Diorama in Hakata Machiya Folk Museum (Fukuoka, Japan)

I read a good chunk of Samurai Revolution when I was the passenger on our way to and from Portland this past weekend. I just finished an exciting part of the book (about when Satsuma and Choshu formed their alliance in 1866).

Reading about the Five Banished Nobles (including the future Prime Minister of Japan, Sanjo Sanetomi 三条実美), and how they bid their time in Dazaifu, reminded me of this photo. Because immediately after taking this picture, a retired Japanese history professor struck up a conversation with me and before I knew it he was escorting me to Dazaifu.

Now I feel like I need to return to Japan to check out some more spots mentioned in Samurai Revolution which I have yet to visit. Also, I will be able to ask some more educated questions of my retired Japanese history professor since I more fully understand the history of this part of Japan. And yet there’s so much more fascinating history that I could never fully consume in my lifetime.

Posted on July 14th, 2014 under Japan. Tags: fukuoka, museums, Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 AF-S NIKKOR G ED N, Nikon D600. Comments Off on Chikuzen Province (筑前国)

This version of The Thinker was part of Kojiro Matsukata‘s collection and can be seen in Tokyo near the National Museum of Western Art.

Posted on June 21st, 2014 under Japan. Tags: museums, National Museum of Western Art, ueno. Comments Off on Thinking in Ueno

Photomerged panorama of the interior Kabuki Theater known as Kurehaza (呉服座) currently on the grounds of Meiji Mura (明治村)

The exterior of this theater can be seen in my earlier post.

I wanted to sit, relax, and soak in the ambiance of this 19th Century theater, but one isn’t allowed in unless doing the tour. Once in, the tour began almost immediately so I fired these photos off in quick succession as my group headed to the stage. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to perfectly center myself or wait for the people to clear out of the way and make this photomerged shot showing more than 180 degrees of view more perfect.

Posted on February 5th, 2014 under Japan. Tags: inuyama, meiji mura, museums, nagoya, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600, panorama, photomerge. Comments Off on Kurehaza (呉服座) interior

Gwangju Museum of Art (광주광역시립미술관)

Gwangju’s City Art Museum is a somewhat unusual place. It’s a bit hard to get to (I rode my bike) as it isn’t near a subway or train station (much of Gwangju shares this same fate including Chonnam National University). So I wasn’t surprised when the place (in a city of 1.5 million people) was nearly empty. What was surprising is that photography of the works is not allowed. Even though Gwangju loves getting the word out about Gwangju’s May 18 massacre, and many of the works depicted scenes from that event, I asked if I could take photos and they said “no, only a general photo of the museum” (above). This seemed strange for a number of reasons, not just because you’d think they would want information about the massacre spread. The museum wasn’t crowded, the works weren’t famous, and (like Italy and some other museums where photography is prohibited) they weren’t trying to get visitors to buy postcards instead of take photos.

Anyway, this isn’t a museum you will want to travel to Korea in order to visit. If you are in Korea you won’t even want to go to Gwangju to see it. However, if you are stuck in Gwangju for a month or more and are bored out of your mind, you may want to check it out on a day when the weather isn’t so good and you have nothing else to do.

Posted on January 17th, 2014 under Korea. Tags: gwangju, museums, Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 AF-S NIKKOR G ED N, Nikon D600. Comments Off on Gwangju Museum of Art

Moesgaard Museum’s Grauballe Man

One of the other notes at the museum said that when the body was first discovered the locals thought it was that of a drunkard named Red Kristian who disappeared one evening when taking a shortcut through the bog. Instead, Grauballe Man turned out to be from the late 3rd Century BC.

Grauballe Man description in Moesgaard Museum (Aarhus, Denmark)

Posted on January 12th, 2014 under Denmark. Tags: aarhus, Moesgard Museum, museums, Nikon 18-200mm VR II, nikon d7000. Comments Off on Grauballe Man