Japanese museum: A media of cultural transmission

Abstract

This paper presents a new perspective on Japanese museums. In contemporary context, Japanese museum has been developed to become as a media of cultural transmission along with globalization. Japanese museums have been use as an equipment to build a strong cultural unity from local diversity and present national stories through the museum at the same time. Nowadays, world known Japan as one of the strongest cultural country. Many museums in Japan are more than place, but a space of interaction between insider and outsider, like living room of community. This interaction can bring their stories to become like cultural products, as “Invisible goods” which can be exported from the museums. Furthermore, the integration between Japanese museums and both nationallocal tourism plans, as a form of cultural communication, make museums take a role like “soft power media” which can extend “Japanese” to the world along with globalization in contemporary society.