Week 3 Research: Japanese Storytelling

This week, we tried to find out the power of Japanese storytelling. We also found out the history and tradition of Osaka. What made the Osaka people so hospitality and different from the urban city since the Edo Period.

Exploration Spots (Highlighted Research Spots) :

1. 大阪生活今昔館 Osaka Museum of Housing and Living
2. 六甲山 Mount Rokkō
3. 天神橋筋商店街 Tenjinbashi Street

Due to the production week, earthquake and heavy rain, we only go to a few spots to do research.




1. 大阪生活今昔館 Osaka Museum of Housing and Living

A stage was built to imitate the old street in Osaka. Different stores and houses are designed with a story connected.

Floor Plan of the old Osaka street in the Edo Period. Different houses like the public bathhouse, backstreet tenement house, town meeting hall and the ship Tenjinmaru.

Drawings illustrate the living picture of old Osaka residents. It lets the audience have a glimpse before they go into the story stage

 

We went into the public bathhouse and watch an animation about a family living in Osaka in the Edo period. Brief history and the introduction of the museum's setting were included too. Though the animation was not that smooth, the story is attractive and I got a glimpse of the history.

SFX was projected on the ceiling to imitate different periods of time and thunder. We could feel how inconvenience the street was at night in the past as nearly could not see anything.

Details can tell a better story. The lucky spell below was put on the walls.

Toy store enables visitors to play the old Japanese toys.

During the Tenjin Festival, Osaka's merchants would decorate the stores with a tsukurimono as the festival decoration with daily objects, in order to surprise the visitors and show their hospitality.
For examples, this lion was made from mirrors, paper boxes, and futon.

It was so easy to immerse into the story by walking around the real backdrops and people who wore yukata.

The dashi (festival float) Tenjinmaru 天神丸 was displayed at the end of the street. This boat was re-built after being destroyed by fire. In Japanese tradition, it would be displayed during the Tenjin Festival and the name was taken from Tenma Tenjin Shrine.

It was told that joyous symbols were carved into the body parts. Though I could not get it, the patterns were delicate and full of Japanese symbols, like Sakura and leaves.

Art and Food. 

The kitchen was inside a dark area. The props were made as old as somebody used them before, which made the story sounds more believable.

 

There was a Shamisen performance at the backstreet.

Even these two dogs had their own name! 

 

Bamboo umbrellas.

Places for drying clothes. Residents needed to climb up and put the clothes on the bamboo sticks.

 

Followed some small footprints, we the chickens! 

Old Japanese restroom. A sign illustrated the differences between different Japanese areas in the past.

How the museum displays the old props and buildings by telling a story was interesting and attracted me to know more about the history. It was not as boring as other historical museums.

An old map displayed outside. There were a lot of changes around Shinsaibashi and the hostel we lived. However, the name was quite similar.

We went down a floor to see the changes of Tenma area.

In the third floor, mostly pictorial installation and light boxes were used to tell the story. Though the narration was in Japanese, simple animation and layout movement with pretty Japanese style illustration made the story appealing. We could understand a bit by watching the animation.

The small models came alive by just adding light projections at the top with sound effects.

They even use the floor to tell the story.

Old furniture.

How Tsūtenkaku looked like before. When Tsūtenkaku was built, there were a playground and theatre, which Osaka people did not have before. It looked like a new paradise at that time. Therefore, it was called New Osaka City. However, we thought the "New" Osaka City was too old after visiting last week.

 

We also went to the art exhibition called 商都慕情. No photos could be taken at that exhibition.

There were many paintings depicted the living life of old Osaka people and how the places evolved, such as the painting illustrated all the status of Osaka people went to celebrate the Tenjin Festival together. For examples, Tengachaya station was mostly pharmacy stores and Shinsaibashi was selling books in the past.

2. 六甲山 Mount Rokkō

Train with lovely illustrations. Simple and neat design. It made my day.

Station of Rokko cable car was designed in an England style due to the theme of the Rokko Alpine Botanical Garden.

The theme of the Rokko Alpine Botanical Garden.

Once arrived the entry of Rokkosan Pasture, we saw the cow mascot. The cow was holding a torch with a running pose, just like the athlete.

Goats could be fed.

They looked like an elderly with the tiring eyes, long beard, and slow pace.


Sheep were wandering everywhere. They were like a calm child.

Every horse had different colors and hairstyles, which made me associate with different personalities.

Black small horse with braids looked like an outgoing girl.

 

 

Rabbits!

 It seemed like each animal has its own personality by observing their movements and appearance. It was fun for me to imagine their characters and thought of what will be its role if there was an animal kingdom.

Apart from relaxing from the workload, here is a good place to study animal animations, have inspiration and imagination from them.

3. 天神橋筋商店街 Tenjinbashi Street

The characters hung outside the building were huge and remarkable. They all had different gestures but could show the power of Tenjin.

Promotions for the Tenjin Festival in July.

After visiting Osaka Museum of Housing and Living, I found out the meaning and essence of Tenjin Festival for Osaka people since Edo period. It was sad that we missed it.

However, I learned a lot of cultures and traditions in Osaka. I also realize the difference between having a good story and no story being told in the museum. Even animation was rough and we did not understand the narrative, we could still have sympathy and go into the story.

It is all about the power of storytelling.