Onomichi Cinema Museum

Retro Showa films

Onomichi is the location of more than 40 movies and this small museum is a good place to learn about them. Most are old Showa era black-and-white films, presented through a couple of frames and a short sinopsis, both in Japanese and English. Part of the exhibit focuses on "Tokyo Monogatari", so if you are a fan of this movie or Yasujiro Ozu, it is definitely worth it. Unfortunately, there is not much about the works of Nobuhiko Obayashi, but at the reception there are some free maps with the locations of his movies. It's fun to walk around and find these places in the town. In the museum there is also a small cinema (they show a documentary about the director Yasujiro Ozu), posters of retro Japanese films, pamphlets of movies all around the world and a library. The ticket to the Onomichi Cinema Museum also grants you access to the Onomichi History Museum, which is right around the corner.