Daydream...or Nightmare? (Yokohama Doll Museum)

Winter break afforded me the chance for a quick trip to Yokohama to see the Daydream exhibit at the Yokohama Doll Museum, or 横浜人形の家. With a (surprisingly) enthusiastic boyfriend in tow, the whole thing was nothing short of magical.


Yokohama Doll Museum by Anna Modugno, on Flickr


Yokohama Doll Museum by Anna Modugno, on Flickr


Yokohama Doll Museum by Anna Modugno, on Flickr


Yokohama Doll Museum by Anna Modugno, on Flickr


Yokohama Doll Museum by Anna Modugno, on Flickr


Yokohama Doll Museum by Anna Modugno, on Flickr


Yokohama Doll Museum by Anna Modugno, on Flickr


...and a very happy me!!



Yokohama Doll Museum by Anna Modugno, on Flickr

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The artist is Mari Simizu, who you can find on instagram as @kajuenmari​

 

I was SO close to buying St Agnes (the nurse one) but my boyfriend dragged me away from it in the nick of time.

Did you go to this museum? This exhibit was temporary, but the permanent one is super interesting and beautiful too! It features dolls from all corners of the globe as well as really good English offerings (relative to other museums I've been to here).

It was so dreamy...I want to go back once I move out of Okinawa.

I'm so glad you enjoyed them! I'm really thankful for Japan's dedication to promoting the arts and handcrafted goods because there are so many museums like this all over the country.

Not a problem, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

 

I haven't been yet (maybe for spring break), but there's also a doll museum in Iwatsuki (Saitama), a town famous for making traditional Hina Matsuri dolls for over three hundred years. However, the museum is not just limited to Hina dolls but also features puppets, mechanical dolls and antique dolls from abroad. I can't to visit it as well.

And lastly, though unrelated to BJDs, during my day trip to Yokohama, I also went to the antique tin toy museum in Yamate-cho. There are all sorts of old tin toys, from animals, to planes, trains, war tanks and war propaganda toys. Its only 200 yen to get in and SO interesting. Not to mention the gift shop has all sorts of mini tin toys that you can buy for your dolls as props.

 

Not a problem, I'm glad you love them!

Let me know if you ever find yourself in Yokohama! I'd be glad to give you directions/exhibit info!

 

Yokohama is really a fabulous city for arts and culture! Next time you're around, definitely check out the Yamate neighbourhood, where the first foreigners settled (read: were relegated) and built western style manors during the Meiji period. It's kind of amazing to walk through and see Italian, Spanish and Victorian mansions all around you. You almost forget you're in Japan!

 

Thank you so much for the recommendation! I just ordered myself a copy on amazon

Ahh! You've seen Another?! I love that anime.

Funny story about it actually:
My co-worker and I were talking about shows we liked and she asked me in English "Do you like Another anime?"
So of course, I began telling her how much I loved it and most horror anime in general, but she looked really confused. After talking with her more, I realized that she meant to ask "Do you like any OTHER anime?"

If she had just asked me in Japanese I would have understood the first time Now she knows I like weird stuff.

 

Well, I wouldn't really call it horror, but I'm watching Devilman Crybaby right now and it's EXCELLENT (warning: very violent, lots of sex). They did a fabulous job remaking it.

And I totally understand. It wasn't until I saw what my students had trouble understanding that I realized how hard of a language english is. They have a lot of trouble with "thirty" and "thirteen". Actually, even English speakers struggle with this too. Sometimes we have to ask "Thirty three-zero? Or thirteen one-three?" because it's so hard to hear the difference. And because theres no 'si' sound in Japanese (only 'shi'), my students have a lot of trouble pronouncing and differentiating between things like "sit" and "shit".

Today we had fun learning the difference between "nicest" and "narcissist"

 

Thank you!! I'm going to the Iwatsuki Doll Museum in Saitama later this month for spring break, so I'll share lots of photos of traditional Japanese dolls after that I'm also aiming to make it to Noe cafe, where there are many dollhouses on display and the Japanese doll community often has their meetups.