The Hara Model Railway Museum is located on the second floor of the Yokohama Mitsui Building in Takashima, Nishi Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture. Operated by Mitsui Fudosan, the museum displays an extensive collection of model trains and other railway-related exhibits.
The museum presents part of the enormous collection assembled by Nobutaro Hara (April 4, 1919 – July 5, 2014), a former executive director of Kokuyo and a world-renowned model railway maker and collector. His collection is said to have been among the largest in the world.
Approximately 2,500 model trains from his collection are held by the museum. Around 1,000 of these models, together with railway-related documents and materials, are displayed to visitors. The museum has a total floor area of approximately 1,700 square meters.
One of the museum’s main attractions is the Ichiban Tetsumo Park Diorama, an indoor railway layout using Gauge 1 models. It covers approximately 310 square meters and is one of the world’s largest indoor layouts of its kind.
Model trains selected from Nobutaro Hara’s collection run across the extensive layout. The detailed scenery and moving trains allow visitors to appreciate the craftsmanship and appeal of model railways at close range.
The Hara Model Railway Museum opened on July 10, 2012. On the same day, Tenshodo Minato Mirai opened on the first floor below the museum as its official museum shop. Tenshodo Minato Mirai later closed on January 16, 2023.
The museum’s collection is centered on the model trains that Nobutaro Hara collected throughout his life. His complete collection extends far beyond the items held by the museum.
It includes approximately 6,000 model trains, around 100,000 still photographs, approximately 440 hours of film footage, and a large number of railway-related books and documents.
A notable feature of Hara’s collection is the large number of models that document the transition from steam locomotives to electric locomotives. The models are known for their exceptional accuracy and attention to detail, faithfully reproducing the appearance and characteristics of actual railway vehicles.
Approximately 1,000 models were either made by Hara himself or commissioned specially for him. These models are particularly highly regarded for their remarkable level of detail and realism.
During his lifetime, Hara visited a total of approximately 380 countries and regions, according to the original article. Through these travels, he photographed railways and collected model trains, railway documents, and other materials.
His dedication resulted in a collection of exceptional quality and scale. The museum makes part of this valuable material accessible to railway enthusiasts and visitors from around the world.
In July 2016, part of Nobutaro Hara’s collection was displayed in a special exhibition at the Hamasen Taiwan Railway Museum in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The exhibition ran for approximately one year and introduced his remarkable collection to a wider international audience.
The Hara Model Railway Museum offers much more than a display of miniature trains. Through its extensive collection, detailed models, and large-scale diorama, it introduces visitors to the history, technology, and fascination of railways around the world.