＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49) on X
Natsume Soseki (1867–1916) is perhaps the most familiar literary figure to Japanese people. He is personally my favorite author, and a great figure who serves as my spiritual backbone.
1. The Soseki Museum, London
While studying abroad in London, there was a “Soseki Museum, London,” but it closed in 2016 due to declining visitor numbers and maintenance costs.
However, due to strong demand from Soseki scholars and fans wanting to view the materials, it reopened in 2018.
The Soseki Museum, London, is not run by the government or any public organization. Rather, it is a private museum opened in 1984 by Ikuo Tsunematsu, a renowned Soseki scholar, who purchased the house directly across from Soseki’s final lodgings at his own expense.
The museum houses a wealth of materials essential to Soseki research, including books about Soseki, magazines that Soseki is believed to have read while studying abroad, books he purchased, and copies of his appointment letters from the Ministry of Education.
Even the Emperor visited in 1984, when he was still Prince Hiro.
In the 32 years since its opening, the museum has been an indispensable place for Soseki researchers and fans, but apart from a small admission fee, all operating costs, maintenance costs, and material collection expenses have been self-funded by Tsunematsu Ikuo, and it seems that he has reached his limits. With the 100th anniversary of Soseki’s death approaching, this seems to have been considered a turning point.
The museum reopened in May 2019 at Tsunematsu Ikuo’s home in Surrey, south of London. From February to September, the museum is open to the public only three times a week, by advance reservation via email.
I think it’s only natural that government subsidies should be available for cultural projects like this, which Ikuo Tsunematsu has personally funded over the years…
Rather than providing subsidies to projects like the Aichi Triennale 2019, which featured “After Freedom of Expression,” a “biased political campaign that could hardly be called art” (and was subsequently canceled), I believe government subsidies should be directed toward valuable, long-lasting cultural projects like the London Soseki Museum, where Ikuo Tsunematsu has personally funded and preserved materials related to Natsume Soseki, a Japanese treasure.
2. Soseki Museums in Japan
Incidentally, there is another “Soseki Memorial Museum” in Japan: the Shinjuku Ward Soseki-Sanbo Memorial Museum.
Shinjuku Ward is the place where Soseki was born, raised, and spent the rest of his life, so it could be said that he has the deepest connection to him.
<Exhibition Contents>
(1) Graphic panels and videos providing basic information about Soseki’s life, personality, family, and more.
(2) A reproduction of Soseki’s study, “Soseki-Sanbo.”
(3) Drafts and first editions of novels.
(4) Letters and postcards.
<Address> 7 Waseda Minami-cho, Shinjuku-ku, 162-0043
<Telephone Number> 03-3205-0209 <Fax Number> 03-3205-0211
<Opening Hours> 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM (Admission until 5:30 PM)
<Closed> 1. Mondays (or the following day if Monday is a national holiday), 2. New Year’s holidays, 3. Other temporary closures for facility maintenance
<Admission Fee> Adults: 300 yen, Elementary and Junior High School Students: 100 yen
(However, admission is free for elementary and junior high school students during school holidays.)