ABSTRACT
One of the reasons for the blurring of the distinction between museums and theme parks in English is that museums have had a strong association with education, which is now being supplemented by an interest in entertainment and amusement, sometimes for economic reasons. Now, 'education' in Japanese (kyoiku) is a very serious issue, and one of its chief characteristics is hard work; so this is perhaps one reason why it is separated conceptually from the activities of a day out. Ferry's History of the Department Store traces their origins to a 'more or less simultaneous' movement in Paris, London and New York, though he concedes priority to the Parisian Bon Marche, established in 1852. The distinction between education and entertainment in the context of museums and theme parks in Western countries has followed a path rather different from that in Japan, though there are also some similarities.
