British Museum
Made it to the British Museum today, to see the rather disappointing Samurai to Manga exhibition, revisit the Enlightenment exhibition and check out the book sale. The Japanese galleries are shut at the moment for repairs or something, so the only Japanese stuff on display is in a tiny room near the entrance, and consists of eleven carefully-chosen items. A set of samurai armour, a haniwa figure (didn't know the BM had any of these), two ancient sword blades (one old, one ancient), two volumes of Hokusai's manga prints ("irresponsible drawings" or "drawings gone wild"), two volumes of a manga I didn't recognise (about Hiroshima), a rather nice poster of Atomic Boy, a reconstruction of an eighteenth century tea-serving automaton and a rather charming modern robot dog who squeaks when you stroke him. Interesting, but rather small. In the bookshop, I found reduced copies of the book about the Enlightenment exhibition, a big shiny book on samurai and translations of five kabuki plays, all of which I wanted, so I bet myself that they would be still there after I'd looked at the other exhibition and had some tea. Only the kabuki book was still there of course, but I argued jesuitically with myself that I would have spent twenty pounds on the two reduced books, I didn't really want the samurai book and the full-price Enlightenment book (which I did want) was twenty pounds, so that I could just buy that and still feel virtuous for not spending too much money (ahem). So I did. The Enlightenment collection remains rich and strange, and this time, as well as admiring Dr Dee's mirror of coal, I managed to locate Hans Sloane's "glove made from the beards of mussels".
Still haven't found the iPod - I am now convinced that it has incorporated itself into my bed.
Still haven't found the iPod - I am now convinced that it has incorporated itself into my bed.