What other travelers are saying about Port of Humanity Tsuruga Museum
Humanitarian museum on how this port town of Tsuruga played a part in helping refugees overseas. Many touching stories on display. Very well designed exhibition rooms. Most area of the museum cannot take photographs. The counter staff will give you dinosaur magnet as souvenir if you're foreigners.
The Port of Humanity Tsuruga Museum is open from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (last entry at 4:30 PM), closed on Wednesdays and December 29-January 3. Adult admission is 300 yen, students 200 yen, and elementary students 150 yen. Group discounts are available for 20+ visitors.
From JR Tsuruga Station, take the community bus 'Gurutto' to Kanegasaki緑地 stop (about 15 minutes). The museum is a 3-minute walk from the bus stop. Alternatively, it's a 25-minute walk or 10-minute taxi ride from Tsuruga Station to the museum located in Kanegasaki area.
The Port of Humanity Tsuruga Museum showcases the historical role of Tsuruga Port as a gateway for Jewish refugees and Polish orphans fleeing Europe during WWII. Exhibits include documents, photographs, personal belongings, and interactive displays about Chiune Sugihara's visa recipients and humanitarian rescue operations through Tsuruga.
Yes, the Port of Humanity Tsuruga Museum offers a unique and moving experience about Japan's humanitarian history during WWII. Most visitors spend 1-2 hours exploring the exhibits. The museum provides English explanations and is highly recommended for history enthusiasts and those interested in Holocaust and refugee stories.
The Port of Humanity Tsuruga Museum offers free parking for visitors. Nearby attractions include Kanegasaki Park with beautiful cherry blossoms, the Red Brick Warehouse, Tsuruga Port, and scenic walking paths along the waterfront. The area is perfect for combining museum visits with sightseeing in historic Tsuruga.
Tsuruga has been a port town since long time ago. Initially for trade with other parts of Japan and later as a starting point to travel to Vladivostok to catch the trans siberia express. In the 1920’s when Poland was invaded, Tsuruga saw the arrival of about 800 Polish orphans who found safe haven in Japan before they were repatriated a few years later. Then in 1940 Tsuruga acted as the transit port for about 2000 mainly Polish Jews who fled Germany for America and beyond. Very interesting piece of history. During our visit a descendant of one of the refugees traveled from afar to pay tribute. Well worth a visit.
Very amazing museum, it has priceless pieces of History about Poland, Polish Orphans and Jewish refugees from Holacaust.
The museum displays Items related to the Hero who saved thousands of Jewish people during world war 2 Mr. Chihune Sugihara and People like him Mr. Tatsuo Osako who was responsible for transporting the refugees to help them escape and made their life at sea easier.
I had been waiting for the opening of the new Port of Humanity Tsuruga Museum after I had visited Kanaus in 2019.
Unfortunately Covid prevented me from visiting it n 2020 when the Museum was opened, just as many witnesses and their families the museum talks about. Despite Japan is often described as a closed society and even xenophobic (which are untrue), the museum tells that it’s not the case, that over the decades Japan and the Japanese people helped and welcomed those in need very badly with open arms.
If something I want the museum to do more, that would be to cooperate and illustrate more informations about Poland, Lithuania, and any other the country where Tsuruga and the people used to help.
