Members of the Museum and sponsors had the opportunity to visit the Museum one day before the official opening: Friday Aug. 7 Evening Preview.

Compare the new hall with the Bishop Museum before restoration. It is great now how it looks and how it feels, and I surely do not miss the gruesome whaling exhibition from the 3rd floor, but... I do miss some things:

• The heritage exhibit from 2nd floor: Where did it go? The contemporary society is very multinational, its a matter of fact. Many visitors might identify themselves with the heritage of their origin, Japanese, Chinese, German, Philippinos. The exhibit was shown for half a century, it cannot be now declared meaningless, can it?
• More details about military campaigns during unification: The exhibition about Hawaiians is now extended to all 3 levels, and is still very terse about that historic development. It provides approx. one showcase per king with a few paragraphs of text, and this is it...