Due to the pandemic, several public facilities, including museums, art museums and libraries, have started offering services you can enjoy from the comfort of your own home.
Although you can view the collection of the Fukuoka City Museum online, we highly recommend checking out the seven famous exhibits— like Kuroda Nagamasa’s helmets—that you can view in 3D. You can enjoy viewing these pieces from angles that you wouldn’t normally have access to. The virtual museum tour is popular. The Fukuoka Art Museum regularly posts content on its official blog and YouTube channel. You can watch behind-the-scenes video of how exhibits are designed and swapped out and to listen to commentary from the museum’s curators. You can also watch instructional videos on crafts you can try at home.
The Fukuoka Asian Art Museum is also active on social media. It posts content about the latest activities of former artists-in-residence, so you can also see what is happening outside Japan.
The Fukuoka Prefectural Art Museum has developed a virtual museum where you can explore each piece thoroughly, and it also has a fun and educational section for kids. Be sure to check out the collection of the local painter Yajuro Takashima.
The Fukuoka Science Museum has created videos of simple experiments and crafts that you can do at home. If you have a smartphone, you can also enjoy 360° VR videos of the planetarium, and get the full effect of the dome screen.
Local libraries are also making progress with digitization. The Fukuoka City Public Library now offers an e-book lending service, so you can check out books to read on your computer, tablet or smartphone. You can register for this service right away as long as you have a valid library card. Meanwhile, the Fukuoka Prefectural Library has adopted a digital library system that allows you to borrow and return books online, and you can explore the invaluable documents in its digital library.
