【Business domain】

If you have time, why not visit a museum? I'm not opposed to this kind of suggestion at all, but I've always had this simple question: What exactly is a museum?

Japan apparently has more facilities called museums than most other countries in the world. According to a survey by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, there are nearly 6,000 such facilities. Museums in Japan are defined by the Museum Act, which includes museums, art galleries, science museums, and even zoos and aquariums.

In 2019, ICOM, a conference body centered around professionals from museums and art galleries worldwide, was held in Kyoto. Before the event, I was present at the installation site for the high-definition reproductions of Tawaraya Sotatsu's "Wind and Thunder Gods Screen" and Ogata Korin's "Wind and Thunder Gods Screen," which were to greet guests at the ICOM venue. Seeing the two side by side was truly spectacular. I returned to Tokyo feeling satisfied. So, I learned about the discussions at this international conference later through articles (including my own anecdote made the writing sound oddly like an excuse).

Now, as a fundamental point presented in museum legislation and international conferences: a museum is an institution that "collects," "preserves," and "researches" tangible and intangible assets for the purpose of "education." Looking at these elements, it has a distinctly academic flavor—huh, so museums are research institutions, huh? For someone like me, who tends to think of museums from the perspective of ordinary actions—like going to see an exhibition or lining up to see the pandas at the zoo—this academic side of museums feels like a completely different entity. Exhibitions and showing pandas are positioned as part of "education," essentially just one function among others.

The Museum Act was enacted in 1951. It seems to have been born with the feature of offering preferential treatment upon registration (the Museum Registration System) to encourage the establishment of more museums in the postwar period. Even so, it started quite a long time ago. What was society like back then?

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Two aspects of this museum registration system personally piqued my interest. First, over 1,000 facilities nationwide are registered. Roughly speaking, that means each prefecture has at least 20. That's quite a lot, isn't it? Wait, surveys indicate nearly 6,000 facilities exist, so only about 20% are registered?

The other interesting point is that there are two types of registration: "Registered Museums" and "Designated Facilities" (formerly called "Museum-Equivalent Facilities"). Incidentally, the roughly 80% of facilities not registered are apparently referred to as "Museum-Like Facilities" for convenience. Looking into this surprised me a bit. Personally, when I think of the quintessential museum in Japan, the Tokyo National Museum (Tōhaku) immediately comes to mind. But get this—Tōhaku is actually a Designated Facility. Since the Museum Act was partially revised relatively recently, does that mean Tōhaku was called a Museum Equivalent Facility until then? The museum of museums, Tōhaku, is "equivalent"? (I understand why the system design led to this, but the impression the word gives is something else, isn't it?)

Incidentally, the Tokyo Station Gallery and Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery were classified as "registered museums." They have "gallery" in their names, but they're museums. Language is diverse.

Art museums (museums) are also supposed to collect and preserve tangible and intangible assets, meaning they should hold collections. However, the National Art Center, Tokyo, one of Japan's most popular attractions, does not hold a collection. It has curators, education and outreach staff, librarians, and other proper employees. But it has no collection. True to this concept, the English name of the National Art Center, Tokyo is "The National Art Center, Tokyo". It declares itself an art center, not a museum. And it is not registered under the museum registration system.

There is also something called the National Museum Conference. The Tokyo Station Gallery, the Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery, and the National Art Center, Tokyo are all listed as full member institutions. My head is starting to spin.

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Let's look at newer museums. The Roppongi Museum (renamed in 2021) by Sony Creative Products is not registered in the museum system nor is it a member of the National Museum Association. Similarly, the company's CREATIVE MUSEUM TOKYO near Tokyo Station is also not registered. This one is scheduled to open in 2024, so perhaps it's because it's brand new. Both museums, or rather both facilities, seem to deliberately distance themselves from the concept of a traditional museum. They center around IP, operating within a business model that includes promotion and merchandise sales. The representative of Culture Convenience Club won Marketer of the Year 2024. SHIBUYA TSUTAYA has undergone a major renovation centered around "fan activities," and the approach by Sony Creative Products feels closer to this model.

Regarding developments under the "museum" name, there's also the concept of the Immersive Museum. These aren't permanent institutions but limited-time projects using rented halls. I've witnessed huge crowds spending allotted time immersed in the content. This, too, feels distinct from the conventional museum.

Outside the box. Used in both positive and negative contexts. I think, rather than good or bad, the way the word "museum" is used today reflects that the current era doesn't fit into existing institutional frameworks. Or perhaps, setting institutions aside, diverse forms themselves reflect the values and compromises of the times. The history of art is also one of non-standard entries and updates to standards. Rather than accepting it as "well, that's just how it is," I think it's better to embrace it with a mindset of acknowledging it.

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That said, I sometimes find myself wanting to relate it to my own situation. Take "MoN Takanawa: The Museum of Narratives," scheduled to open in 2026. Hearing about its mission to connect culture 100 years into the future, or its large exhibition spaces capable of handling cultural assets, might evoke images of a traditional museum. Yet, the talk of developing content that crosses boundaries—art, history, science, entertainment—reveals a truly unconventional, out-of-the-box form, almost like a Yokoi-like entity. Furthermore, it aims to be a museum that "collects experiences" through digitalization. It feels like it will bring a new form of museum to Japan, one likely unprecedented here.

Back in college, my professor kept harping on "interdisciplinary." What the heck was that about? I wondered. Only the unfamiliar ring of the term stuck with me. Now, years later, I finally feel like I can grasp what it means. It seems within reach, something I can pull close.

What exactly is a museum? That simple question has shifted, spilled over, fused, expanded, and become like Yokoi-to, evolving into a more complex and rich inquiry. Now, I'd like to say it too. If you have time, go visit a museum!

Image Production: Satoshi Iwashita