Museum Exhibition Guide App "Pocket Gakugeiin" Introduced at Santoka Furusato-kan

We are pleased to announce today that the free museum guide app "Pocket Gakugeiin" (developed by Waseda System Development Co., Ltd., Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo), which allows visitors to enjoy exhibition explanations using their smartphones, has commenced operations at Santoka Furusato-kan (Hofu City, Yamaguchi Prefecture) from May 1, Reiwa 8 (2026). Background of Introduction Santoka Furusato-kan, a literary museum, is characterized by its rich collection of textual materials in addition to physical exhibits. In memorial museums dedicated to individual authors, it is essential to devise explanations that promote understanding of their lives and diverse exhibits, not just the materials themselves. However, there are spatial limitations for displaying panels. Therefore, the museum was considering introducing a system to help improve visitor services. Reasons for Selecting Pocket Gakugeiin Pocket Gakugeiin, an accompanying app to the cloud-based collection management system "I.B.MUSEUM SaaS," allows museums to deploy exhibition guide services without introducing dedicated equipment or incurring additional costs for system users. It supports multiple languages, has no restrictions on content types or registration numbers, and has a proven track record of adoption by numerous museums in Japan, including several literary museums. These factors led to its introduction. Features of Distributed Content Currently, content introducing representative works of Santoka, a synonym for free-verse haiku unbound by the 5-7-5 syllable structure, is being distributed. Listening to his verses in audio allows visitors to re-experience his breath embedded in the unique rhythm unconstrained by fixed forms, enabling a deeper appreciation of his worldview than simply reading the text. This has been well-received by visitors. About Santoka Furusato-kan Santoka Furusato-kan in Hofu City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, the hometown of Santoka Taneda, a representative free-verse haiku poet, opened in October 2017. Under the theme of "singing Santoka, familiarizing with Santoka, and conveying Santoka," it serves as a literary museum dedicated to honoring and preserving Santoka's legacy. In addition to permanent exhibitions that trace his life through materials such as submitted magazines and haiku collections, as well as replica materials like diaries and iron bowls, the museum holds special exhibitions about three times a year that convey Santoka's charm from various perspectives. Overview of Pocket Gakugeiin "Pocket Gakugeiin" is a guide app that allows users to view and listen to exhibition explanations using their smartphones. A distinctive feature is that one app can be shared and used by multiple museums; once installed on a smartphone, exhibition guides can be accessed at participating facilities nationwide. The content of the guides is uniquely created by each museum and art gallery. Depending on the facility, information is distributed in various styles, including not only text screens but also photos, videos, and audio. App Homepage: http://welcome.mapps.ne.jp/pocket App Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pocketcurator/?fref=ts Hokkaido Museum / Historical Village of Hokkaido / Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art / Date History and Culture Museum / Nakajima Lake no Mori Museum / Ainu Culture Exchange Center (Sapporo Pirikakotann) / Toya Caldera and Usu Volcano Global Geopark / Toyako Gurutto Sculpture Park / Irie-Takasago Shell Mounds Historic Site / Irie-Takasago Shell Mounds Museum / Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art / Kitakogane Shell Mounds Historic Site Park / Sapporo Art Park Museum / Sapporo Art Park Open-Air Museum / Shari Town Tsugaru Clan Samurai Cultural Property Relations / Shiretoko Museum / Hokkaido Kushiro Art Museum / Toyako Art Museum / Hachinohe City Buried Cultural Properties Center Korekawa Jomon Museum / Hachinohe City Museum / Nejo Castle Site Park / Ichinoseki City Museum / Iwate Prefectural Museum / Hanamaki City Museum / Kitakami City Oni no Yakata / Sendai City Museum / Ishinomaki City Museum / Tohoku History Museum / Warabe no Sato Museum of History and Culture / Tadashi Oyamada Art Museum / Morohashi Museum of Modern Art / Iwaki Earthquake Memorial Museum / Ibaraki Museum of Modern Art / Museum Park Ibaraki Nature Museum / Yokaren Peace Memorial Museum / Tokugawa Museum / Museum of History and Future Exchange / Gunma Prefectural Tsuchiya Bunmei Memorial Literary Museum / Hanno City Museum Kitsusu / Toda City Local Museum / The Railway Museum (Saitama City) / Mikashima Yoshiko Archives (Tokorozawa City) / Gyoda City Local Museum / Iruma City Museum ALIT / Former Ishikawa-gumi Paper Mill Western-style Building / Former Kurosu Bank / Rekishiterasu (Niiza City History and Folklore Museum) / Mint Museum Saitama / Saitama Prefectural Museum of Modern Art / Saitama City Iwatsuki Doll Museum / Urayasu City Local Museum / Shinjuku City Fumiko Hayashi Memorial Museum / Setagaya City Jidaibori Park Folk House Garden / Shinjuku City Soseki Sannbo Memorial Museum / Showa Women's University Koha Museum / Parthenon Tama Museum / Kunitachi Local Culture Center / National Printing Bureau Banknote and Postage Stamp Museum / Keio University / Shinjuku City Shinjuku Historical Museum / Hachioji City Silk Road Museum / Kagawa Toyohiko Memorial Matsuzawa Museum / Fussa City Local History Archives / Kita City Asukayama Museum / Sodo Japan Heritage Center Hachioji