This is one of my favorite museums and it is walking distance from my apartment. Adult admission is only 400 yen. It has two floors, the permanent first floor exhibit about ships and the history of Shimizu Port, and the changing exhibit on the second floor. The current upstairs exhibit is “The Black Cat Kitan Kohnosuke Sakazaki Collection”.
Kohnosuke Sakazaki is the singer and guitarist of the Japanese rock band Alfee, which was formed in Tokyo in 1973. I don’t know the story of how this collection began, and photos are not allowed on the second floor. I’m guessing there are thousands of cats in this collection. They were made in Japan from the Taisha to the Showa eras and distributed domestically and abroad. Black cats were seen as symbols of good luck and prosperity. The cats on display are small, some are tiny. The cats are in every shape, and form all kinds of decorative purposes. There are post cards, advertisements, toys, vases and tiny boxes, every kind of cute adornment you can think of. There is fabric printed with the cats, cats made of metal and ceramic, and other materials. There are little mother cats attached to tiny kittens with tinier chains. There are dancing cats and sitting cats, sleeping cats and flat cats.
The exhibit is through May 11th. I might have to go again.
The picture above is from the museum website.
The photo above is from the instagram account of Kohnosuke Sakazaki‘s instagram account.
I crossed the street from the museum to see the cruise ship that was in the port. Before the pandemic, it seemed like there were more frequent cruise ships in port. Maybe the cruise ships are coming back again.
The first floor of this local museum is the permanent Maritime or Port display. The second floor displays change. The current display is called Meisen Exhibition Summer, according to the translation of the museum's website.
This is the outside of the museum.
This is the exhibit flyer.
Information from the website (translated, so some things may sound strange).
Photos are not allowed in this area of the museum, but I wish they were so you could see the beautiful kimono collection. The pieces were rather sheer and looked very cool and modern.
Recently I posted about attending the Nutcracker performance of my friend's niece, who danced the part of Clara. This fourth grader is also a talented artist. Yesterday I went to see an art exhibit of area elementary school students (1st - 6th graders), including her painting below.
The theme was Sea Day, a national holiday in Japan.
I thoroughly enjoyed this exhibit!
Yesterday I visited the Verkehr Museum, which is also known as the Shimizu Port Terminal Museum. I read that "Verkehr" is the German word for "transportation". I visited this museum in 2016, to see an exhibit of artist Chiaki Matsuse, in addition to the collection of boats and all of the port information.
There were only four other visitors in the museum when I was there, and as it turned out, one couple was a former student and his wife! The admission fee is 400 yen for adults, so I don't know how they pay the bills. The current special exhibit on the second floor is Glass. Photos are allowed on the first floor, but not on the second, so I can't show you photos of the wonderful old glass items and advertising information.
These are some photos I took of the outside of the museum before entering. The weather wasn't very nice yesterday, but the building and pools are interesting.
Here are the things I saw on the first floor. English information was minimal, but some things are understandable without words.
The detail on this model ship is so amazing!
In the passage way between two sections was the work of artist Nanami Hida. It was hard to take pictures because of the lights reflecting off the glass.
In a tiny room, there was an exhibit that seemed to be of a jewelry artist.
The last long hallway on the first floor held models of boats and this sea chest.
The second floor, where photos are not allowed, there were 397 old glass items of everything possible - bottles, plates, tiny glasses, dessert dishes, perfume and cosmetic bottles, toys, hair ornaments, decorative items, advertising items, things you can't imagine and I can't remember. The exhibit was wonderful and ends next Sunday. I'm glad I was able to visit the museum and see it.
