Vol. 26: FROM THE EDITOR

Personally, there is not much I like more than visiting art museums. When I travel, my primary objective is usually to visit a museum, exhibition or art event, and my choices of restaurants and accommodation all revolve around that main goal. So not being able to travel during the pandemic years was particularly difficult to bear.

And of course, if an art museum visitor felt that way, imagine how the museum staffers felt. Many were already dealing with difficult financial situations, and then the flow of visitors ground to a halt.

In this month’s special feature, we speak to someone who is better placed than most to provide some reassurance to Japanese museums. Art historian Sophie Richard first visited Japan in 2004, and since then she has traveled to regional cities and towns to visit art venues that even Japanese people rarely get to. In 2014, she compiled her selection of more than a hundred into a book. In this month’s interview, we sit down with her to discuss the charm of Japanese art and culture, and the challenges around how it might be passed on to future generations.