Autumn is Japan’s most pleasant season, and you’re sure to enjoy yourself no matter what you do. The Japanese like to say that autumn is the best for reading or for sports, but the many events this year will make this autumn best for culture. This issue of Fukuoka Now presents news on large international exhibits and the opening of Kyushu’s first national museum, as well as local museums and unique cultural facilities worth checking out. You’ll find yourself referring to this issue all year round every year – not just this autumn!
* Fukuoka Asian Art Museum
The world’s only museum devoted to modern Asian art
If you’re looking for a museum devoted exclusively to modern Asian art, this is the only one anywhere. The museum has about 1,800 items in its collection, which it shows in both standing and special exhibits. The themes of the standing exhibits change every few months to maintain the freshness of content. The facility is known for a rich variety of works that range from paintings to installations, and offer perspectives from the local to the global. Be sure to stop by the museum shop, which sells furniture and other items from Asia in addition to art-related products.
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･ Interaction with artists
Asian artists and researchers are invited for three-month residence periods, during which they create works in front of audiences and give workshops and talks. You may be lucky enough to see art created before your very eyes.
･ Fukuoka Asian Art Triennale
The museum staff makes a concerted effort, covering local surveys to planning, to conduct the Fukuoka Asian Art Triennale, a large international exhibit that’s been held every three years since the museum opened.
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Address: 7th and 8th floors, Riverain Center Building 3-1 Shimokawabata-machi, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka
Tel: 092-263-1100
Open: 10:00～20:00 (enter by 19:30)
Closed: Wednesdays, and Thursdays when Wednesday is a national holiday
Prices: Permanent exhibitions: Adults 200 yen / High school and university students150 yen
#Located next to the Nakasukawabata subway station
http://faam.city.fukuoka.jp/
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The 3rd Fukuoka Asian Art Triennale 2005
Held once every three years, this festival of Asian art is now underway
The museum selects artists at the vanguard of modern art in Asia for this exhibit. These artists range from promising young artists to established figures who have made a name for themselves in overseas exhibits. Few large international exhibits of Asian artists are held anywhere in the world, so the Triennale is well known both in Japan and overseas. Its keynote is variety-in addition to exhibits, there are performances, workshops, and gallery tours. It’s an event you can enjoy as if it were a festival.
50 individual and group artists from 21 Asian countries and territories are participating
The exhibition presents 50 individual and group artists from 21 Asian countries and territories ranging from Pakistan in the west and Japan in the east. Of particular interest this year is the selection of young artists who have grown up in a video and information-saturated age. About 130 works are on display.
The theme is Parallel Realities
There is a profusion of variety in this exhibition, ranging from miniature sculptures to huge installations, and including videos, music, fashion, animations, and Kosupure. This collection of artwork reveals the parallel realities of society and communities that exist simultaneously throughout the world.
A full slate of events
Many events are scheduled during the Triennale. In addition to the exhibition, these include the spontaneous creation of works by participating artists, performances, and workshops. The closing event on Saturday, November 26, and Sunday, November 27, will be a media performance by Kill Your Television Set.
Date: Saturday, September 17 to Sunday, November 27
Venue: Fukuoka Asian Art Museum
Prices: Adults1,000 yen / High school and university students 700 yen
http://faam.city.fukuoka.jp/FT/2005/index.html
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The Kyushu National Museum
The nation’s eyes are riveted on the innovations at this national museum for the 21st century
The Kyushu National Museum will be the first new national museum in Japan in 108 years, joining the three existing museums in Tokyo, Nara, and Kyoto. The museum’s basic concept is to examine the formation of Japanese culture from the perspective of Asian history against the historical and geographical backdrop of Kyushu , which served as an important nexus for interchange with Asian culture. The exhibits will include items ranging from the Paleolithic Era to the end of the Edo period. The museum is winning plaudits for its new hands-on policy that encourages visitor participation. In some areas of the museum, visitors can pick up and examine exhibits, and there will be events in which the visitors participate.
