It is a sad fact of any overseas disaster that the more shocking the footage we see, the less shocked we are by it. Coverage of the Japanese earthquake and resulting tsunami has been comprehensive. We have seen ships smash through office blocks, cars float down what were once streets and power plants burst into flames.

It’s easy to become desensitised. The catastrophe happened thousands of miles from our comfy armchairs, in a country about which many of us know very little.

But an exhibition at the Geffrye Museum, At Home In Japan, looks set to bridge this disconnect by inviting visitors into a mock Japanese apartment – bringing home how disrupted everyday life has become for so many.

“Although all the plans for the exhibition were in place before the disaster struck,“ explains curator Alex Goddard, “we do hope that by showing the typical Japanese home, with photos of typical families within them, visitors will relate more to what has happened and what it means to the millions of people it’s affected.

“We are hoping to show the similarities between the way we live, as well as the differences.“

Journalists on the ground in Japan have noted the lack of looting and violence that is often seen in the wake of major disasters. A testament to the nation’s idea of shared identity, which comes across in their living spaces, explains Alex: “In Japan the homogeneous look is stronger.

“There’s an idea of ’the mainstream’ and around 90 per cent of Japanese people would relate to this. They don’t want to consider themselves different from everyone else and this gives them more of a sense of national identity.

“They identify with other people as being similar to themselves. At a time of crisis this could lead to more of a sense of unity.“

Objects in the recreated home come from 30 families in Japan, collected during an ethnographic study by Dr Inge Daniels. Visitors are able to walk around an entrance hall, a ’western style’ room, tatami room, bathroom and an LDK (living-dining-kitchen) area and view photographs of typical families taken by Susan Andrews.

Immediately noticeable is how indistinct the rooms appear. Alex explains: “One of the main differences is the use of rooms. There won’t usually be a bedroom set specifically aside for sleeping. Many still sleep on futons which are folded away.

“Extended families often live together and there is a heirarchy system. Mum and child may sleep in one room and the dad elsewhere.“

Also striking is how cluttered the apartment appears – in one room lucky owls cover the surfaces and the walls. This clutter stems from a strong gift-giving culture which can become a real problem to those in small dwellings.

“There’s a strong preconception of the Japanese home as a minimal, bare place but the reality is quite different to that,“ explains Alex.

“Gifts are exchanged when people visit and during numerous gift-giving seasons. When you have been given a gift it’s not possible to dispose of it – these goods clutter up their homes and can be a real problem.“

Despite the disaster, life goes on for millions of citizens in Japan. The exhibition provides a unique opportunity to find out how.

At Home In Japan is at the Geffrye Museum, Kingsland Road, Hoxton and runs until August 29. Donations will be accepted to help the Red Cross at work in Japan. Details: 020 7739 9893