WE TRAVELLED TO JAPAN WITHOUT LEAVING MADRID

Autumn has arrived. The rain, the chill, the leaves falling from the trees... Everything becomes an idyllic place in which to make indoor plans. As you and I have often said, here, in petit comité, we often look for something more than "having a drink" when making plans, and even more so when it comes to indoor plans. It seems that the only activity in this city is spending money on eating and drinking or staying at home (and spending money on eating and drinking by ordering food). Therefore, it is the perfect time to experience the new museums - or that's what I call them.

The Spirit of Japan at NOMAD

We associate the concept of a traditional museum with silence, with enormous spaces, with very high ceilings, with a predominance of white stones, marble, respect. Places that impact and impose, with their room guards, their safety distances, benches in the center of infinite rooms. An almost religious space, in which respect and decorum are essential to be able to be privileged to participate in that environment. If not, bye.

This has changed. Even though the classic museums still exist – and their existence is very necessary – the world (of reels and tiktok) has been filled with countless "experience" museums, in which it seems that everyone is competing to be the most, no matter what. The most instagrammable (although almost all of these places have this in common), the most different, the most interactive, the most impressive, the most expensive? In any case, and although sometimes I consider them just another way of being the most pedantic trying to be the coolest, there are some that I think offer us enriching experiences, that are fun, that you learn from and that are not just a showcase for your photos.

The Spirit of Japan at NOMAD

In my quest to explore this recent world that is expanding like wildfire, and that we will see if it does not disappear just as quickly, I went to travel to Japan without leaving Madrid on my visit to The Spirit of Japan at NOMAD, a museum dedicated exclusively to these immersive exhibitions that I was talking about.

The Spirit of Japan consisted of an interactive trip to Japan through its illustrative art and its peculiarities and characteristics that we like so much. It was divided into two spaces: the main one and the interactive one. In the main space we found the –already typical– room full of projections on all the walls and on the floor, with mirror columns and a lot of poufs to lie down on and enjoy an audiovisual experience worthy of an ASMR night. In the second space, the so-called activity room, was a place with different activities in which you could learn more about Japan while bringing out your inner child. Continuing with that relaxing experience, there were tables where you could do a colouring session, colouring typical Japanese illustrations, painting on huge digital screens or enjoying those illustrations you have coloured in an even more immersive way with virtual reality glasses.

The Spirit of Japan at NOMAD

It was certainly a different afternoon in which my inner child was very happy. However, I think they could do a lot more with what they had, improve the experience or make it more modern. Today's world is moving at almost impossible speeds and I understand that it is difficult not to be left behind in a matter of seconds, so I encourage you to be the judge for yourself. For me it was cool, but I feel that perhaps it is not worth the money I paid (about €20).