All technology will eventually ‘die out’. This Tokyo museum is working to preserve it
From Betacam videotapes to cameras, defunct tech is the main attraction at the Extinct Media Museum
Tucked away in a corner of central Tokyo, the Extinct Media Museum lives up to its name.
From Betacam videotapes to floppy disks and vintage Sony devices, the museum is a showcase for old cameras and telecom equipment, including a 1916 Japanese-made “Lily” still camera, its oldest exhibit.
Amid the three-roomed museum’s cluttered shelves, visitors like 59-year-old Mika Matsuda can rewind to the past and the gadgets that were once in everyday use.
“It is fascinating not only for generations unfamiliar with these items, but also for those who lived through those times,” Matsuda said.
“Seeing these pieces feels like I’m having a flashback of our own lives. It reminded me of how things were back then – I used to have so much fun,” she said.
Opened in January 2023, the museum was founded on the belief that all media equipment, except for paper and stone, will eventually “die out”, explained deputy museum curator Barbara Asuka.
The mostly donated items are displayed so that visitors can pick them up, encouraging a full sensory experience, she added.
