Cool Japan exhibit: kawaii (part 3)

In this Kawaii room, you can find all kinds of cute things and the pink lights makes everything extra bubblegum adorable. The first things that caught my eyes are the cute and colorful outfits of which one is coordinated by Kurebayashi Haruka, a famous Harajuku street fashionista. 
 Museum Volkenkunde Cool Japan coordination (outfit) by Kurebayashi Haruka



I have somehow taken the picture above in a strange angle, as it somehow makes it look like the mannequin is doing some kind of karate move, but she is actually portraying the signature cute pose of innocently putting the hands and knees together.
 Museum Volkenkunde Cool Japan kawaii fashion

In the small room behind the glass doors, you can find a purikura spot, where you can take a cute selfie, which can be send to your emailadress, and these large wheels on which colorful toys are stuck. I really like the idea and I wanted to do this myself one day, by sticking all the toys I played with as a child with superglue on a wheel and displaying this in my bedroom. It is however a hell to clean the dust off though, so I am not sure if I should do it. 
 Museum Volkenkunde Cool Japan blob of cute toys

Instead, I would rather have these cute plushies stuck on my wall, as caressing them had a healing effect on me.


Museum Volkenkunde Cool Japan plushies Hello Kitty

The Hello Kitty pumps are really cute too.
 Museum Volkenkunde Cool Japan Hello Kitty pumps

One of the highlights of this exhibition are the art works from Yoshitomo Nara. I have always liked his work and I even jokingly said that I would give my future daughter the signature short bangs hair cut. I think it would actually look cute, as in some angles and with certain facial expressions, my mom looks similar to Choo Sarang from the Korean TV show, The return of Superman.    

There are three of his art works: Otafuku II (the large silver head), the round painting M.I.A. (missing in action), and Sleepless night (a sitting child statue). I feel like I can relate to the children in his art. I also looked cute as a kid, but I was always grumpy due to lack of sleep, I was filled with anger and sadness, and I had moments of evilness, when I needed to defend myself against demons. It makes me think about the happy, superficial image that we send out to the world, while a lot of things are hidden from our sight. There is more than what you can see on the surface.

Museum Volkenkunde Leiden Netherlands Yoshitomo Nara Otafuku II M. I. A. Missing in action
Museum Volkenkunde Leiden Netherlands Yoshitomo Nara Sleepless night

Only people who have watched the Korean TV drama, Saimdang, will understand this, but I still wanted to share this find of mine. In the Kawaii room, you can find a painting of puppies, which reminded me of the painting by Lee Gyeom, and in the Japan and Korea exhibit room, you can find a painting of grapes, which reminded me of the grape vine drawing on the dress by Saimdang. It is like their fate. Although their paintings are in the same museum, they are part of different exhibits. They are walking next to each other, but their roads are parallel, never crossing with each other. I am such an hopeless romantic.     

Museum Volkenkunde Leiden grapes cat puppies wall scroll paintings


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Part 3 - Cool Japan exhibit: kawaii 



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