Thing One: For what its worth (i.e. my tiny little outlet versus their huge one, but I made a promise to rally for contributors a long time ago…), I know that Public History Commons are looking for contributors to their History@Work series. The stories there tell of fascinating tales of researchers’ quests to find more history. Go have a look! Perhaps you’ll be interested in sharing your own experiences.
Thing Two: Yet another promise that has been dragging on: telling you about Tokyo. As a partial historian I should really have gone to Kyoto, or so they said, but that will have to wait until next time! Let’s ease ourselves in with three moments.
1. A chunk of Tokyo seen from the observatory on top of the Metropolitan Government Building (it’s free to go up there! They have friendly guides who sometimes get accosted by inquisitive tourists who keep asking questions and won’t let them them stick to the script!). Hint: Mt Fuji is not in this picture, so don’t bother looking for it. It was such a hazy day anyway you could only barely make out the snow-covered top in the distance.
2. Tokyo Science Museum. The one close to Budokan in Kitanomaru Park, if you find that easier to navigate. In short, this was very child-friendly and not at all adult-friendly. The picture shows an exhibit on the smartphone and all the machinery it can replace. That exhibit was my favourite. That said, if you are after a sciency museum, and are a party of adults, I suggest trying the one in Ueno, which my hosts were raving about; and if you’re looking for a museumy experience in Kitanomaru Park, MoMA Tokyo is my tip. (Or if you happen to share my profession, the, er, National Archives of Japan are also around the corner from Budokan.)
3. Cherry blossoms. These ones in Shinjuku Gyoen. They timed the symposium perfectly for us, and I am incredibly grateful for the hosts’ consideration. There were a lot of pinker ones, but I thought these whiter ones came out so nicely under the sun.
The Real World for Young People 