Hearing the name of great author Ogai Mori (1862-1922), known for such novels as "Maihime" (The Dancing Girl) and "Sansho Dayu" (Sansho the Bailiff), may remind you of his distinctive mustache and sharp eyes.
People may imagine him as someone who would have been hard to approach, as he is one of the literary giants of the Meiji era (1868-1912.) However, visitors to the Mori Ogai Memorial Museum will see the human side of Ogai, different from his image as an author (he is commonly referred to by his first name).
Kancho-ro is the residence where Ogai lived with his family for 30 years until his death. Ogai chose the name, which means "ocean-view tower," because the ocean could be seen from the second floor of the building. The Bunkyo Ward municipal museum opened on the site of the residence in 2012, the 150th anniversary of his birth. It possesses about 15,000 items, mainly letters, and holds special exhibitions twice a year in addition to its permanent displays.
"We change exhibitions so that visitors can enjoy Ogai's different 'faces.' I think visitors can enjoy the museum not only once but many times," said Mizuho Tsukada, 44, deputy director of the museum.
In the permanent exhibition, Ogai's life of 60 years is divided into 11 periods such as "childhood," "studying in Germany," and "Kancho-ro." Relevant pictures and letters for each period are exhibited along with explanations.
There is a section where postcards sent to Ogai by Soseki Natsume and other people are displayed on a touch-panel screen.
When Ogai got remarried at age 40 to a 21-year-old woman, Ogai poked fun at himself in a letter to a friend, saying, "What am I doing at my age?" while boasting that his young wife was "like a work of art."
A plate with a cute horned owl drawn by Ogai is also on exhibit, along with other items, letting visitors enjoy unexpected aspects of the great author.
A cafe on the first floor serves tea made from leaves produced in Germany, where Ogai studied. People can pretend to be the literary giant for a while by enjoying tea while looking at a ginko tree that is said to have been there since the time of the original Kancho-ro building. A great marble bust placed at the entrance reminded me of an image of Ogai that I'd seen in a textbook. After looking over the whole exhibition, however, the bust's expression seemed to have softened.
-- Mori Ogai Memorial Museum
A popular dish at the Morikine Cafe on the first floor of the museum is the Morikine Plate, a Germanic meal consisting of sausages, corned beef and pretzels (500 yen).
Address: 1-23-4, Sendagi, Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo
Open: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Last entry is at 5:30 p.m.), Closed on the fourth Tuesday of each month (Closed on the following day if the fourth Tuesday is a national holiday.)
Admission: 300 yen per person, free for junior high school students and younger
Information: (03) 3824-5511
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