The Men’s Shed have recently embarked on an exciting collaboration with the British Museum. As part of the project, they were invited to the museum- here is an account of the day from one of our Men’s Shed group members:

Today is a day to remember for eight members of the Men’s Shed, who attended a lecture on Japanese culture at the British Museum in London. We arrived to a warm welcome from Regan, an American from North Carolina, who took us under her wing for the day.

We began with food and refreshments with Regan and her assistant before setting off on their museum journey/tour. The theme for the day was ‘Games’, and how they have influenced our/people’s lives and interactions over numerous Centuries.

In the conference room, we gathered around various artifacts on display and encouraged to discuss what purpose they may have served. Then, we were led through a myriad of passages in the Museum, until we were met by a Japanese Culture expert, Mr Alfred Haft.

Mr Haft was not only engaging, but he was captivating in his knowledge of Japanese Leisure activities.  He explained the methods that they used at the time to print these games, paper was not widespread, so he explained how they were printed on reed paper known as “Washi” and how the games often carried hidden messages that reinforced social status—concepts still present in Japanese society today.

 

After the lecture, we were given another mini tour of the Museum, whereby we went into the African Section and saw many fascinating artifacts, including African tribal masks.  Again, Regan and her colleagues were ready and eager to answer any questions we had.

We rounded off the day with further refreshments, closing out a memorable day filled with interest, learning, discussion, and camaraderie.

 

We cannot thank the staff at the Museum enough, and we must also mention (and thank), Graham Reeves, St Luke’s Men’s Development Worker, who played an integral role in making all this possible.

For more information about our Men’s Shed group, please contact reception or [email protected]