This August was definitely too far away from the ideal. Rainy day after rainy day, spoiled holidays, probably much less time spent at sea than expected. All hopes are for September now. And if we all are lucky, maybe it would be possible even to get out of town for a day, visiting some other places in Miyagi. So, this month’s Museum Guide is dedicated to exhibitions outside Sendai.

The place that we have already introduced several times - Tohoku History Museum. Aside from a very informative and charismatic main exhibition on the history of Tohoku region and a whole traditional farm preserved as it is, they offer interesting special exhibitions on various topics (not always connected somehow to Tohoku). 

This time, we have a great chance to learn more about Tohoku region biggest beasts - bears and wolves. Nowadays, bears are becoming a serious problem, as they tend to enter human paths, or even visit farms in search for food, thus threatening those who happen to be on their way. But in the old times they used to live in forests, far from villages, and usually were considered sacred animals that can be granted to a hunter as a special present from gods. What about wolves? They weren’t sacred at all. They lived close to people, hunted the same prey as people and often endangered villagers and farm animals. Thus, wolves population in Tohoku was completely destroyed more than 100 years ago. 

The exhibition “Bears and Wolves - The record of a connection between a human and a beast” tells us more about survival, extinction and influence that both bears and wolves have on Japanese folklore and folk beliefs.

Time: 2017.9.16〜11.19

Place: Tohoku History Museum

Working hours: 9:30～17:00

Closed on Mondays

Price: 800 yen (700 for seniors, 300 for schoolchildren)

If you are planning to spend some time on the beach this summer, how about visiting Ishinomaki? The town has revived after the great earthquake and tsunami and offers everything you need for ideal sea holidays! 

One of the greatest places in Ishinomaki is Ishinomori Manga Museum, mostly dedicated to Shotaro Ishinomori - a famous mangaka, author of “Kamen rider” and many more Japanese manga heroes. Ishinomori was born in near-by Tome town and had created the original design of Ishinomori Manga Museum himself. 

Right now, the museum is offering an exhibition on Detective Conan (Case Closed), the creation of Gosho Aoyama about a detective who was transformed into a child. Detective Conan is one of the longest and most famous comics in Japan, also popular in United States, United Kingdom and other countries. There is an anime adaptation as well.

This exhibition reveals the whole world hidden beneath the papers of the manga story. The original concept arts, main character designs and many more are available. You can participate in many workshops, create your original badge or a keyholder and even enjoy the original menu based on manga! 

Time: 2017.7.5〜10.9

Place: Ishinomori Manga Museum

Working hours: 9:00～18:00

Closed on third Tuesday of every month

Price: 800 yen (500 for junior high school and high school students, 200 for junior schoolchildren)