The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Memorial Museum, Hyogo

The center of Kobe suffered tremendous earthquake damage

“HAT” stands for “HAPPY ACTIVE TOWN”. HAT is a waterfront subcenter located east of Kobe Sannomiya, maintained after the Great Hanshin Awaji earthquake. There is “Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Memorial Museum” in this place. This is the center where Kobe, which suffered tremendous earthquake damage, is disseminating disaster prevention to people around the world for the future. Why stop for a moment and think about disaster prevention?
This facility consists of two buildings, a glass-enclosed West Building opened as a “Disaster Prevention Miraikan,” and an East Building opened as a “Hito Miraikan.”
It was established as a facility for disseminating “the realization of a society that reduces disaster damage,” “the importance of life,” “the splendor of living together” to the world and the future. This museum and research institute is established to disseminate practical disaster prevention measures and wonderfulness to live together in the world.
At the “1.17 Theater” on the 4th floor of the West Building, you can experience the tremendousness of the earthquake’s destructive power fairly realistically on a large screen and large acoustics. For those who experienced the earthquake, there is realism that can tighten the chest. Also, it will be a quite shocking pseudo experience for those who do not experience the earthquake. But it is important to have a simulated experience. If you can feel the horror, you can be prepared for what to come.
There is a diorama in which the earthquake’s state is realistically reproduced, and in the “Great Earthquake Hall,” drama till the reconstruction is screening.
On the 3rd floor, a huge “memory of the earthquake disaster” is accumulated. It is a place full of photos, materials, testimonies received from citizens, such as ‘complex thoughts,’ ‘processes of human relationships and town changes’ leading from reconstructions immediately after the disaster to reconstruction. It seems that there is only a museum that takes up “people’s words” so carefully. From each person’s actual feeling, valuable words such as the horror of the earthquake disaster and the suffering and attention points of rebuilding are overflowing. In addition to memorizing, there is also a section to hand down.
Please come and visit and slowly take time to listen to people’s voices trying to overcome the earthquake disaster.

Charms and Highlights of The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Memorial Museum

The frightfulness can be felt

“The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Memorial Museum” is the facility aimed at disaster prevention and disaster reduction, which hand down the experience of the Great Hanshin – Awaji Earthquake to the next generation. The sea’s stylish building is a modern construction, and exhibits related to the earthquake disaster and programs are carried out. At “1.17 Theater”, the reappearance image of the occurrence of an earthquake reproduced with CG technology is shown, and the frightfulness can be felt. Besides, this facility gently lights up the building fantastically at night, and it will entertain the eyes of citizens and tourists.

There are two exhibition zones

The Great Hanshin – Awaji Earthquake Memorial Museum is where you can learn about the great earthquake through various exhibits. There are two exhibition zones of West Building and East Building, and the tour is the 4th Floor of West Building → 3rd Floor → 2nd Floor → 3rd Floor of East Building → 1st Floor, and the course is decided.

There are various experience type exhibitions

In the West Building, there is the “earthquake vicarious experience floor” where you can feel vicarious the situation at that time, pictures of the time and relics of the victims, “the memory floor of the earthquake disaster” where you can see images such as news, “the disaster prevention and disaster reduction experience floor” which you can learn about disaster preparation.

Many people helped to support the affected city

The misery of the disaster at that time is transmitted from the photograph exhibited on the whole wall in “the section of leaving the memory of the earthquake disaster’. The materials being exhibited shows how many people helped to support the affected city.

This museum will be lit up at night

The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Memorial Museum will be lit up at night. The lighting time zone changes every month, but the lighting end time is 21:00. The lighting start time can be confirmed by “Notice” on the official website.

Information(Access, Price/Charge, Tel, Address, Official site, etc.)