Sakura Wars Museum Running for a Limited Time in Japan

A couple of days ago the impending arrival of a “Sakura Wars Museum” was announced by Gamers, a retail outlet in Akihabara, Tokyo. This Sakura Wars Museum will run from October 23 to November 3. The store spans multiple floors, and the entirety of the seventh floor will be dedicated to Sakura Wars media. Items on exhibit will include the library of games released for the Sakura Wars franchise, rare promotional items, themed hardware (ever seen the Sakura Wars III VMU?), and sketches and illustrations that shaped Sakura Wars as a franchise over time.

The event isn’t entirely “look and don’t touch”; there will be a variety of merchandise available for purchase. Most of it features the Imperial Assault Force (the Japan team that most people readily associate with the Sakura Wars franchise) but some items do feature the Paris Assault Force and the New York Combat Revue. The spread of items can be seen below, with pricing (and US dollar conversion) for items underneath the following image courtesy of Anime Herald.

The listing below is sorted alphabetically.

• Acrylic key holder: 600 Yen ($4.99)
• Canvas poster: 18,000 Yen ($149.63)
• Card case: 800 Yen ($6.65)
• Clear file: 400 Yen ($3.33)
• Desk mat: 800 Yen ($6.65)
• Mouse pad: 1,000 Yen ($8.31)
• Mug: 1,000 Yen ($8.31)
• Tote bag: 1,500 Yen ($12.47)
• Towel: 3,600 Yen ($29.93)
• Wall scroll: 3,000 Yen ($24.94)

Between Chisa Yokoyama’s stage performances (some of them featuring guest appearances from other Imperial Assault Force members,) the Sakura Shinguji-themed biking gear, and now this Museum, it’s quite a lot of activity for a dormant franchise. Perhaps it’s time for Sakura Wars to make another grand entrance! One can only hope, though it’d sure be a great way to herald the 19th anniversary of the series. While the stage shows continue on occasion and Sakura Wars is still present as a franchise on mobile, it’d be nice to see one of Sega’s most prominent Japanese franchises return to gaming. During its heyday, Sakura Wars was one of the earliest and most powerful multimedia franchises under Sega’s umbrella (to say nothing of other franchises like Sonic the Hedgehog, which itself was immensely powerful too.)

Credit goes to this AnimeHerald article for details on the announcement, and the pricing schedule for the purchasable merchandise.