The Grand Shrine of Izumo is one of the oldest and most important Shinto shrines in Japan. It is also the top tourist destination in Shimane Prefecture, drawing as many as eight million visitors annually to the small town of Izumo, situated 34 kilometers west of Matsue, the prefectural capital. Yet most visitors move on after paying their respects at the shrine, missing out on the opportunity to learn about the surrounding city. This is a shame, as just a short walk from the shrine is a charming museum that offers a window on the rich traditional arts and culture of the Izumo region. more...

Normally when we refer to "decoration," we use the word in the ornamental sense, such as the decorating of a Christmas tree or a wedding cake. The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines decoration as "something that adorns, enriches, or beautifies." The fact is, however, that decoration is so ubiquitous that we tend to forget it permeates our lives to such a degree that it is invisible. If we view decoration as any gesture that goes beyond pure functional necessity, we can understand that there is virtually nothing in our lives that has not been formed, crafted, or designed by an outside hand. Interestingly, when we honor a type of decoration we refer to it as an art, but the reality is that decoration transcends art by permeating and contextualizing our everyday lives. The act of decorating is timeless, and as such provides the theme of the current exhibition at the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, Decoration never dies, anyway. more...