Museum information:

• Name: 世田谷文学館 Setagaya Literary Museum
• Address: 〒157-0062東京都世田谷区南烏山1-10-10 ・Minamikarasuyama, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 1-10-10
• Map: Google maps
• Phone: 03-5374-9111
• Website:  www.setabun.or.jp/

Here’s why you should visit the Setagaya Literary Museum 世田谷文学館 (Setagaya Bungakukan, Setabun for short):

1. Nice location

The Setagaya Literary Museum is in the middle of a residential area, one that you would hardly have any reason to visit were it not for the museum. And that’s exactly why it’s a good idea to visit. One of my favorite discoveries was when I encountered a semi-abandoned danchi housing complex near Chitose-karasuyama station. I wrote about that here:

• Ghosts of Showa: the Karasuyama apartment complex, gated communities, & the fight for Tokyo’s soul

2. Godzilla

The museum’s cafe is home to a Godzilla statue / model (hopefully it’s still there).

3. Good exhibits

Take a look at the museum’s website and there are a number of good exhibits now or on the horizon. And the exhibits aren’t confined to just books; music, film, urban development, and culture are all addressed. Recent exhibits include:

• 作家たちの戦中・戦後 [Writers during the war, after the war]
• 誕100年　映画監督・小林正樹 [Reborn 100-year film director Masaki Kobayashi]

When I visited, I saw an exhibit called “Expansion of Metropolis around 1930s” 都市から郊外へ : 1930年代の東京 (From city to suburbs: the 1930s Tokyo). It was the 2nd or 3rd best exhibit I’ve seen in Tokyo. (The best was the Mori Museum’s Metabolism exhibit)

The following post includes the exhibit’s program and explains some of the exhibit’s highlights:

• Expansion of Metropolis around 1930s 都市から郊外へ : 1930年代の東京