The Least Useful Guide to Fukuoka

1. Invitation to Cat Studies at Seinan Gakuin University Museum

As this show is organised by a local university that has Christian background, the first part of the exhibition was dedicated to topics on relationships between cats and Christianity, which felt a bit stretch but not at all discomfort

. I just thought there were many gods in this world. 

The show also features how to investigate and record local cats. This part was supervised by a famous cat scholar of this university. I mean, a human studying cats, not a cat teaching students.

Apart from the displayed items, I liked the museum’s attempt to invite and entertain the visitors that could be seen here and there, such as giant paws indicating which way to follow,

doormats featuring cats (we had to stump on these cats though),

and Kao-hame (my dictionary says it is called “comic foreground” in English).

2. Shinie at Fukuoka City Museum

Picture retrieved from: http://museum.city.fukuoka.jp/exhibition/535/

I think Shinie, which can be directly translated as “death picture” is a kind of illustrated news issued when popular people died. On the show was shinie issued between 19 and 20 centuries when Ukiyoe was a major media.

I liked the people’s attitude toward the dead depicted in the pictures. It seemed that death was sad but not end of everything—the dead people are living (not physically but probably in a conceptual sense) in another world and would come over to us when we die and guide us to their world(s).

Luckily, both exhibitions were free to enter (the city museum usually take 200 yen to view its permanent exhibitions. The day I visited there should be a special day). The university museum accepts cash donations.