Like many museums, the Nikkei National Museum is working on new ways to engage visitors in these unprecedented times.
Thanks to the hard work of Kaiwen Yang, the apprentice employed by Shumka Centre’s Art Apprenticeship Network program, Nikkei National Museum is pleased to announce a new virtual garden tour accessible through this link: https://poly.google.com/view/edhsI7F-x1Y
The tour begins with a slow sweep of the gardens in 360 degrees adorned with icons throughout. When clicked, these icons reveal information on specific plants, historical background, or photos.
Kaiwen noted, “early spring is the season for cherry blossoms. Although the cherry blossoms are not officially the national flower in Japan, they play a particularly significant role in Japanese history and culture. From February to May, thousands of visitors would gather outdoors and celebrate the transient beauty of these blossoms, which is known as hanami (花見). In the past years, the Nikkei Garden in front of the Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre, where I work, would also host visitors for flower-viewing. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Nikkei Garden was unusually quiet this year. I hope that through this mini-tour, people who have missed the cherry blossoms can have a chance to see its beauty at home. It is encouraging for me to see that the preservation and promotion of culture and heritage still continue during these challenging times.”
You can stay connected with Nikkei National Museum through their website, on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Art Apprenticeship Network is generously supported by RBC Emerging Artists Project.
