Finally, a place where zombies can go and enjoy some culture… Oh, it’s a museum of zombies. That’s good too.

Summer in Japan is a time when people use chills of terror to cool down from the relentless summer heat. Experts say this year’s heat is going to be a doozy, so the people are pulling out the big guns, such as Zombie Museum.

The story of Zombie Museum takes place in the not too distant future of 2020. A zombie virus outbreak in California wiped out one tenth of the American population in three months and then went global.

▼ New Zealand? Naw, man… They got it worst of all.

In the race to develop a vaccine, Japanese-American Dr. Aoki posted a video on YouTube (still going strong despite the zombie apocalypse) in which he allowed himself to be safely bitten by a zombie. This proof of a Earth-saving cure racked up millions of views but still ranked below the sneezing panda.

In his honor, the Zombie Museum was established to celebrate Dr. Aoki’s accomplishment and remind people of the often overlooked danger of flesh-eating reanimated corpses.

The museum also houses a laboratory where scientists study active zombies, and what could possibly go wrong with that?

Since the 2020 global economy still hasn’t recovered from Brexit and the ascension of Emperor Donald I, budget constraints have forced the Zombie Museum to be set up on the 14th floor of the Daimaru department store in the Shinsaibashi area of Osaka for a limited time from 29 July to 22 August.

Nevertheless, even though it is held in the event space of a department store, the Zombie Museum is far from a pet bird expo. They are promising to bring sheer terror to guests, so brace yourself for some unexpected scares.

They should be able to deliver as well, since the same team behind Zombie Museum brought us the hugely successful Zombie Defense University event of 2014, which drew 30,000 visitors and taught them proper zombie killing techniques while teaching me that aggressive tickling is a dangerously ineffective weapon.

▼ The Zombie Museum recommends a gun or woman with a big stick

There are also flashes of humor at Zombie Museum, such as unique zombies that could only be found in Osaka (expect to see leopard print at some point). There is also a lot of zombie themed art on display and examples of high quality zombie make-up and special effects techniques.

Hoping to chill your bones with terror, tickle your funny bone and fascinate you with art and exhibits all at once is a pretty high bar for the Zombie Museum to set. We’ll see if they pull it off at the end of this month!

Information
Zombie Museum
14th Floor Event Hall, North Building, Daimaru Shinsaibashi Store
1-7-1 Osaka Shinsaibashi, Chuo Ward, Osaka
大丸心斎橋店 北館14Fイベントホール
大阪市中央区心斎橋筋1-7-1
Hours: 10:00 am to 8:30 pm
Dates: 29 July to 22 August
Adults: 800 yen, High School Students: 600 yen, Children: 300 yen, Pre-Schoolers: Free
Adults and high school students can get 200 yen off by buying tickets in advance.
Website

Source: Zombie Museum, Value Press, Net Lab (Japanese)
Images: Zombie Museum, Value Press
Video: YouTube/Zombie Yashiki Channel