A press briefing is held to introduce the new Culture Discovery Box focusing on Japan, at the National Folk Museum of Korea in Seoul on Dec. 5. Curator Gu Min Gyeong explains the randoseru (란도셀, ランドセル), a backpack used by Japanese elementary school students.
The maneki neko, the yukata and a doll from the movie “My Neighbor Totoro” (1988) are some of the Japan-related items that are packed into the National Folk Museum of Korea’s new educational box about Japan. These are all popular Japanese items that are also familiar with many Koreans.
These educational boxes are part of the Culture Discovery Boxes program, which the National Folk Museum of Korea has been running since 2010.
The museum launched the program in order to reduce misunderstanding or prejudice between Korea and other countries, and to let Korean children learn about various aspects of other countries.
In 2010, the museum developed the Culture Discovery Boxes program to introduce Vietnam and Mongolia. Since then, it has chosen one country and one new box per year: the Philippines in 2011, Korea in 2012, Uzbekistan in 2013, Indonesia in 2014 and China in 2015.
Culture Discovery Boxes are filled with various Japanese items that boost the curiosity of children.
Dubbed as “Konichiwa Japan,” this year’s Culture Discovery Box begins with a story about experiencing Japan by visiting the houses of two Japanese children, Daro and Rino.
These boxes help people widen their understanding about Japan by showing various items that are popular in Japan, such as the randoseru backpack widely used among Japanese elementary school children, especially when they start go to go school. There’s the koinobori or carp-shaped streamers that symbolize growth and success in a boy’s career, the yukata traditional attire that overseas tourists to Japan can see everywhere, and even items from “My Neighbor Totoro,” an internationally popular animated film character. There are many other items that represent Japanese traditions, history and society, too.
Culture Discover Boxes contain a wide range of content, not only things about Japanese traditions, but also cartoon and anime characters, too.
Museum curator Gu Min Gyeong said, “We worked hard to produce the Culture Discovery Boxes Japan by making visits and cooperating with international exchange organizations in Japan, and through consultations with experts.”
“We hope these boxes can help children better understand Japan in various, interesting manners, as they can enjoy a range of experiences, such as watching, listening, feeling, imagining, touching and even wearing, all things Japanese” she said.
By Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: Yoon Sojung
arete@korea.kr
