Asian Art Museum Field Trip

Our first field trip of the year! There is a gorgeous exhibit called Lords of the Samurai at the Asian Art Museum and when Matthew found out, it was deemed necessary that we go. Twist my arm kid. LOL What made this display even more incredible was that everything was from one family's collection. They had been samurai and daimyos for over 600 years and there were pieces dating back from the 1300s. We went with Ian and Linda and Linda had the great idea (having researched things before hand unlike me, so glad one of us is organized LOL) of having the boys do a scavenger hunt for the family crest. While Jonathan didn't fully participate in that having him write all the information down would have been a nightmare, he did go around finding it and then showing them to me. It definitely made it a bit more enjoyable for them making it into a game. The symbol was everywhere but sometimes worked in so subtly that you really had to look for it.
I really wish we were able to take any pictures at all as they had some of the most incredible things. The armor, while spectacular, was what you would expect but my favorite piece of the entire collection was probably the wakizashi with the intricate carving on the blade. It was gorgeous. Well, everything was. I am always impressed with the intricacy and detail of even the ancient pieces from the Orient. I think the boys had the most fun in the dress up room. There was a samurai helmet they could wear as well as an assortment of kimonos and mens robes. Of course, Chris is too cool for all that and stuck his nose in a manga instead. *sigh* Teenagers.
In all, it was a great time. I brought the stroller and packed Nico's DS and Leapster in his backpack so he played through the entire exhibit. We ate lunch before heading to the dress up room and then afterward we wondered through the second floor of the museum. He started getting impatient as we'd been there for 4hrs but still, that is nothing short of a miracle for him. We took them to the park across the street for a bit before heading home but that was brought to an abrupt halt when he fell and bashed his face.


But it was a great time and a great exhibit. Apparently this is the only stop it's making in the US and will be over on Sept 20 so if you have a chance, I really recommend going. I bought the family membership so we can go back with Mark and hopefully see more of the rest of the museum. Looks like we will be trying to do several more field trips with Ian and Linda this year. Have I mentioned how glad I am to be with OG where it feels so much easier to take the time off to do these things. Don't forget to check out the boys' blogs and get their impressions of the exhibit as well.