A VISIT TO NIKKEI PLACE AND MUSEUM

It's taken me a long time to make a point to visit the National Nikkei Museum and Heritage Centre. I used to post regular program notices for them when I wrote for Planet Eye Traveler (The Vancouver Guide) but as many times as I'd intended to take in some of their exhibits or just pass by to say hello, I didn't get around to it.

Last week, however, I needed to stop in to pick up a gift packet for the BC Travel Writer's gala in May. Once I got there, I was more than sorry I'd neglected to go sooner.

The multi-use facility houses the National Nikkei Heritage Centre and the Japanese Canadian National Museum. It's located at the corner of Sperling and Kingsway and easy to reach by public transit if you don't have a car.

The Centre promotes understanding and appreciation of   the Japanese Canadian culture and heritage and the contribution of Japanese Canadians to our Canadian society.   They offer many programs and special events including art exhibits, a speaker's series, bazaars and many other problems both for youth and elders included. There's art classes, folk dance workshops, exercise groups such as yoga, flower arranging and even a course in the traditional incense ceremony.

When I arrived at the Centre I was first impressed by the lovely gardens that surround the building. The cherry blossoms were all in bloom which seemed appropriate.  The building itself is impressive and much larger than  I'd expected.

I only stayed a short while and mainly visited the museum on the ground floor where there is an exhibit of Ryoshi: Nikkei fishing on the BC Coast. (It runs until May 19,2013). The admission is by donation.  It displays the fisherman's life from the bustling docks of Steveston to the remote inlets on the northern Coast. For many years Japanese Canadians have made a unique contribution to fishing in BC both before and after the war.

 

 

 

 

Upstairs in the museum there is an exhibit of Taiken: Japanese Canadians Since 1877. It's an ongoing exhibit so I'll have to go back and take a look. It deals with the first arrivals of Nissei in 1877 and the hardships of the early pioneers and struggles during the war years when the Japanese of the Coast were interned and their properties confiscated.

Don't pass up this interesting Museum and Cultural Centre. It's open every day but Monday.
Check their website for more information on programs and exhibits.
www.nikkeiplace.org

THE WONDERS OF KING TUT’S TOMB

Tutankhamun was an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18^th dynasty known as the New Kingdom. His name means “Living Image of Aten”, although he is popularly known as “King Tut”. He was the son of Akhenaten and one of Akhenaten’s sisters. He ascended the throne in 11333 BC at the age of nine or ten. When he became king, he married his half-sister. They had two daughters, both stillborn.

There is some believe that because Tutankhamun was the result of an incestuous relationship he may have suffered some several genetic defects that contributed to his early death. He was slight of build and about 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) tall. Research showed that he had a slight cleft palate and possibly a mild case of scoliosis. He died at the age of 19. For years, scientists have tried to unravel clues as to why the boy king died. There were several theories, one that he was killed by a blow to his head, another that his death was caused by a broken leg.  There was also the possibility of various diseases including sickle cell disease.

There are no surviving records of Tutankhamun’s final days. There was some speculation that he might have been assassinated but the general consensus is that his death ws accidental.  He was buried in a tomb that was small considering his status. Perhaps his death was unexpected before they could complete a grander royal tomb.  He faded from public interest in Ancient Egypt within a short time after his death and remained virtually unknown until the 1920’s when his tomb was found in the Valley of the Kings. His tomb was found by explorers Howard Carter and George Herbert, 5^th Earl of Carnarvon in     1922.  Although it had likely been robbed at least twice in antiquity, probably soon after the initial burial, the tomb was filled with priceless treasures.

Tutankhamun’s mummy rested in his tomb i the Valley of the Kings until November 4, 2007, 85 years to the day after Carter’s discovery, when it went on display inthe underground tomb at Luxor, when the linen-wrapped mummy was removed from its golden sarcophagus to a climbate-controlled glass box designed to prevent decomposition caused by humidity and warmth from tourists visiting the tomb.  His tomb is among the best preserved. Relics from the tomb are among the most traveled artifacts in the world.

Jewelled scarab

 

Last month I travelled to Seattle WA to see them for myself, on display at the Pacific Science Center. It was a huge thrill to step into history and see this grand exhibition.  The exhibition features more than 100 objects from King Tut’s tomb and other ancient sites that represent some of the most important rulers throughout 2,000 years of ancient Egyptian history. Many of the object had never been seen before in North America and include a 10 foot statue of the pharaoh found at the remains of the funerary temple of two of his high officials. There were displays of jewelry, furniture and ceremonial items including the boy king’s golden sandals which had been created specifically for the afterlife and still covered his feet when his mummified remains were discovered by Carter back in 1922.

King Tut's bed

Following the tour of the artifacts, there was an IMAX film, “Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs” that followed researchers and explorers as they pieced together the archaeological and genetic clues of Egyptian mummies.

