At Last, Finally....The Mingeikan HP

I've been talking with a few directors at the Japan Folk Craft Museum (Nihon Mingeikan) for years now, " Ya'all need a web site! So many people in the world love this place yet can't find any information on the Net (except what was on e-yakimono.net)." One forward looking person agreed, yet to get the other directors to agree was something else. Getting wa--harmony--for decisions in Japan is paramount, and that often means long meetings, and then getting everyone's hanko (seal) on paper; that can often takes years, as it did with the Mingeikan. Museums are often in a financial pinch and the Mingeikan is no different, maybe even more so than others. Fine art has many fans yet fans of mingei seem to be dwindling. How unfortunate that is! With Japan full of 100 Yen shops, people are losing the sense of what 'value' something has other than cost.
Anyway, the wheels were set in motion after I introduced the Mingeikan to Mark Schumacher(the web designer who has done my web sites along with many others, a great talent he is/ his HP is http://www.onmarkproductions.com/) and he designed a wonderful site, after nearly pulling out all his hair at the back-and-forth-and back-and forth-and back...between Mingeikan management and curators. Luckily, he has enough patience---most of the time--to deal with it. And so, voila!: http://www.mingeikan.or.jp/
It's a splendid bi-lingual site with fabulous photos and Mark's easy to navigate design. I'm hoping they also create an online store selling what they offer in the gift shop there. Please do tell anyone interested in mingei about the web site, the Mingeikan needs our support!