-
- Floor Guide
Jan. 2018 Edition
[PDF 2.2MB] - Floor Guide Jan. 2018 Edition For details
- Floor Guide
- HOME>
- Exhibition Overview
Exhibition Overview
The NTT HISTORY CENTER OF TECHNOLOGIES is an archive of historical assets mainly consisting of the NTT group companies' huge collection of technological artifacts to be handed down to generations in the twenty-first century.
The NTT HISTORY CENTER OF TECHNOLOGIES exhibits in timeline fashion a collection of historical assets of the NTT group, accumulated as the result of the group's development of telecommunications technologies with particular focus on the half-century since the foundation of the Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Public Corporation.
Various lessons may be learned from the ingenuity and hard work of the pioneers who developed original technologies to answer evolving social needs amidst intense international competition. It is thus hoped that this center will be a source of inspiration for innovators working on new technologies to usher in the next age.
Tracing The History
Tracing Japan's Telecommunication History takes visitors back in time as it touches upon some major technological milestones like the advent of the telephone and the telegraph as well as other post-war developments. The exhibit paints a vibrant picture of how technology and services in the half century since World War II has shaped our lives. The exhibit offers an enjoyable way to learn all about the history of information and communications in Japan.
This exhibit follows the path of progress Japan has made in information and communications beginning with the telegraph Commodore Perry gifted the government back in the mid 19th century up until the end of the 20th century. The exhibit is divided into two main sections. The first section (located on the basement level) covers everything from the advent of the telegraph and telephone up to the founding of the Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Public Corporation in 1952. The second section picks up where the first left off and traces Japan's information and communications history over the half-century following World War II. This look back at the second half of the 20th century is split into three areas covering different eras. The first area, located on the basement level, takes visitors back to the 1950's and 60's when NTT rose to the dual challenges of putting phones in homes and businesses across the country as well as providing direct distance dialing (a.k.a. subscriber trunk dialing). Then it's on to the 1st floor for a trip back to the 1970's and first half of the 80's when new services such as mobile, data and video communications had just begun to take root. The final area on the 2nd floor continues with a look at the latter half of the 1980's and the blossoming of digitalization and multimedia.
Beginnings of Japan's Telecommunication Services
Introducing the history of Japanese telecommunications, this part of the exhibit takes you on a century long journey beginning with the mid 1800's, when the first telegraph was brought to Japan, right up until the founding of NTT's predecessor, the Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Public Corporation in 1952. Visitors will see a mural depicting telecommunications milestones from the Meiji era onward in addition to a variety of historical artifacts that laid the foundation for modern telecommunications. The exhibit provides a snapshot view of key moments in telecommunications progress that enable the visitor to feel the all the excitement of the era.
Age of Recovery and Growth
Introducing the history of Japanese telecommunications from the 1950's to the 1960's, this part of the exhibit recaps the birth of the Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Public Corporation in 1952 as it focuses on the period in which Japan's economy began to finally rise from the ashes left behind in the wake of WWII. While the economy was back on track, more telephones were needed to keep it moving forward. Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Public Corporation rose to the challenge of meeting this telephone shortfall under the banner of “availability and reliability.” Telecommunications research, driven by real world needs, yielded a host of new developments such as new automatic switchboards and technologies for transmission highways that could handle the increasing volumes of telephone traffic. Put into practical use, these innovations helped pave the way for Japan as it moved from recovery to growth.
Age of Technology Innovation and Diversity
Introducing developments in the telecommunications industry from the 1970's to the mid 1980's, this part of the exhibit looks back on an era that began with a bang as the international exposition, Expo ‘70, put Japan front and center on the global stage. The frenetic pace of Japan's burgeoning economy had become more stable with maturity. The majority of the population had achieved a comfortable level of material wealth and with that there was a shift to more diverse services that went beyond people's basic needs. It was also a bright new age in telecommunications. Switchboards evolved into electronic automatic exchanges, computer network data transmission services emerged and both automobile and mobile phone mobile communication services were beginning to pop up everywhere. It was an era in which technology was making dreams come true.
Age of Digital Technologies and Multimedia
Introducing developments in the telecommunications industry after the mid 1980's, this part of the exhibit looks at how the bursting of the economic bubble and the Kobe earthquake caused people to reexamine their sense of values and the various social institutions. This period coincides with the birth of NTT in 1985, and the beginning of an era of both competition and cooperation with other communications companies. The digital technology wave continued to progress forward with sound, video and data now all handled on a single network. Rapid development of mobile communications and the proliferation of the internet ushered in the dawn of a new era that connected people everywhere via one big network.
Technological History Lounge
Exploring The Technologies
The story of the NTT Group, from its beginnings as the Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Public Corporation is the story of the latter half of the 20th century, a time when semiconductors and computers changed everything. The exhibition is split into halls, called “approaches,” that broadly introduce each technology domain and smaller galleries that offer visitors a more in-depth look.
This exhibit follows the path of progress Japan has made in information and communications beginning with the telegraph Commodore Perry gifted the government back in the mid 19th century up until the end of the 20th century. The exhibit is divided into two main sections. The first section (located on the basement level) covers everything from the advent of the telegraph and telephone up to the founding of the Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Public Corporation in 1952. The second section picks up where the first left off and traces Japan's information and communications history over the half-century following World War II. This look back at the second half of the 20th century is split into three areas covering different eras. The first area, located on the basement level, takes visitors back to the 1950's and 60's when NTT rose to the dual challenges of putting phones in homes and businesses across the country as well as providing direct distance dialing (a.k.a. subscriber trunk dialing). Then it's on to the 1st floor for a trip back to the 1970's and first half of the 80's when new services such as mobile, data and video communications had just begun to take root. The final area on the 2nd floor continues with a look at the latter half of the 1980's and the blossoming of digitalization and multimedia.
Approaches to Services and Networks
Visitors will learn about the milestones in various fields that have led to the development of the network backbone via a technological journey that has taken Japan from the ashes of the post war period and elevated it as a global technology leader. This part of the exhibit examines a variety of technologies including networks, exchanges, wired and wireless transmissions, architecture as well as electric power and how they have all helped give rise to high-end services and taken us from the analog to digital age.
Approaches to Terminal Equipment and Access Network Technologies
This part of the exhibit lays out the access networks and cables that connect customers and the Telecommunication facilities outside NTT buildings from which they originate as well as telephones, fax machines and other appliances technologies. Visitors can follow the transition from metallic cables to fiber optics, learn about the advantages that switch has brought and gain new insight into business communications systems. This hall introduces some of the groundbreaking research and technological foundations behind the wide spectrum of NTT innovations at work in broad array of fields.
Approaches to Computer and Telegraph Related Services/ Mobile Communications
The advent of the computer age has changed the face of telegraphy, telex systems, TV conferencing, data transmission services and other technologies which have been used to transmit characters and images. Likewise mobile phone communication networks, which have also been built on a myriad of technologies from various fields including wireless radio and exchange, are continually becoming more advanced. This exhibit takes an in-depth look at the continual flow of emerging services and the integrated technologies that have made them possible. Visitors will also go to the frontiers of technologies for a peek at some of the exciting innovations in information distribution that the NTT Group has in store for the future.
