Sendai City Museum of History and Folklore, museum in Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
The Sendai City Museum of History and Folklore is housed in a Giyōfū building that combines Western and Japanese architectural styles dating from 1874. Inside, displays feature everyday objects like furniture, clothing, toys, and farm tools alongside exhibits about how soldiers lived and how families organized their homes over time.
The building was constructed in 1874 and originally served as military barracks for the Japanese army. After World War II, American forces occupied it, and it later became a police training school before being converted into a museum to preserve the city's history.
The building itself reflects how Sendai merged Japanese and Western influences in its everyday life and design. Visitors can see this blend in the architecture and through displays showing how traditional customs existed alongside modern conveniences.
The museum is open daily except Mondays and closes on certain days around holidays and the fourth Thursday of each month. It is about a 7-minute walk from Tsutsujigaoka Station, making it easy to reach by public transport.
The building is the oldest Western-style wooden structure in Miyagi prefecture and survived World War II intact when many other historic sites in the city were destroyed. Its preservation was partly due to being used by American forces after the war, which protected it from demolition.
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