Dosan Ahn Chang-ho Memorial Hall (생기념도산안창호선사업회), Seoul, South Korea

 

Ahn Chang-ho (안창호; 9 Nov 1878 – 10 Mar 1938), commonly known by his pen name Dosan (도산), was a prominent Korean independence activist and politician. Many consider Ahn Chang-ho to be one of the key moral and philosophical leaders of Korea during the 20th century. In the turmoil immediately before and during the Japanese occupation of Korea, he called for the moral and spiritual renewal of the Korean people through education as one of the important components in their struggle for independence and building a democratic society. Ahn also included economic and military components in his independence movement strategies. [1]

In Seoul, he is commemorated at a memorial hall in a park named after him, where he is interred with his wife. What is not so well known is his family's ties and connections to the United States. Please continue reading the rest of the article to find out more about my visit to his memorial hall and park on 26 Jan 2023, and to find out more about the Ahn family ties to the United States.

The Railway Museum (鉄道博物館, Tetsudō Hakubutsukan), Saitama, Japan

Japan has a rich railway history that continues to this day. From the futuristic Maglev (Magnetic Levitation) trains and the new dedicated rail line currently under construction from Tokyo to Nagoya, to the current pioneering and continual evolving Shinkansen train and rail network that sets the worldwide standard for high speed rail travel, and finally to the everyday electric and diesel passenger and freight trains that form the backbone of the Japanese rail transportation system, it should be no surprise that a strong culture revolving around trains has developed in Japan. Train spotting, where rail fans (or fanatics) make an effort to photograph and record train lines, rolling stock, and/or train stations, is an active and accepted practice whenever a new train line is opened, new train engines or cars are introduced, or a train station opens or closes.

The Railway Museum (鉄道博物館, Tetsudō Hakubutsukan), run by the non-profit affiliate of the East Japan Railway Company (JR East), one of the regional successor companies formed after the break-up the Japan National Railway (JNR), recounts the history of railways in Japan, exhibits many previously used train cars, teaches train operation using interesting simulators, and explains railway technology as it evolved over the years. The museum's big collection of formerly used train cars includes steam and diesel locomotives, and retired shinkansen, passenger, and freight cars. Many of the historical rail cars can be entered and the undercarriage of some can even be viewed from below. The museum further showcases one of Japan's largest (model train) dioramas. In another section, railway concepts, science, and systems are explained through models and hands-on activities. [1]

Please continue reading the rest of the article to find out more about my visit to The Railway Museum on 02 Nov 2018 and to see more photographs. I went to The Railway Museum after visiting the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum (大宮盆栽美術館), which is nearby. You can read about my visit to the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum by clicking here.

Nebuta Museum Wa Rasse (ねぶたの家 ワ・ラッセ, Nebuta no ie Wa-Rasse), Aomori, Japan

This article was updated on 19 Sep 2021 to clarify the train trip to Aomori Station and the museum.

It's been a while since my last post. While international tourists are currently prohibited from visiting Japan due to the pandemic, here's a museum located in the northernmost part of Japan's main island that's possible to visit if you are staying in Tokyo. I highly recommend taking the journey once international travel to Japan becomes possible again.

I visited this museum on 26 Nov 2017, which is in the city of Aomori, located in the northernmost Tōhoku region of Japan's main island of Honshu. The museum contains some of the spectacular illuminated floats (nebuta) used in the annual Aomori Nebuta Festival held from 2-7 Aug. If you can't attend the festival, visiting the museum is the next best thing.

Nebuta Museum Wa Rasse (ねぶたの家 ワ・ラッセ, Nebuta no ie Wa-Rasse) is a museum dedicated to the city's famous Nebuta Matsuri. The museum is housed in a unique building covered in red metal slats and stands along Aomori's waterfront district just a short walk north of Aomori Station. The Nebuta Warasse museum attempts to capture the spirit of the festival and gives visitors a taste of its lively atmosphere, history and traditions. [1]

Please continue reading the rest of the article to find out more about the Nebuta Museum Wa Rasse and to see more photographs of my visit.

Omiya Bonsai Art Museum (大宮盆栽美術館), Saitama, Japan

This article was updated on 19 Sep 2021 to clarify the train trip to Toro Station and the museum, and to add the link to The Railway Museum article.

Saitama, Japan is just a 40 minute train ride north from Tokyo. The major rail station is called Omiya and is the first major junction outside of Tokyo for the Shinkansen when traveling to the northern parts of the main island of Honshu. Two major tourist attractions are located in Saitama: the first is the world-class Railway Museum (鉄道博物館), run by the non-profit foundation of East Japan Railway (better known as JR East) and the second is the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum (大宮盆栽美術館), which is publicly run and a short walk from Toro Station, one station north of Omiya Station on the JR Utsunomiya Line. I visited both places on 02 Nov 2018 while I was staying in Tokyo. The Railway Museum article can be found at:

• https://ducksoupeasytravel.blogspot.com/2021/07/the-railway-museum-tetsudo-hakubutsukan.html

Bonsai (盆栽; lit. 'tray planting') is a Japanese art form using cultivation techniques to produce, in containers, small trees that mimic the shape and scale of full size trees. Similar practices exist in other cultures, including the Chinese tradition of penzai or penjing from which the art originated. The Japanese tradition dates back over a thousand years. [1]

While I'm not a fan of gardening, I am fascinated by Japanese bonsai since the creation and growing of these works of living art is something I personally have never tried and probably will never attempt. So to come to Japan and view this small museum dedicated to a unique Japanese art was on my list of places to see. Like any good museum, the "exhibits" are constantly changing and whenever you visit, there's always something new to see besides the permanent collection. The museum draws many Japanese and foreign tourists, so the exhibits are well labeled in both Japanese and English. An audio guide in Japanese, English, Chinese, and Korean is also offered.

