Lake Suwa Museum, Local history museum in Shimosuwa, Japan
The Lake Suwa Museum is a municipal museum on the shore of Lake Suwa in Shimosuwa, Nagano Prefecture. Its building, designed by architect Itō Toyoo, opened in 1993 in the Nishi-Takagi area. The second floor holds a Lake Suwa exhibition room and the Akahiko exhibition room, while the first floor has a special exhibition room for temporary shows.
The museum opened in 1952 inside the grounds of Suwa Taisha's Shimosha Akimiya, sharing a building with the shrine's treasure hall. In 1971 it moved to Takahama and became an independent museum. On 15 June 1993, as part of the 100th anniversary of Shimosuwa's town status, it moved again to Nishitakagi, into a building designed by local architect Itō Toyoo.
The exhibits showcase traditional fishing methods and archaeological finds that document the long connection between the lake and local communities. Visitors can see how people in the region have lived with the water across generations.
The museum is about a 20-minute walk from JR Shimosuwa Station on the Chūō Main Line; the nearest bus stops are "Suwako Hakubutsukan Akahiko Kinenkan" and "Takagi-shita". It is open from 9:00 to 17:00 and closed on Mondays. The building stands by Lake Suwa in the Nishi-Takagi area of Shimosuwa.
The museum holds the Takeda Shingen hōsei kabuto, a helmet said to have been passed down in the Moriya family, hereditary priests of Suwa Taisha. It also keeps the Suwa geta skate collection and fishing and boatwright tools registered as tangible folk cultural properties.
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