Sound Shower Museum, Music museum in Saikai, Japan
Sound Shower Museum is a music collection housed in a former school building surrounded by mountain forests, with around 160,000 records and audio devices on display. The collection spreads across three separate buildings, documenting the evolution of recording technology and how people have played and heard music.
The building functioned as a school branch from 1957 to 1976 before being transformed into this music museum. This change marks a shift toward preserving audio technology and sound history as cultural heritage.
The gramophone section holds hand-cranked machines and 1950s stereo gear that show how people once listened to music at home. These items reflect the everyday relationship with recorded music in earlier times.
The museum spreads across multiple buildings on the grounds and requires walking between them, so comfortable shoes are helpful. Plan enough time to move through all three structures and view the collections at your own pace without feeling rushed.
Directional audio speakers throughout the museum create focused sound zones so visitors can hear different content without interference as they move between galleries. This approach transforms the experience into something more like having a private listening moment in each space.
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