(Entered September 19, 2000)

The John Lennon Museum, which we've been hearing about for quite some time, will open its doors on October 9, 2000.

The museum is located in the Saitama New Urban Center, just 30km north of Tokyo. You can see an aerial photograph of the building with a graphic that shows where the JLMuseum is located inside the Center at http://www.taisei.co.jp/museum/newcity_e.html

The John Lennon Museum web site also shows a map of the surrounding area. The Lennon family vacation city, Karaizawa is a one-hour bullet train ride away.

In addition, one page of the site is devoted to details about what is being shown in the Museum. John's life will be displayed in, appropriately enough, nine zones and message spaces within the Saitama New Urban Center building on the fourth and fifth floors.

This is the first official John Lennon museum in the world, approved by Yoko Ono. In fact, most of the 130 items on display were donated to the museum by Yoko. These items include guitars, lyrics, clothes and pictures. Main exhibits will include one of John's Rickenbacker guitars which he played from 1960 to 1962.

The lyrics to "Woman" will be displayed, along with John's glasses, New York City shirts and other items closely associated with him.

A theater will project pictures of John from his birth to the Beatle days.

There will also be a museum shop selling original items and a cafe which was produced in the image of the Mampei Hotel in Karuizawa where John and Yoko stayed regularly in the summers of 1976 to 1980. The management of the cafe is being handled by the Mampei Hotel.

When the Museum project was first announced several months ago, many fans were surprised and some were dismayed that it was being built in Japan. Yoko mentioned this fact in her Q&A Event with IK! readers last year:

Yoko: "The organizers seem to be responsible and good people. You may ask, why not in the United States or Britain? Well, we didn't get the call, that is, from reliable people! It's alright, my friends. This is the card that's been dealt to us now."

By the looks of things, the hand being dealt is a very good one.

Related JOL Birthday Celebration Stories:

POB and DF Reissued

Oasis Members Plan Musical Tribute to John

JOL B'Day Celebration in Hollywood

(Sign an online petition to keep John's killer behind bars on the John Lennon Society web site.)