Museum Day

Yesterday was one of those gloomy-type days, where even if it stopped raining it wasn't worth going to any of Tokyo's outdoor sights because it would look like it was just pulled from the washing machine. So, I decided to check out a few of Tokyo's myriad museums.

The day started at the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, where I saw an odd-looking exhibit on seasons. Many of the pictures were of random things and were (artistically, I suppose) out of focus, and for a moment made me wonder why I've been wasting my time taking pictures in focus. Then I realized that's kind of counterproductive and decided I would indeed continue to take pictures in focus.

Ebisu, where the photography museum is, happens to also be the home of the Yebisu Beer Museum. This museum is on the location of the original Sapporo brewery, kind of the heart of the beginning of the Japanese beer indistruy, which, if you have a look around on a Friday night, is doing quite well. The entrance to the museum was guarded by two novelty-sized beer cans.

In the middle of the museum, which was set up with a kind of rotunda in thie middle and exhibits all around, was somebody playing the piano gently. Let me just say there is nothing like learning about the beer-making process while listening to renditions of "Beauty and the Beast" and "Somewhere over the Rainbow." It adds to the experience in a way I could not have anticipated.

They also had a little show about the purity of Sapporo beer. This was one of those deals where it's a solid set, but computer images of actors are portrayed on it. This is how the story went:

The setting: a cheerful morning in Any-prefecture, Japan. A suspended Sapporo bottle pours cyber-beer into a glass, the golden hue as pure as the light of the sun. Suddenly, we see a fairy-looking creature rise up out of the glass holding the beer. Out walks a King of some kind (maybe bakufu?), clearly in need of a cold one. The fairy encourages the King to try some of the beer that she just flew out of (sanitary?). He tries some and it is delicious.

However, at this point, a bad guy shows up on the other side of the stage. He waves a magic wand and using voodoo makes the beer disappear!

At this point, I'd like to point out, a 5-year old girl has leaned up against the glass, staring intently at the action.

The bad guy then fills his own glass with what looks like water, which then becomes fire, and then acid, and then somehow turns it into beer. The King is invited over to try it, and he does, and it makes him physically sick.

All of the sudden, then, a Sapporo brewer comes out on the other side. He then begins to go through the beer-making process with the audience (me and 5-year old girl), and we see the contrast between brewing the natural, Sapporo way, and the voodoo heeby-jeeby way of the bad guy (who looks like some sort of devil creature one might see at a Chinese New Year parade).

The King, still recovering from the taste of the voodoo beer, tastes this regular beer, which has once again been poured from the suspended Sapporo bottle, says its delicious, and has a big smile on his face. The bad guy disappears, the fairy returns to her post inside the glass of beer, and it's over.

"Tales as old as time,
rising from the east..."

I made my way over to the gift shop then, where the following items were for sale:

Beer soap
Beer candy
Beer chocolate
Beer jelly (?)
Beer crackers
Beer t-shirts
Beer soy beans
Rice made with hops (I think. One of the ladies working there [it was all ladies] handed me a sample cup of rice, and I asked if it was beer rice, and she said no, and maybe then said the word for hops, but I do not know the word for hops)
The only thing not for sale at the gift shop?

Beer.

(To be fair, there was a tasting lounge, but still.)

Besides all that, I'm all set to move into my new apartment starting Monday, but it will take a few days to get all my stuff there. Surely that will warrant a post or two (with pictures), so please keep reading.