthing cultural contexts, and mainly works on museums and archives.

Main Achievements

Ogatsu Inkstone Traditional Industry Hall, Ecol Togoshi Shinagawa City Environmental Learning and Exchange Facility, etc.

*The shared information and details of the project is accurate as of the date they were posted. There may have been unannounced changes at a later date.

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Free Word	Free Word
Spatial Field	Commercial Spaces Hospitality Spaces Public Spaces Business Spaces Event Spaces Cultural Spaces
Opening year	2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
Area	Hokkaido and Tohoku Kanto Chubu Kinki Chugoku and Shikoku Kyushu and Okinawa Abroad
Keyword	Large commercial facilities Commercial complex Department store Specialty store Retail store Restaurants Chain Store Expansion Regional brand facilities Entertainment facilities Sports Hotel and Bridal Facilities Medical Service Facilities Health checkup center/Comprehensive Medical Checkup Transportations Station Airport Service Area School Showrooms Corporate Museum Factory tour facilities Offices Research, Development and Innovation Center Exhibition and Sales Promotion Events Exhibition Cultural Events Virtual Events Museum Museum Museum science museum Art Museum Environment, disaster prevention and children's experience facility Cultural Tourism facilities Ecomuseum Sign and Graphic Development Consulting Facility Operation CI・VI Retail Stores Advertising, sales promotion, and brand appeal Environmental Consideration Award Digital and Spatial Production Technology Renovation Regional/Community Revitalization Tourism /Inbound Tourism Universal Design Kids Design Overseas and Japanese expansion Cultural Property Preservation Contribution to society Industry-academia-government collaboration