The picture above was a work of bonsai art created by Kimura Masahiko (木村雅彦) and was displayed in the museum's lobby as the introductory work to the exhibit. The tree is a Japanese yew (taxus cuspidata) collected in Hokkaido (Japan's northernmost main island) in April 2018. The estimated age of the tree is 1,000 years! From the description:

"From the tree's root base to the rising trunk, it looks like a dragon spirit rising up. The sturdy trunk fold and turns with a superior sense of movement. This is the first time that this bonsai is being exhibited. According to Kimura, the tree is a rare world class material. The final form is yet to come, yet a thing to look forward to."

Please continue reading the article to find out more about the museum and to see more photographs.

MOA Museum of Art (MOA美術館), Atami, Japan

This article was updated on 19 Sep 2021 to clarify the train trip to Atami Station and the museum.

There are many museums and opportunities to visit them in Japan, especially in the major cities frequented by overseas visitors, such as Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka. However, outside of the major tourist cities, there are many large and small museums that are also worth making a trip to. There are many national, prefectural, city, and private museums that have exhibits ranging from the traditional (art, history, cultural) to the bizarre (the Meguro Parasitological Museum in Tokyo comes to mind). The MOA Museum of Art (MOA美術館) in Atami, Japan is easily reachable from Tokyo by Shinkansen and local bus in about 50 minutes. The museum is located on a mountain hillside overlooking Sagami Bay and requires seven escalators inside the hillside to travel from the museum's entry to the main building exhibition area. Please continue reading to find out more about this art museum, see more photographs, and how to access the museum.

Nezu Museum (根津美術館), Tokyo, Japan

This article was updated on 19 Sep 2021 to clarify taking the train or subway to get to the museum.

The Nezu Museum (根津美術館, Nezu Bijutsukan) is an art museum in the Minato district of Tokyo, Japan. The museum houses the private collection of pre-modern Japanese and East Asian art of Nezu Kaichirō (1860–1940), the former President of Tōbu Railway, and is built on Nezu's former residence and garden. Closed due to large-scale renovation and renewal in 2006, the museum re-opened in fall 2009 with a completely new museum building designed by the noted Japanese architect Kuma Kengo [1]. Kuma Kengo was also the architect for the modern redesign of the Akagi Shrine, which I reviewed in this earlier article: 

• https://ducksoupeasytravel.blogspot.com/2019/05/not-your-typical-japanese-shrine-akagi.html.

One of the defining architectural features of the Nezu Museum is the street entrance. The photograph of the entrance at the beginning of this article is the museum's most identifiable feature and is a tribute to Kuma Kengo's skill as an architect. As the museum is a very popular with both tourists and locals, it is really hard to get a photo without someone walking through it!

While it is worth a visit to view the art exhibits at the Nezu Museum when you're in Tokyo, for me the real reason to visit the museum is to see the garden. The site not only contains the museum, but also four tea houses and statuary within the garden. I last visited the museum on 29 Nov 2017, when the Fall colors were the most prominent and the garden most picturesque. Read the rest of the article to find out more information, and see more photographs of the museum and gardens.

Tōtō Museum (TOTO ミュージアム), Kitakyushu, Japan

This article was updated on 21 Sep 2021 to clarify the rail trip to the museum.

When visiting Japan, every itinerary will and should include museum visits. Each museum is unique, range in size from large to small, and each usually specializes in one of a wide variety of different subjects. The types of museums include: national (many located in Tokyo), prefectural, municipal, company, and private. These museums are well worth the time to visit given your particular interests and are located throughout the country from the largest cities to the smallest villages.

This article covers a 03 Nov 2019 visit to a company museum located in the city of Kitakyushu on Japan's southern-most main island of Kyushu. Company museums can be glorified places to advertise products, but most are informative about the industry or product the company specializes in. Many times, the museum is located adjacent to the company's production facility, so it is possible to take a factory tour and see the museum in one visit. In this instance, the museum is located on the grounds of company headquarters, next to a production facility, but tours are not given.

From the picture at the top of the article, you probably have guessed that this museum involves toilets and you would be partially correct. While toilets are a large well-known part of the products offered, the company is also known for its kitchen and bathroom fixtures. However these are not just any toilets, these toilets are manufactured by Toto. Toto is credited with being the first to develop and market washlets, probably Toto's most famous product today. Not only do modern washlets wash and dry toilet users, they also come with heated seats, automated flushing capabilities, play sounds to mask toilet noises, and automatically open and close lids. You will find these toilets throughout Japan, both in private and public bathrooms. Please read the rest of the article to find out more about this unique only in Japan museum and to see more photographs.

Adachi Museum of Art (足立美術館), Yasugi, Japan

This article was updated on 18 Sep 2021 to clarify the details on taking the train to Yasugi Station and the Adachi Art Museum.

The Adachi Museum of Art (足立美術館, Adachi Bijutsukan) should be on everyone's sightseeing list when visiting Japan. While it is an art museum, the real reason you should visit the museum is to see the 16.5 hectare (40.7 acre) garden. The garden has been voted the number one Japanese garden since 2003 by the Journal of Japanese Gardening. The museum's founder, local businessman Zenkō Adachi (1899-1990), believed "the garden is also a picture" and devoted himself to gardening until his death. As seen in the picture above, the inside of the museum was designed to frame the garden as a picture. While the views from inside the museum impressive, the views of the garden from outside of the building are spectacular (visitors are not allowed into the garden themselves). The views change with the four seasons, so one visit will only give you a glimpse of garden's possibilities. I've been fortunate to visit the garden twice, once in Dec 2009, and more recently on 14 Nov 2017. Please continue reading the rest of the article and to see more photographs.