Museum Meiji-Mura is an open air architectural museum just outside of Inuyama showcasing buildings from the Meiji period of Japan from 1868-1912. During this time, Emperor Meiji led the nation out of an isolated feudal nation to its more modern state. Western influences were adopted, social practices rethought, and political philosophy changed. This brought a period of growth to Japan that included architectural experimentation resulting in some spectacular structures that are unique to Japan and this era.
This museum is the reason I went to Inuayama. Not that I’m super interested in the Meiji era or Japanese history, but there is one architectural treasure I really wanted to experience, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Imperial Hotel lobby. More about that later. The rest of this museum is also fascinating and worth visiting.
The museum is divided into five sections showcasing dozens of spectacular examples of Meiji era architecture. There are magnificent churches, simple traditional homes, grand mansions, public buildings, prisons, bridges, and factories. I particularly enjoyed the buildings that blended Japanese style and elements seamlessly and naturally with western styles.
Period transportation connects the sections or walking paths meander throughout. A streetcar, old buses, and steam train add to the feel of the time period. There are also a few buildings from outside Japan with significant ties to Japan and this period of history when the country opened up to the outside world.
Here are some galleries of some of the buildings I found particularly interesting or beautiful.
Churches of Meiji-Mura
St. John’s Church and St. Francis Xavier’s Cathedral
Traditional Japanese Homes
High School Facilities
A fantastic old gymnasium built to accommodate teaching three traditional martial arts. There are multiple kinds of floors that help with the various practices. And, out the back is an archery range. The auditorium is from a high school science building. The front of the room had a special window that supplies and equipment for experiments could be passed through from the laboratory in the next room.
Blended Design Homes
I loved this large home with a very strong craftsman style and details reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright. However, it was made even better were the Japanese elements that worked so perfectly with the style. The other home with the columns was closed for tours when I was there.
Foreign Buildings
This church was in Seattle and used as a church for Japanese immigrants. The small white church was in Hawaii and houses an exhibit about Japanese immigrants in Hawaii.
Other Buildings and Collections
Government buildings, a photo studio that used natural light, a post office (from which I sent postcards home), a collection of industrial equipment including these fantastic textile machines, a theater, prisons, banks, and more.
My next post will focus on the spectacular lobby of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Imperial Hotel.
