Photo/Illutration The Amakusa Museum of Goshoura Dinosar Island opened in Amakusa, Kumamoto Prefecture, in March. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Summer vacation is a time to enjoy sports and connect with nature, but the sweltering heat can discourage people from engaging in outdoor activities.

On such occasions, museums offer an excellent and enriching escape from the scorching summer blaze. Why not explore the cool, quiet galleries of a sanctuary of knowledge and beauty, letting curiosity be the only guide to locating personal treasures?

Japan is home to thousands of museums, not only ones that are historical. There are also ones that delve into regional history, folklore, literary matters as well as natural history.

Art galleries, zoos and botanical gardens are also museums in their own way. There are museums dedicated to historical figures, local industries, railways, medicine, tea and peace, among others. It’s fun to look for museums with unusual themes.

It’s impossible to see every exhibit and read every description in a museum, but just rushing through the exhibition rooms is a waste of a precious opportunity. What are you interested in seeing? Sparkling minerals? A warrior’s sword? Think about it before you go.

Marvel at the huge whale skeletons towering above or let yourself be surprised at the unexpectedly small size of the famous “King of Na gold seal,” designated by the government as a national treasure. Seeing such things up close may defy your expectations.

The texture and visual power of the exhibits and the atmosphere of the museum itself are impossible to grasp through images available online. Try to take in everything with all your senses.

In the exhibition room, take your time to observe the objects carefully, looking at every detail. The descriptions can help visitors understand the significance of the specimens and reveal things they might not have noticed.

Some explanations can appear to be lacking. A gap between the information you want and what is provided is natural since there are infinite ways to see things and there is no single right answer.

Enjoy your own discoveries, and don’t hesitate to put any questions you have to the museum staff.

Naoko Iwasaki, who is a professor at the Kyoto University Museum, suggests that people try to find things that interest them personally. That becomes your personal “must-see” item.

For instance, you might be amused at an insect placed in the corner of a diorama that recreates a natural landscape or feel a sense of history when you see an exhibit with a label faded by time.

When you choose just one item to recommend to someone, it is surprisingly challenging to explain the reasons for the choice. Thinking about why you chose it can lead to a deeper exploration and might even reveal more topics you want to investigate.

Adults should let children explore freely and value the moments when they stop to look closely at something. If they concentrate on something, it could be an opportunity for them to discover their passion.

Museums house natural assets as well as a wealth of human history, along with cutting-edge contemporary research findings. They are gifts to future generations. What you see in the exhibition room is only a fraction of the vast collection carefully selected by curators and researchers.

Maintaining the collection is also an essential task for museums. No item should be treated carelessly or thrown away casually.

Collections that may seem mundane and are stored away could one day become the theme of someone’s research driven by solid curiosity and lead to new discoveries.

And that someone could be you.

--The Asahi Shimbun, July 20

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