Koga Masao Museum of Music is a museum only three minutes on foot from Yoyogi Uehara Station. It is a museum that is dedicated to the famous composer Masao Koga, an important contributor to popular Japanese music. The museum showcases historical information regarding Japan’s popular music and entertainment through the years. If you have a keen interest in Japanese music this is the place for you. However, if you do not speak any Japanese, it is highly advised that you bring a Japanese friend along with you. The museum exhibits are only in Japanese, although they do offer an English pamphlet upon arrival.
It is only 500 yen to enter the museum, but be aware that they are closed every Monday. The staff are very friendly and they will advise you to start on the second floor and work your way down from there. The second floor is full of very interesting and colorful retro movie posters and album jackets to scan and appreciate. As you continue through the museum, another section does a nice job of capturing the essence of Masao Koga's home. Retro Japanese music fills every room of the museum. On the bottom floor of the museum, you will find a karaoke studio and a special musical artist information room (only in Japanese) where you can sit and listen to a variety of Japanese songs from various decades, by many different Japanese singers. You can also sing karaoke in a real recording studio and even make your own CD for a small fee.
Masao Koga passed away several years ago, but he is still well remembered and celebrated for being a pioneer of popular Japanese music. He was a composer and guitarist very well known for creating his own melodies. The museum in Shibuya was created to draw attention to all of the achievements of his lifetime.
