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▼ Exhibits Look To Cater To Rise in Foreign Visitors
- Category:Tourism
As the number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a record high of 19.73 million in 2015, the number of foreign travelers visiting museums and art galleries is also on the rise. What should be done to help these visitors enjoy a range of exhibitions and deepen their understanding of Japanese culture? We look at new initiatives being employed and the challenges museums and art galleries are likely to face.
Foreign visitors can be commonly spotted on weekdays at the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno, Tokyo. A 75-year-old Australian visitor with an English brochure in hand said he came to see katana Japanese swords and Japanese-style paintings.
With a smile, he added that the information he wanted was explained in his native language, so it was easy to understand.
The main building of the museum, where visitors can view Japanese art, offers brochures in eight languages: Japanese, English, traditional and simplified Chinese, Korean, French, German and Spanish. Last fiscal year, the museum printed 86,000 copies of the English brochure. Its website can also be viewed in eight languages, and exhibit labels are provided in Japanese and English.
Public relations and press curatorial planning department spokesperson Minako Miyao said: “We have established a specialized department called international relations, which handles translation work. What’s most important is user-friendliness. For example, if we were to include labels in several languages, that would detract from the exhibits.”
One solution is a smartphone app that allows users to read information about its exhibits. Currently, the Tohaku Navi app is available at no cost in both Japanese and English, and the museum aims to include other languages as well. In addition to making Wi-Fi available in the building this fiscal year to encourage visitors to use the app, the museum is also considering lending out smartphones equipped with its app.
With such services in place, the number of foreign visitors is steadily rising. According to a rough estimate by museum staff, 19 percent of visitors to the permanent exhibitions were foreigners in fiscal 2013, a figure which rose to 23 percent in fiscal 2015.
In the same fiscal year, the proportion of foreign visitors at other museums’ permanent exhibitions was as follows: 13 percent at The National Museum of Western Art; 10 percent at The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo. Foreigners accounted for 2 percent of visitors to all exhibitions at the The National Art Center, Tokyo. Other national museums are experiencing the same trend. However, not all museums and art galleries are capable of providing the same services as the Tokyo National Museum.
“Human resources are required to provide these services, and budgets are limited,” a museum spokesperson said.
President of the Japan Museum Management Academy and museology professor at the University of Tsukuba, Eiji Mizushima, put it this way:
“In terms of exhibit presentation, Japan’s museums and art galleries are world-class. However, they fall behind when it comes to internationalization such as support for foreign visitors. Museums need to work together to come up with a comprehensive solution, in addition to the museums’ own efforts.”
In the future, it could be necessary to introduce low-cost services such as the use of volunteer staff and information sharing via social media. Museums must also consider how they can provide exhibitions and services that appeal to Asian travelers from China, Korea, Taiwan and elsewhere, the largest proportion of foreign visitors to Japan.
With an eye on the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in four years, there is an urgent need for each museum to provide better support for foreign visitors. The National Art Center, Tokyo established a communications and international affairs office in June and began searching for concrete measures to put into place.
The Tokyo Games are not the goal. Comprehensive initiatives are needed that look beyond the event
Foreign visitors can be commonly spotted on weekdays at the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno, Tokyo. A 75-year-old Australian visitor with an English brochure in hand said he came to see katana Japanese swords and Japanese-style paintings.
With a smile, he added that the information he wanted was explained in his native language, so it was easy to understand.
The main building of the museum, where visitors can view Japanese art, offers brochures in eight languages: Japanese, English, traditional and simplified Chinese, Korean, French, German and Spanish. Last fiscal year, the museum printed 86,000 copies of the English brochure. Its website can also be viewed in eight languages, and exhibit labels are provided in Japanese and English.
Public relations and press curatorial planning department spokesperson Minako Miyao said: “We have established a specialized department called international relations, which handles translation work. What’s most important is user-friendliness. For example, if we were to include labels in several languages, that would detract from the exhibits.”
One solution is a smartphone app that allows users to read information about its exhibits. Currently, the Tohaku Navi app is available at no cost in both Japanese and English, and the museum aims to include other languages as well. In addition to making Wi-Fi available in the building this fiscal year to encourage visitors to use the app, the museum is also considering lending out smartphones equipped with its app.
With such services in place, the number of foreign visitors is steadily rising. According to a rough estimate by museum staff, 19 percent of visitors to the permanent exhibitions were foreigners in fiscal 2013, a figure which rose to 23 percent in fiscal 2015.
In the same fiscal year, the proportion of foreign visitors at other museums’ permanent exhibitions was as follows: 13 percent at The National Museum of Western Art; 10 percent at The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo. Foreigners accounted for 2 percent of visitors to all exhibitions at the The National Art Center, Tokyo. Other national museums are experiencing the same trend. However, not all museums and art galleries are capable of providing the same services as the Tokyo National Museum.
“Human resources are required to provide these services, and budgets are limited,” a museum spokesperson said.
President of the Japan Museum Management Academy and museology professor at the University of Tsukuba, Eiji Mizushima, put it this way:
“In terms of exhibit presentation, Japan’s museums and art galleries are world-class. However, they fall behind when it comes to internationalization such as support for foreign visitors. Museums need to work together to come up with a comprehensive solution, in addition to the museums’ own efforts.”
In the future, it could be necessary to introduce low-cost services such as the use of volunteer staff and information sharing via social media. Museums must also consider how they can provide exhibitions and services that appeal to Asian travelers from China, Korea, Taiwan and elsewhere, the largest proportion of foreign visitors to Japan.
With an eye on the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in four years, there is an urgent need for each museum to provide better support for foreign visitors. The National Art Center, Tokyo established a communications and international affairs office in June and began searching for concrete measures to put into place.
The Tokyo Games are not the goal. Comprehensive initiatives are needed that look beyond the event
- October 3, 2016
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