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･ The building’s spectacular design
The museum was designed to blend in with the surrounding green spaces and scenery. The roof is curved to simulate a mountain range, and the exterior walls are made entirely of glass.
･ An experiential corner
It’s entertaining! A special section for experiencing Asian culture, Asippa, features exhibits of items from seven Asian and other areas’ countries, including utensils, musical instruments, and toys. Visitors can do more than look – they can pick up the exhibited items to actually touch or use them.
･ One of the world’s finest environments for conservation and technology
The museum has the largest storage space in Japan and a studio for repairing cultural treasures. Backyard tours are planned to show this environment and technology to the public.
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The 2005 Inaugural Exhibition Japan, “Country of Beauty”
Date: Sunday, October 16 to Sunday, November 27
Prices: Adults 1,300 yen / High school and university students 1,000 yen / Primary and junior high school students 600 yen
http://www.nishinippon.co.jp/news/museum/binokuni/
This exhibit will present the two most dramatic periods of interchange with foreign countries. The first period is the flowering of the ancient Asian dynasties. It will feature a collection of treasures brought to China, Korea, and Japan, which gradually developed through cultural exchange in Asia. The second period is Japan during the age of the great explorers. It will recreate Japan at the time it first came into contact with Western civilization in 1549, when St. Francis Xavier arrived in the country. Of the 120 items exhibited, one-third are either national treasures or important cultural properties
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Address: 4-7-2 Ishizaka, Dazaifu
Tel: 092-918-2807
Opens: 9:30～17:00 (enter by 16:30)
Closed: Mondays, or on Tuesdays when Monday is a national holiday
Prices: Adults 420 yen / High school and university students 130 yen
#A 10-minute walk from the Nishitetsu Dazaifu Station
http://www.kyuhaku.jp
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* Fukuoka City Museum
This is the place to learn about Fukuoka City’s history and culture
Fukuoka City’s long history of interaction with the Asian continent stretches back to ancient times. This museum’s exhibits focus in particular on interaction with foreign countries from ancient times to the modern age, starting with the history of rice cultivation and including the envoys to T’ang China, the travels of Zen monks, and international expositions. One famous item on display is the gold seal that was a gift from a Chinese emperor in the first century. A section of the museum is devoted to folklore and presents exhibits related to festivals and people’s lifestyles.
Now showing!
Thursday, October 6 to Sunday, November 6
Utamaro Hokusai Hiroshige
The Great Masters of Ukiyoe
Prices: Adults 1,000 yen / High school and university students 700 yen
Address: 3-1-1 Momochihama, Sawara-ku, Fukuoka
Tel: 092-845-5011
Open: 9:30～17:30 (enter by 17:00)
Closed: Mondays, and Tuesdays when Monday is a national holiday
Prices: Permanent exhibition: Adults 200 yen / High school and university students 150 yen
Access: There are bus stops in front of both the north and south entrances to the museum.
http://museum.city.fukuoka.jp/
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* Fukuoka Art Museum
Exhibits ranging from Buddhist sculpture to modern art
The first floor is dedicated to ancient art, with exhibits that include a collection of tea ceremony utensils and Buddhist sculptures. The second floor is for 20th century modern art. In addition to paintings by Dali and Chagall, there are works by local artists working in the Western style. The museum is located in Ohori Park, so it’s a great place to take a break from the city bustle.
Now showing!
September 15 to Sunday, October 30
Takatori
Daimyo Tea Ceremony Ware
Prices: Adults 1,000 yen / High school and university students 800 yen
Address: 1-6 Ohori-Koen Park, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka
Tel: 0092-714-6051
Open: 9:30～17:30 (enter by 17:00)
Closed: Monday, and Tuesdays when Monday is a national holiday
Prices: Permanent exhibitions: Adults 200 yen / High school and university students 150 yen
Access: A three-minute walk from the Jonai Bijutsukan Higashiguchi bus stop
http://www.fukuoka-art-museum.jp/
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* Fukuoka Prefectural Museum of Art
Focusing on modern artists associated with Fukuoka
The museum strives to discover local artists of the past. Its standing exhibits include works by many of the artists it has discovered. The museum also periodically holds exhibits of modern artists from the region. There is also an art library with 30,000 books. Visitors can use at no charge the High Vision Gallery, a monitor enabling artworks to be viewed, with explanations of the noted works of the masters.
