VISIT KANAZAWA, JAPAN - Official Travel Guide

The phonograph record was the dominant medium for recorded music for over a century until the digital compact disc (CD) nearly brought about its extinction in the late 20th century. Due to the richness and warmth of the sound they produce, the phonograph has made a comeback in recent years, although many people have never actually heard one played. 

The Kanazawa Phonograph Museum showcases the collection of Hiroshi Yokaichiya, one of Japan’s leading collectors. Yokaichiya was the owner of a record shop in Kanazawa  who began a collection which has grown to over 40,000 phonograph records and over 600 phonograph players, each of them still functioning beautifully today.

Tour the museum to learn the history of phonographs and how they work and see the historical phonographs from different eras of Japanese history. Watch and listen to demonstrations of historical phonographs being played at demonstrations three times per day. Best of all, pick out some of your favorite music and listen to the rich sounds of them played on a phonograph LP record in the listening corner of the museum.

Visitors will not want to miss the demonstrations of the self-playing Mason & Hamlin Ampico piano which dates from 1927. This piano plays music from a roll of hole-punched paper, so you can listen to actual performances from years gone by. The museum has implemented AR technology to enable visitors to explore and experience the contents of its extensive collection fully.