Make the journey to picturesque Shimane this autumn and immerse yourself in the world of fashion designer Hanae Mori, whose remarkable life and career are being honoured with a large-scale retrospective at the Iwami Art Museum.
While the exhibition offers a comprehensive look at the Iwami native’s astonishing career in high fashion, which took her from one of the most rural corners of Japan to the hallowed halls of Parisian haute couture, the museum is also offering a programme of cultural tours for those seeking deeper insight into the landscapes and traditions that influenced Mori.
Two half-day tours, both led by an Iwami Art Museum curator, are available. Tour 1, entitled ‘Color Resides in Everyday Life’, runs from 9am to 4.10pm and includes a guided visit to the exhibition, a tea leaf picking experience, lunch with the curator, and an introduction to pan-roasting tea followed by a tasting. This tour is offered on October 2 and 15 and November 7, 19 and 28.
Tour 2, entitled ‘Touching, Revealing, Interpreting’, takes place from 1pm to 9.40pm and focuses on washi paper, one of the Iwami region’s traditional products. Participants will visit a washi workshop and try their hand at paper-making, followed by a guided visit to both the Hanae Mori retrospective and a concurrent exhibition on washi paper at the same museum. After dinner with the attending curator, the tour concludes with an after-dark performance of Iwami Kagura, a dynamic type of sacred dance unique to the region and famed for its vibrant costumes made from washi. Tour 2 is available on October 11 and 18 as well as November 3 and 22.
The fee for each tour is ¥20,000, which includes interpretation, transportation, meals and museum admission. You can book your spot here.