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    Jump to Japan
May 31, 2008

Jump to Japan: Con Foster exhibit focuses on manga, anime, culture

BY KRISTEN HAINS

TRAVERSE CITY -- With the ever-soaring price of gasoline, summer travel may be out of the question for many. But for less than the price of gallon of gasoline, it's now possible to "Jump to Japan."

A new traveling exhibit arrived at the Great Lakes Children's Museum's Con Foster location and will allow visitors to experience a taste of Japan.

"This particular exhibit is called 'Jump to Japan' and it focuses on understanding Japanese culture through the popular arts of manga, anime and wood blocks," said Mary U. Manner, director of education at the Great Lakes Children's Museum.

Manga is a form of cartooning that has been popular in Japan for years.

"What we would call comic books and graphic novels in this country, people tend to think of being something for kids and young teens," Manner said. "But in Japan, it's not uncommon to see adults reading manga on the train on the way to work."

She added that a large portion of the exhibit is devoted to manga and how such cartoons are created. Kids can learn how to create their own manga. The exhibit also has a manga store.

"In Japan there are little stores that are devoted to manga," she said. "(There are) little bookstores and that's all they sell in there. We have a manga store as part of the exhibit."

The second aspect of the exhibit focuses on anime.

"Anime is a form of animation that is modeled after Walt Disney in his work with Mickey Mouse and the early cartoons," she said.

Based heavily on Japanese folklore, anime came out in the early 1950s, Manner said.

"They represented traditional stories in Japan and one of the most famous ones is 'My Neighbor Totoro,'" she said. "'My Neighbor Totoro' is a story based on this mythological creature who kind of protects kids and a large part of the exhibit is devoted to Totoro and the cat bus, which is the wonderful form of transportation that Totoro and his friends can take to get from place to place."

The third major component of the exhibit is called Artful Traditions. "That is really an exploration into the kinds of art and activities and crafts that are pursued in a traditional Japanese home," Manner said.

Kids can learn about wood block as well as other Japanese art forms like ikebana (flower arranging) and origami (paper folding).

"Taken all together it's a pretty cool exploration of the arts as they are part of everyday life in Japan," Manner said.

The exhibit has items including dress-up clothes, hands-on activities and tables for kids to create their own manga drawings.

"This exhibit has some things that we don't typically have at the other museum," Manner said. "It has items that are being curated so that kids can look at them, but they can't handle them. But then there are lots of props that they can handle, so it's really a nice mix."

The exhibit is part of a series of exhibits that were funded by the Freeman Foundation. Manner said seven exhibits originally were created, all with the goal of providing insight into Asian culture.

Manner said the exhibit is appropriate for families with kids. She recommends it's best for children ages 3 and up.

An exhibit on Asian culture doesn't at all stray from the museum's mission of water, Manner said.

"My overarching reason for wanting to bring this exhibit is the connection between Traverse City and anywhere else in the world by way of water," Manner said. "You could get on a boat in the backyard of the Con Foster and you could go to Japan."

The Con Foster "annex" to the Children's Museum, as it is being called, is owned by the City of Traverse City. The museum is occupying the 4,200-square foot building at the old Clinch Park Zoo rent-free this summer.

"Jump to Japan" runs through Labor Day. Hours at the Great Lakes Children's Museum Annex are Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $4 per person for everyone age 2 and up; children under 2 are admitted free. For more information, call the Great Lakes Children's Museum at 932-4526 or visit www.GreatLakesKids.org.

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