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Hello from Japan! is the Third in a Series of Major Cultural Exhibitions by CMOMNew York, NY – January 16, 2015 – The Children’s Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) today announced the opening of Hello from Japan!, an interactive traveling exhibit that will transport families to a present-day setting in Tokyo. The multimedia exhibit and program series will run through May 17, 2015.

The 1,500-square-foot exhibition, funded by The Freeman Foundation Asian Culture Exhibit Series, invites families to explore an immersive, child-sized Tokyo streetscape and Shinto park. Visitors will learn how time-honored Japanese traditions co-exist with the contemporary culture of kawaii-inspired graphics and products, characterized by round figures, vibrant colors and a whimsical, cute aesthetic. The contrast between modern culture and traditional Japanese practices is demonstrated through the representation of an authentic present-day Tokyo streetscape that connects to a bridge leading into a natural Shinto shrine park setting.

Based upon the colorful and bustling streets in the modern Harajuku district, Kawaii Central, explores contemporary Japanese culture by evoking the friendly feel of Japanese kawaii, an aesthetic and sensibility which emerged in the 1970s among Japanese school children and has now permeated cultures worldwide. Families are introduced to Japan’s unique culture through child-friendly characters and graphics. Visitors express their own individuality and simultaneously gain insight into modern Japanese society as they create kawaii outfits, design playful mascots, explore seasonal cuisines, practice writing Japanese characters, and sing along to Japanese children’s songs in a karaoke booth.

A bridge at the end of the streetscape leads from the contemporary urban setting into a more tranquil Shinto shrine park environment. The park explores the traditional, nature-based practices and beliefs of Shinto, an indigenous Japanese religion. Families will learn about the appreciation of diverse and powerful elements of nature. They will also be encouraged to appreciate their own local parks, trees and natural environments after they explore the shrine area’s crawl-through forest, make a wish at a large Wishing Tree, get their fortune told and encounter a few of Japan’s kami spirits.

“CMOM is committed to exploring world cultures as part of our commitment to help prepare children for the global society of the 21st century. Hello from Japan! follows major exhibitions about the dawn of western civilization in Gods, Myths and Mortals: Discover Ancient Greece and Monkey King: A Story from China about the Silk Road and Chinese culture. A fourth cultural project about Muslim cultures is under development, and the Museum is considering future exhibitions about Irish culture and pre-Columbian South America,” said CMOM’s executive director Andrew Ackerman. “Exhibiting these cultures is especially important in New York City, the most diverse metropolis on the planet, home to every people, speaking every language. In learning about our neighbors, we are learning about ourselves.”

CMOM’s director of exhibitions Tom Quaranta, said, “we chose to focus on the kawaii aesthetic since it is the basis of so many familiar icons and products, like Hello Kitty and Pokeman, that are popular in America today, and because it is an aesthetic that originated with children. It is a priority for CMOM to present authentic views of culture in a way that is fun and accessible to children and that will highlight the joy and beauty of each unique culture.”

Additionally, a full range of complementary workshops and programs will occur throughout the exhibit’s four-month run. CMOM has received a Museums for America grant of $129,217 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services that will be used to evaluate these programs. Funding for public program also comes from The Japan Foundation, Center for Global Partnership. These grants will allow CMOM to better understand how to develop and implement public programs that explore world cultures for a family audience and support children’s development as global citizens.

Advisors to the exhibition and the programming series include professors from Harvard University and Columbia University, the Japan Society, the Asia Society, and the Association for Children’s Museums.

Upon closing at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan in May, the exhibit will travel to eight other children’s museums around the country, including but not limited to: the Children’s Museum of the Upstate (Greenville, SC), Children’s Discovery Museum (Normal, IL), Mississippi Children’s Museum (Jackson, MS), Discovery Children’s Museum (Las Vegas, NV), and Hawaii Children’s Discovery Center (Honolulu, HI).

About Children’s Museum of Manhattan
The Children’s Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) is the vibrant home to 350,000 visitors a year from all segments of the NYC community and tourists from around the world. The museum’s educational mission in early childhood education, arts, creativity, health and culture thrives within our home on 83rd Street and in dozens of communities across the city as well as through national initiatives with leading authorities and government agencies. Child development is at the core of CMOM’s values and mission. Our vision is to be the bridge that connects children and adults with their community, school and home in order to prepare our children for the global world in which they live. For details regarding all of CMOM’s programs and initiatives, please visit www.cmom.org

Hello from Japan! is part of the Freeman Foundation Asian Culture Exhibit Series, funded by The Freeman Foundation and administered by Association of Children’s Museums.

The Freeman Foundation Asian Culture Exhibit Series is funded by The Freeman Foundation and administered by Association of Children’s Museums to bring outstanding interactive exhibits about Asian cultures to children, their families and school groups at children’s museums across the United States.

About The Freeman Foundation
The Freeman Foundation was established in 1993 by Mansfield Freeman, a co-founder of the international insurance and financial company American International Group, Inc. This private foundation is committed to increasing and strengthening the understanding of nations in East Asia.

About Association of Children’s Museums (ACM)
In an increasingly complex world, children’s museums provide a place where all kids can learn through play and exploration with the caring adults in their lives. There are approximately 400 children’s museums around the world, which annually reach more than thirty-one million visitors. ACM provides leadership, professional development, advocacy, and resources for its member organizations and individuals. To learn more about ACM and to find an ACM-member children’s museum near you, visit www.ChildrensMuseums.org