Museums as hubs for disaster recovery and rebuilding communities

Abstract

Among many museums throughout Japan that address the subject of disaster, the attention was drawn to the Chuetsu Earthquake Memorial Corridor which is composed of four facilities and three parks. One facility in Nagaoka acts as gateway to the Corridor, another in Ojiya is responsible for disaster prevention education, the one in Kawaguchi aims to reveal the connections born between people, and the one in Yamakoshi recounts the history, culture, and reconstruction of the village. Memorial parks were established in Myoken as a "park for prayer," in Kogomo as a "park for remembering," and at the Epicenter as a "park for beginnings." The author thus introduced the significance of involving the local people in the planning process and management of facilities that represent and reflect their own experiences.