Art museum in Osaka Pref. appoints int'l student ambassadors to boost visitors
With recent attendance lagging due to low name recognition, the Kuboso Memorial Museum of Arts, Izumi, hopes these ambassadors will promote the museum on social media and attract more inbound tourists.
13,000 items, but sluggish attendance
The museum was established in 1982 after Kuboso, a company that had operated in the cotton industry for a century since the Meiji era (1868-1912), closed its business and donated its art collection, building, land and financial endowment to the Izumi Municipal Government. Among its holdings, the calligraphic work "Kasen Uta-awase" (A competition comparing coupled poems by poetic immortals) from the Heian period (794-1185) and the "'Bansei,' celadon vase with phoenix handles, Longquan ware" from China's Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279) are designated national treasures.
Additionally, 29 works, including the artwork "Shrike in barren tree" by Miyamoto Musashi (1584-1645), are national important cultural properties. Of the approximately 13,000 items in the collection, about half are works by renowned ukiyo-e artists such as Kitagawa Utamaro (1753-1806), Toshusai Sharaku of the late Edo period (1603-1867) and Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849).
However, after peaking at 47,321 visitors in its opening year, fiscal 1982, attendance has stagnated. Recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic has also been slow, with only 20,744 visitors in fiscal 2024 -- fewer than half the highest number.
Aiming for 50,000 visitors
To turn things around, the museum, in cooperation with Momoyama Gakuin University, which has a campus in Izumi, appointed three Japanese university students, five international students from Vietnam, Mongolia and India, as well as other individuals as ambassadors. In exchange for three years of free admission, ambassadors are expected to actively participate in museum events and promote the facility on social media. It has set a target of 50,000 visitors for fiscal 2025.
Ha Thi Kim Nhien, 23, an international student from Vietnam, said, "The atmosphere is calm, and I want to bring my friends." Another ambassador, Kirari Takahashi, 18, commented, "This is my first visit. Even among the authentic works, there are pop elements that young people can enjoy. I want to share that the museum has genuine paintings."
Two assistant language teachers from the United States also serve as ambassadors. One of them, Nguyen Amy Thien Anh, 29, said, "I was moved by the works. I want to introduce this wonderful museum to the world."
Osaka Expo-driven initiatives
Akira Fujiwara, president of the city's cultural promotion foundation, which operates the museum, said, "We hope to raise our profile overseas through Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, and increase inbound tourists. We expect the ambassadors to share the facility's charms from the perspective of young people."
In conjunction with the Expo, the museum will hold five monitor tours for a total of 80 foreigners. Until Aug. 17, it is hosting the exhibition "Welcome to Osaka, Welcome to Nippon -- Noted Naniwa Spots and the Pictorial Record of Japanese Products," featuring ukiyo-e prints popular among foreign visitors.
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