Visited National Museum of Japanese History

I visited the National Museum of Japanese History on November 28, 2020. It's a huge museum of Japanese history that houses and displays 200,000 artifacts focused on history and culture in Japan. The most interesting part about this museum is that it's focused on culture (folklore) in Japan; I feel some cultural anthropological viewpoint here.

The entrance of the National Museum of Japanese History

The huge museum consists of 6 galleries, each having different themes. I visited the museum for the first time to see their special exhibition, "Gender in Japanese History."

The special exhibition "Gender in Japanese History"

The special exhibition focused on different times in history and explained how female was presented in each time. It might be surprising to some people to learn that women had quite a power in the Japanese culture in political, financial, family, etc., point of views. Many females had power in feudal times, supporting her husband samurais to govern their areas. Females had taken a lot of part in farming, too. They lost much power after the Meiji Period, as Japan started to follow Western culture to be a part of modern society.

The special exhibition itself was a little scattered, and much of the information was not new to me, so it was okay. The permanent exhibitions were more than impressive! They have six galleries, but I only could see Gallery 6 briefly and some parts of Gallery 4. Gallery 4 is dedicated to folklore, and it was most interesting to me.

Gallery 6 of the National Museum of Japanese History

Gallery 4 of National Museum of Japanese History

The map of National Museum of Japanese History

Although the museum takes approximately 2 hours from central Tokyo, I highly recommend this museum. Their exhibitions seem amazing, and I definitely need to visit there again...!

Comments

Hiking Mt. Nabewari - walking up over 1,200 for a hot bowl of udon

As practicing hiking as my hobby, Mt. Nabewari was one of my top-list of trails that I had been willing to visit someday. Mt. Nabewari is not famous for its trails nor shrines; it's known for a hot bowl of udon noodles served at the rest house at the peak of the mountain. I waited until the beginning of December to fully enjoy a warm bowl of udon and leeches. Tanzawa Mountain Range, which includes Mt. Nabewari, is a habitat of leeches, and I heard many people bit by leeches during summer. So I decided to hike Mt. Nabewari on the first Saturday in December 2020. The weather forecast was sunny, but it turned out to be rain, which made it a tough hike. I left my house at 4:40 AM to catch the earliest bus from Odakyu Line Shibusawa Station to Okura Bus Stop. Okura Bus Stop is the most common bus stop to hike Mt. Nabewari. There is a building with a shop, benches, and restrooms near the bus stop where hikers can prepare to start hiking. You can also submit hiking registrati...

Kerun in Sakata, Yamagata - the birthplace of "Yukiguni," the most famous Japanese cocktail

I had a chance to visit a cafe/bar called Kerun in Sakata, Yamagata. The bar is the birthplace of a cocktail called "Yukiguni." I was amazed by the flavor of the cocktail. Its tender, sweet, yet cold icy feeling reminded me of Tohoku's snowy scenery. Yukiguni's recipe is very simple. Its ingredients are vodka, Cointreau, and lime juice, with a green cherry and sugar for the rim. This simplicity is the reason why it became one of Japan's most famous standard cocktails. You can order Yukiguni at most bars not only in Japan but also anywhere in the world. Keiichi Iyama, who owned the cafe/bar Kerun, created Yukiguni in 1959. He worked at the bar as a bartender until 2020, which was just a year before he passed away at 95 years old. I really would have loved it if I could see him in person. Kerun is now run by Keiichi's son, preserving the same atmosphere and flavor that has not changed since. Kerun https://goo.gl/maps/y3ic4NwPkYhWHLJUA A documentary film...

Kanazawa: a compact castle town perfect for a weekend trip

I visited Kanazawa for a weekend trip in early December. It was the best time to see autumn colors. Including the famous Japanese garden Kenrokuen. What I like about Kanazawa is that the city is compact and public transport is very convenient. Because of that, you can see most of the attractions within two days. I wasn't the exception. I could see most of the major attractions. Beginning with 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, The signature piece of 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art is "The Swimming Pool." Reservation is required to get inside the pool. Higashichaya District, which is a historic entertainment district with teahouses where geisha performed in the past, (now mostly turned into shops and restaurant/cafes) If you are Japanese sake enthusiast, Fukumitsuya sake shop is a must stop. Nagamachi Samurai District, where samurai used to reside and now preserves traditional samurai residences very well, Kanzawa Castle, Omicho Market, etc. In...

Glimpses of Japan

Search This Blog