The John Lennon Museum in Japan Closes

The museum dedicated to John Lennon is set to close its doors after 10 years this September, the exhibition’s general manager Junichi Mizusawa has announced.

The John Lennon Museum situated near Tokyo, Japan, was the first museum in the world to be officially approved by Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono – and now with the 10-year agreement not being renewed, all items on show will be returned to her.

Displaying around 130 artefacts, from guitars and clothing to hand-written lyrics and letters, the museum has been visited by over half a million visitors since opening on the 60th anniversary of his birth in October 2000.

Ono, commenting on the closure said, “After 10 years here, John’s spirit is now moving on – looking onward to the next journey. Thanks to your love for the museum, what we’d thought would be five years became 10.”

Speaking about the need to keep moving on, Ono also explained her reasons, “John Lennon’s destiny spanned the whole world. His spirit came alive through movement, and without movement, it dies. If the Museum which houses his spirit never moved, it would be a grave, not a Museum. John does not have a grave. When he passed on, I publicly announced that I would not be holding a funeral for him. I did so because I knew his spirit would live forever.”

Museum website