Naitō Museum of Pharmaceutical Science and Industry, Pharmaceutical museum in Kakamigahara, Japan
The Naitō Museum of Pharmaceutical Science and Industry is a specialty museum in Kakamigahara, located on the grounds of a pharmaceutical company and dedicated to the history of drug manufacturing in Japan. The collection covers a wide range of objects, medical books, and documents tracing the development of pharmacy from early times to the modern era.
The museum was founded in 1971 at the initiative of the founder of the Zeria pharmaceutical company, who wanted to preserve knowledge about drug manufacturing for future generations. It was established at a time when Japan's traditional healing practices were at risk of being lost as the health sector modernized.
The museum displays old medical texts and instruments once used in Japanese pharmacies, showing how ideas about health and treatment changed over time. The collection of traditional remedies is especially telling, revealing which plants and substances were once considered effective.
The museum sits on the grounds of the Zeria company in Kakamigahara and is generally open to visitors at no charge. It is worth checking opening days in advance, as the museum may be closed on certain weekdays.
Next to the main building, a medicinal garden grows hundreds of plant species that were once processed into remedies, which is unusual for a corporate museum in Japan. The garden lets visitors see the raw materials behind the historical preparations rather than just reading about them.
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