Half the fun really can be getting there. It helps to be
flying instead of driving long hours. It also helps if you pass through the San
Francisco International Airport. They’re just finishing up a wonderful exhibit
on Japanese Toys from Kokeshi to Kaiju put on by the San Francisco Museum.
Who knew that toys could be quite so much fun? Because I was
simply trying to kill time between flights on my way to Left Coast Crime, the big West Coast annual mystery conference, I
happened to walk through Terminal 3 instead of taking the tram. I was
completely delighted by the display of all kinds of Japanese toys.
The exhibit had old-style toys that were built during the
Meiji period. It had wind-up toys and battery-operated toys and toys modeled
off German and U.S. versions.
The most fabulous ones stemmed from Japanese TV, movies, and
manga. There were Godzillas and speedmobiles, Ultramen, robots, and superpowers.
One of the most surprising displays? A big pink and white
dress made of Hello Kitties.
I went through the exhibit several times, taking pictures,
taking everything in. Then I started people-watching. At first I had assumed
the exhibit was for kids, but adults were stopped dead in their tracks at
nearly every display. They were scrambling to find their cameras. They were
taking pictures of the displays and posters and taking pictures of themselves
with those displays. I had to really fight to get a picture with the Hello
Kitty dress, for example!
At first I was puzzled as to why there were so many adults happily
snapping pictures. Then I finally got it. It wasn’t that they were bored and
trying to waste some time between flights. They were enjoying the rare opportunity
to look creativity in the face and say, I love you.
That’s an important moment indeed.
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