The
Vocational Museum in Seika Town This unique museum is one of the only facilities of its kind in the world!
The Vocational Museum, a unique facility in every way, opened in October 2003. There are few facilities like it in the entire world! The Vocational Museum is devoted to giving young Japanese people the opportunity to experience and learn about all kinds of jobs, especially traditional occupations such as making Japan’s famous handicrafts or industrial work. After visiting this facility, young people will certainly realize that they have a lot of choices when it comes to their future work life.
Though the main purpose of this museum is to introduce many kinds of jobs and occupations to young people, it was also set up to give them direct experiences related to those jobs. For youth still in school, visiting this facility will give them all kinds of ideas about things that they might like to get involved with in the future. The facility is also an excellent introduction to various aspects of Japanese society that foreign visitors might not be aware of and will certainly give them a much more detailed perspective regarding Japanese people, life and culture.
The museum has 5 different zones:
1.
Vocational Exploration Zone: Using a large screen, people
can search for specific jobs or technical skills and learn more about them.2. Vocational Experience Zone: This zone is devoted to experience related to a variety of occupations, especially Kyoto handicrafts. Experiences available to the public here include: Kyo-yaki and Kiyomizu-yaki (Kyoto ceramics): create your own original tea cup exterior design with Japanese brushes (fude). Kyo Yuzen (Kyoto silk dyeing): make your own handkerchief using this famous Kyoto textile dyeing method; Nishijin Ori (Nishijin weaving): weaving a colorful tablecloth with a small traditional loom. Other occupations that can be experienced at this facility are: TV studio worker, firefighter, beautician, voice actor, space exploration, newspaper reporter, and many others.
3. Vocational History and Future Zone: Here people can learn about how jobs and occupations have changed in Japanese society and how people will work in the future. There are some displays showing Japanese craftsmen in pre-modern times working with old wooden tools and other special tools.
4. Self Discovery Zone: Here young people can creatively explore, in a variety of stimulating ways, what skills and potentials they have and how they might use them in the future.
5.
Vocational Information Zone: In this zone, based on a vocational
aptitude diagnostic software system, people can acquire a great range of
information about jobs suited to them.From time to time, the museum will also stage exhibitions and projects related to the latest vocational trends. Lectures and other exhibitions will also be presented by groups and organizations outside of the museum.
The Vocational Museum: Open: 9:30–17:00 (longer in some seasons); closed on Mon. (or the next day if Monday is a national holiday). Voice guides for the various exhibits are available. For other information, please enquire at the General Information Desk.
Access: 1) Take the JR Nara line from Kyoto Stn. to Kizu Stn. Then transfer to the JR Gakkentoshi line and take it to Hosono Stn. (about 45 minutes). 2) Tke the Kintetsu Kyoto line form Kyoto Stn. to Shin-hosono Stn. Then get on a Nara Kotsu bus (about a 7-min ride). Get off at Watashi-no-Shigotokan bus stop. The museum is in front of this stop. Information: Tel: 0774-98-4510; Fax: 0774-98-6105, or http://www.shigotokan.ehdo.go.jp