Travel for Life

A Quiet Day in a Berlin Park, 1933 In the early 1930s, Takehisa Yumeji's studio became a hub for artists, inspiring ventures like the Mt. Haruna Art Research Institute. In 1931, Yumeji began a journey to the United States and Europe, supported by exhibitions of his work. While in the U.S. for 16 months, he continued to paint, creating pieces like Nude on the West Coast. Afterward, Yumeji taught in Berlin until the school was closed by the Nazis. He returned to Japan in 1933, his overseas experiences shaping his final works. His last exhibition was held in Taipei that year. Yumeji passed away from tuberculosis in 1934, leaving behind a legacy of beauty and cultural exchange. Read more:  Prints in Collection—Takehisa Yumeji (1884-1934) Kuronosuke 黒の助: a Legacy Little Black Cat   (YouTube  link ) Photo Gallery The Yumeji Art Museum in Okayama exhibits many black cat paintings because the artist, Yumeji Takehisa , frequently featured them in his work, particularly in his bij...

On August 6, 1945, an atomic bomb instantly killed an estimated 80,000 people in Hiroshima. By the end of the year, the death toll had climbed to 140,000. The video below shows the aftermath and features a translated voice-over from a survivor, accompanied by footage from the museum's clips. As I traveled through Japan, I often saw signs calling for world peace. It made me wonder if the horrors of war, especially the atomic bomb, have truly taught humanity a lasting lesson. Can we all live together cooperatively and peacefully, or is that still just a dream—a history doomed to repeat itself? The Atomic Bomb Dome: A Pilgrimage to Ground Zero   (YouTube  link ) Photo Gallery The Hiroshima Peace Memorial, also known as the Genbaku Dome, stands as a stark reminder of the world's first atomic bombing on August 6, 1945. This UNESCO World Heritage site is the preserved ruin of the former Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, which was located directly below the bomb's d...

The Portuguese Nau: A Global Explorer of the 16th and 17th Centuries Dejima was an artificial, fan-shaped island constructed in Nagasaki Bay in 1636 to segregate foreign traders from the Japanese population, initially for the Portuguese and later for the Dutch. This isolation was part of Japan’s sakoku (seclusion 鎖国令) policy under the Tokugawa shogunate. For over two centuries , from 1641 to 1859, the island served as Japan's sole official window to the West . It was here that the Dutch East India Company (VOC) established its trading post, transforming  Dejima  into a bustling hub of limited exchange.  While Japanese society remained largely closed off,  Dejima  became a vital artery for the flow of goods such as silk, sugar, and spices, as well as for a deeper exchange: the introduction of Western knowledge and ideas . This unique role cemented Dejima’s place not only in Japanese history but also in the broader narrative of global trade and cultural interac...