Honolulu’s Museum of Art, located about thirty minutes from the Ko Olina Beach Villas, is currently hosting an exhibit titled “War Torn Hearts: Political Propaganda in Japanese Romance Novels”.
The exhibition explores romance novels from Japan’s Meiji Period, which lasted from 1868 through 1912. Many of these stories featured strong female protagonists as they faced heart-wrenching plights. Kuchi-e woodblock prints were a popular art form during this era, and often depicted scenes from the ongoing Russo-Japanese war. Their appearance in romance literature at the time articulated the parallels of a woman’s internal battle and Japan’s external war.
The exhibit is open to the public and included in the price of admission. Admission costs $10 for adults, and is free for children 17 and under. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 am through 4:30 pm and Sundays from 1:00 to 5:00 pm. For more information, check out https://honolulumuseum.org/.
