NEW! Museum Tour in English: Botanical themes in Imari Ware at the Toguri Museum of Art

Chrysanthemum-shaped dishes, decorated with octopus arabesque and poem design in underglaze blue. Imari ware. Edo period. 19th century.

On Monday Sept. 10, from 10 to 11:30 am, I will give a special tour in English at the Toguri Museum of Art, which is located near Shibuya Station in Tokyo.  I’ll be guiding the group  through the current exhibition of flower and plant themes in Imari ware, giving special focus to the auspicious meanings behind these traditional motifs.  Life in Japan is so much more fun when you understand the hidden messages in designs! Once you know to look for them, you’ll see them again and again in your daily life.

Bottle, decorated with wisteria design in overglaze enamels. Imari ware. Edo period. Mid-17th century.

If you’ve been on my museum tours before, you know they are lively and informal. I try to keep keep things accessible for total beginners while offering new information and insights for those who may be already deep into the subject matter.  This is a completely private event, so we’ll have the museum all to ourselves. Plenty of opportunity to ask questions and explore the exhibition.

The cost of 3,000 yen per person includes museum admission, the guided tour, a mini-lecture by the curator (interpreted into English by me) PLUS a pair of tickets for free admission for two on your next visit (a 2,000 yen value), so you can bring a friend or family member to share what you learned. Or save it for the next exhibition, which opens on Oct. 5. As part of this event, we’ll also have a chance to see one special work that is not normally on display, and while photography is normally not allowed in the museum, our group will have special permission to take pictures. You are welcome to  make photographs for future reference or to post on social media.

Number of people:  30  (reservations will be closed as soon as we reach capacity). Based on past experience, this will fill up quickly so if you’d like to attend, please don’t delay in signing up. This is the only event in English that will be held at this museum this year.  All in all, this is a wonderful opportunity the museum is affording us, and a nice way to learn more about Japan and Japanese antique dishes.  And everyone loves plants and flowers, right?

You can sign up right here, on the form below.