Now showing!
Friday, October 7 to Sunday, November 27
Collection exhibit II
Tracing the artists of Fukuoka-han Paintings of the Ogata family / Kyushu as seen from the Kuga Collection ceramics
Prices: Adults 210 yen / High school and university students 140 yen
Address: 5-2-1 Tenjin, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka
Tel: 092-715-3551
Open: 10:00～18:00 (enter by 17:30)
Closed: Monday, or Tuesdays when Monday is a national holiday
Prices: Differs depending on the exhibit
Access: A 10-minute walk from the Tenjin Subway Station
http://fpmahs1.fpart-unet.ocn.ne.jp/index2.html
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* Tachiarai Peace Memorial Hall
Proclaiming for eternity the importance of peace
The museum has the world’s only surviving Japanese Army fighter plane and images of kamikaze pilots who died during the war. There are about 2,000 exhibits revealing the misery of war, and a history of the Tachiarai airfield destroyed in a 1945 bombing raid, said to be the finest in East Asia at the time. With quiet eloquence, these exhibits convey the noble sacrifices that resulted in today’s peace and the importance of maintaining that peace.
Address: Inside the Tachiarai Station on the Amagi Railroad 417-3 Takada, Chikuzen-machi, Asakura-gun
Tel: 0946-23-1227
Open: 9:30～17:00
Closed: New Year’s holidays
Prices: Adults 500 yen / Children 300 yen
Access: Just inside the Tachiarai Station on the Amagi Railroad
* “Hakatamachiya” Furusatokan
Experience Hakata’s traditional crafts culture
The museum is a restored building with lattice doors and white walls that dates from the Meiji Era and has been moved to its present location. Visitors can get a taste of the atmosphere and culture of Hakata-machi through different exhibits that present the way of life, culture, and history of people from the district in the Meiji and Taisho eras. They also present demonstrations of artisans weaving Hakata textiles, and there is a section featuring crafts and inexpensive confections.
Address: 6-10 Reisen-machi, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka
Tel: 281-7761
Open: 10:00～18:00 (enter by 17:30)
Closed: Yearend
Price: 200 yen
Access: A five-minute walk from the Gion subway station
http://www.hakatamachiya.com/
* Hakata Hyakunengura
This is Hakata’s only sake brewery. The interior of this unique facility, with its white storage area and red brick chimney, is a great place to watch sake being brewed. An added bonus is the sake-tasting when the tour is over. There is also a restaurant with tasty Hakata specialties and freshly-brewed sake. Visitors also can try their hand at making soba. (Reservations required.)
Address: Inside the Ishikura Sake Brewery 1-30-1 Katakasu, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City
Tel: 092-633-5100
Open: 10:00～17:30
Closed: New Year’s holidays
Price: Free admission
Access: A ten-minute walk from the Chiyo Kenchoguchi Subway Station
http://www.ishikura-shuzou.co.jp/
* Akira Kurosawa Memorial Satellite Studio
Opened in Imari, a town the world-famous movie director Akira Kurosawa loved, the facility displays many of his personal belongings, production notes, manuscripts and movie references. The studio also periodically holds events relating to films.
Address: 358 Kou Imari-machi, Imari city, Saga Pref.
Tel: 0955-22-9630
Open: 9:00~17:30 (last entry 17:00)
Closed: 2nd and 4th Mon., and Tue. when Mon.is a national holiday & New Year’s holidays
Prices: Adults 500 yen/Junior and Senior High school students 350 yen/Elementary school students 250 yen
Access: A four-minute walk from the JR Imari Station
http://www.kurosawa-foundation.com/satellite_1.html