The exhibition is open until January 6, 2013. Tickets are available on-line and include entrance to the Pacific Science Centre exhibits. www.pacificsciencecenter.org

Just this past week there was news that a copy of Tut’s original tomb is being built for tourists to view, in order to protect and preserve the original tomb. You can see a you-tube video about it here:

http://video.ca.msn.com/watch/video/replica-of-king-tuts-tomb-created-in-egypt/17yvkm8aa?from=en-ca-infopane

Note: No photos are allowed in the King Tut exhibit. Photos included here are from internet sources.

AN ART DECO FASHIONS EXHIBIT: Extravagent Glamour Between the Wars

This week my friend and I attended the opening of an outstanding exhibit of fashion at the Museum of Vancouver.  ART DECO CHIC: Extravagant Glamour Between the Wars is a display of sixty items of the Art Deco fashion of the 20's and 30's, curated by fashion historians Ivan  Sayers and Claus Jahnke.
The exquisite fashions bear labels of such famous fashion houses as Chanel, Lanvin, Vionnet, Patou and Schiaparelli.

We were invited to dress in the fashion ourselves and a great many of the guests did come attired in lavish outfits which made the reception preceding the exhibit opening so much fun!

Here's Jeni in her stylish outfit.

And me in mine.

The term 'Art Deco' dates back to an exhibition in Paris in 1925 that showed avant-garde creations of architects and designers. The design of the fashions marked the era and developed from the end of World War One characterized by a classic streamlined, geometric and symmetric look.

During this time in Canada women got their right to vote and chose to dress in a way that didn't objectify the female body such as the prewar styles of corsets and skirts. The new fashions showed they were politically and physically liberated. 

One of our favorite dressed on display was designed in honour of the opening of King Tut's tomb in 1922. The dress is a sandy greenish colour embroidered with Egyptian images.

By the 1930's the styles changed. The hemlines dropped and waistlines returned. By the end of the '30's skirts were full again.

1930's evening wear

It was hard to choose which were our favorites.  There were three we decided we liked best, but there are so many gorgeous gowns in the exhibit it was a difficult choice.  We both agreed that the fashions then were so becoming and feminine.  But I notice in this week's newspaper fashion edition that the style seems to be making a comeback. 

I loved this red embroidered evening dress.

 

Hat styles of the period.

1930's day wear

When I was a child, I always loved the fox and mink stoles women wore.

Accessories.  The Volkswagen Beetle was a purse. 

Gloves, shoes and accessories.

I remember when my very stylish Mom used to dress like this!

This was another one of our favorites -- a dusky mauve crepe with a dropped hemline. Very stylish!

Another favorite! 

More Accessories.

The exhibit is open until September 23 at the Museum of Vancouver, 1100 Chestnut Street.
For information on opening times and admissions:  www.museumofvancouver.com

 

 

THE BURNABY HERITAGE MUSEUM: Take a trip back in time.

The Tom Irvine House

Explore life back in the 1920’s at the Burnaby Heritage Museum, on Deer Lake Avenue in Burnaby B.C. Canada. This 10 acre site was built as a memorial to the B.C. centennial in 1958 and is a recreation of an early 1930’s community. Several original buildings and artifacts have been located here in the many interesting displays. Volunteers and staff dressed in period costumes will show you around and demonstrate at the various exhibits.

It’s a great place to visit at any time of year, but at Christmas, with the Victorian decorations and jolly holiday atmosphere, it’s especially fun. I went there with three friends for an exciting afternoon of exploring and reminiscing about the ‘olden days’.

Our first stop was the old school house where a ‘teacher’ explained the classroom routines of those long-ago days when kids of all ages shared the classroom which was heated by a wood-burning stove. Discipline was more rigid then than it is nowadays. Reading and ‘Riting and ‘Rithemtic were practiced diligently.

Next we visited one of the old bachelors homes. Tom Irvine who was a pioneer of Burnaby, and his house, built in 1911 features various items of interest including the pair of red flannel underwear laid over the bed.

The General Store

The ‘village’ includes a blacksmith shop, bank, church, general store, dentist office, pharmacy, barbershop, print shop, silent movie house and one of the most interesting places is the General Store. I’ve never failed to study in amazement the collection of items in this old store. A lot of them remind me of my own childhood, when my family lived on the prairies, such as the galvanized tin washtubs like the one I remember my Mom melting snow in for our Saturday night bath. Lots to keep you occupied in this store, a real trip down memory lane, and fascinating for modern youngsters to see what kinds of toys their Grannies and Grandpas used to play with!

The old interuban tram

The B.C. Electric Railway tram is the same one I used to ride from downtown Abbot Street to New Westminster back in the ‘50’s when it still rattled down First Avenue. I used to take it to school or we’d often take out to Royal Oak Station to visit my Auntie.
I got quite a thrill out of sitting in those antique seats again, remembering how the floorboards used to shuttle back and forth when the tram bolted down the hill on First Ave.

The highlight of the day, though, was a ride on the fully restored 1912 C.W. Parker Carousel. For two loonies ($2) you can have the thrill of a lifetime, recalling your childhood as you spin around up and down on these magnificent ponies which have been so lovingly restored. I remember this same carousel once was a featured ride at Playland, during the ‘50’s when I was in my teens. It was and still is my favorite ride!

Riding the carousel. Whee!