Taiyo Museum ~No Charity, but a Chance!~

Founded in 1965 by Dr. Yutaka Nakamura, known as the father of sports for people with disabilities in Japan, Taiyo no Ie is a facility that supports the independence of people with disabilities through their lives, work and sports, with the philosophy of "No Charity, but a Chance." Looking back on the founder, Dr. Yutaka Nakamura, the history of welfare for people with disabilities in Japan and Taiyo no Ie, as well as the legacy of the 1964 Tokyo Paralympic Games and the history of sports for people with disabilities, the establishment of the Taiyo Museum was planned as a place where people with physical, intellectual, mental and developmental disabilities who still find it difficult to live can have dreams and hopes.
The concept of this museum is to "learn," "experience," and "be moved," and visitors can view documents and archives, see tools that support the lives of people with disabilities, and try out sports for people with disabilities.
The Taiyo Museum is also a place for local interaction and a base for continuing to disseminate information toward the symbiotic society of the future. We want people to discover their own potential and move toward a society in which everyone can live as they are. We aim to expand the circle of activities toward the realization of a truly symbiotic society from Beppu to both domestic and international audiences.

I felt that through the discussions, our desire to create a unique, experiential, future-oriented museum, as well as a base for thinking about and communicating about a symbiotic society, became even stronger.

The entire space was designed with a light, sunny, and airy feel, in order to inspire visitors, regardless of whether they have a disability or not, to take a step toward the future with dreams and hopes. Original music for the space was also created to match concept design, which was highly effective in encouraging future-oriented thinking among visitors. The museum logo was created to harmonize diverse shapes while embodying the image of coexistence. The key visual used in the graphics employs a diagonal line sloping upward to the right, evoking the image of sunlight shining evenly, as in the facility's name. This diagonal line is also incorporated into various elements of the space. Furthermore, while the old archives housed a large number of valuable old documents, a museum that looked too historical would have made it seem less future-oriented. Therefore, careful discussions were held regarding the selection of displays, selecting items that would convey the message we wanted to convey, and we also considered minimizing the weight of the presentation. In each zone, elements were added to express not only the history of Taiyo no Ie but also the "present," and at the end of displays, there was a map plotting examples of coexistence occurring in the city of Beppu under the theme "For ⇒ With: What does it mean to live together?", providing an opportunity to think about a symbiotic society.
In addition, an artwork called "Everyone's Sun" was created as the symbol of the museum. It was made using 4,000 bamboo strips dyed in various colors, and was freely woven by a total of 400 people, including residents of the Taiyo-no-Ie and employees of affiliated companies, to evoke the image of coexistence with sunlight. [Donated (planning, concept design, and production) NOMURA Co.,Ltd. (tentative name)]

We have received comments such as, "The museum is bright and displays are easy to see," "The hands-on displays were very hands-on and helped me to deepen my understanding of people with disabilities," and "NOMURA Co.,Ltd., Ltd. is as you would expect."