The Yamato Museum and a Story About Poseidon's Important Parts
The other day, I went to the Yamato Museum, which reopened on April 23, 2026, with my wife.
The last time I went was over 10 years ago.
Visiting the Yamato Museum after such a long time was, as expected, overwhelming.
I have always liked visiting war memorials and peace museums.
I am not sure if "like" is the right word.
But why did such a war happen?
Why did so many people have to die?
I believe knowing that is necessary for me, living in the present.
Saying that makes me sound like a very serious person.
Don't worry.
My wife will destroy all of that in a moment.
The moment I entered, I thought, 'It's huge...!'
When you enter the museum, the first thing that catches your eye is the 1/10th scale replica of the battleship Yamato.
No, saying 1/10th doesn't really mean anything.
Usually, 1/10th scale sounds 'small,' right?
But it's 26.3 meters long.
That's about the height of an 8 or 9-story apartment building.
It's no longer the size of a 'miniature.'
It's at a level where you want to interrogate it and ask, 'Are you really 1/10th scale?'
And the details are insanely intricate.
Since I'm a fitness enthusiast, I don't just stop at 'Wow...' when looking at the ship.
'The person who made this must be a total freak...'
I am moved by the craftsmanship.
It's too detailed.
Even the individual bolts have soul in them.
Looking around the museum, there are real exhibits lined up, such as a Zero fighter and the Kaiten human torpedo.
Things I have only ever seen in movies or textbooks exist right in front of me as 'the real thing.'
The impact of that is just different.
It hits the heart many times harder when you are in front of the real thing than when you read 'War is bad' in text.
I think humans are creatures that suddenly feel a sense of reality when they see the real thing.
My wife, skipping history for the experience corner
Of course, the Yamato Museum isn't just about serious historical exhibits.
There are plenty of interactive areas, such as a ship-handling simulator and a wave experiment corner.
That's where my wife suddenly got super excited.
Wife
'Look, look! The ship moved!'
Is she a child?
No, but I envy that kind of honest reaction.
I can't help but think,
'How does this technology connect to modern engineering...'
and things like that.
But my wife is different.
'Wow! Amazing!'
The end.
Simple.
I think people who have the talent to enjoy life are like this.
By the way, I'm the type who reads all the explanatory text.
My wife is the type who skips it after three lines.
Sometimes, when I'm seriously reading an exhibit,
Wife
'Are you still reading?'
she asks.
No, no.
I'm learning history here.
I'm not just stopping at 'Wow! Amazing!' like you.
Renewal... where?
By the way, this was after the reopening.
I'll be honest.
I couldn't really tell what had changed.
No, it probably changed.
It definitely changed.
But since my memory is from over 10 years ago,
'What was it like here before?'
is all I can think of.
It seems you need your own memory to feel the renewal.
The appearance of the problematic Poseidon
After seeing everything, we went outside.
Then, near the entrance, there stood a giant statue of Poseidon.
Muscular and ripped.
Full of impact.
As a fitness enthusiast, I reacted immediately.
Me
'Wow! Poseidon is so cool!'
Shoulders, chest, back.
Everything is huge.
It's a completely 'godly physique.'
If someone like this were at the gym, everyone would do a double-take.
Then my wife said while looking at the statue.
Wife
'Is this called Poseidon?'
Me
'Yeah! The god of the sea!'
Wife
'Oh, so he's the god of the sea.'
Up to here, it was normal.
However.
Wife
'But you know...'
Me
'Hmm?'
Wife
'Isn't it a bit small?'
Me
'...What is?'
My wife pointed at a certain part with a smirk.
Wife
'For his body size, isn't it a bit small? lol'
Stop it.
Don't evaluate the god of the sea like that.
And while moving to the side,
Wife
'Look! If you look from the side, it's even smaller!'
she said, laughing out loud.
What is wrong with this person?
We were just doing peace education, but in an instant, the atmosphere became like that of middle school boys.
I couldn't help but say,
Me
'Poseidon is going to get angry. You'll be cursed.'
Then my wife.
Suddenly, she put on a straight face and put her hands together toward the Poseidon statue.
Wife
'I'm sorry.'
No, if you're going to apologize, don't say it in the first place.
The Yamato Museum is a place adults should visit
But it really was a great place.
The history of war.
The technology of manufacturing.
The tenacity of the Japanese people.
The preciousness of peace.
It's packed with all sorts of things.
And it's not too serious.
Children can enjoy it, and adults can think deeply about it.
If you're a business person,
I think you can look at it from perspectives like,
'A national-scale mega-project,'
'Organizational management in extreme conditions,'
or 'Technology transfer.'
And I learned one last thing.
No matter how much you think about grand history or peace,
the existence of a wife
has the power to reduce everything to 'a bit small.'
That's the story for today.
May you all have
Poseidon's blessing today too♪
Have a great day♪
