Japan House London presents the history of Japanese people in the UK through a photographic slideshow drawn from rare archival collections, shedding light on the ways in which Japan and the UK have influenced one another over time.
This limited-time slideshow revisits Japanese in Britain 1863–2001, a photographic exhibition organised by the Japan Association in the UK and presented at venues across the UK between 2001 and 2002. It introduces the experiences of Japanese people in the UK from the late nineteenth century to the 1980s and extends the narrative to cover developments from the 1990s to the present day.
Through photographs and personal stories, Japanese in the UK explores the history of Japanese people in the UK, beginning with the arrival of the first Japanese students in 1863. It documents how generations of students, diplomats, seamen, businesspeople, artists and families contributed to the development of Anglo-Japanese relations and became part of the UK’s multicultural society.
This programme forms part of a wider series of events, which also includes a talk with the Japan Association in the UK on 8 October.
The slideshow is held in conjunction with the Japan House London exhibition Kyotographie: Kawada Kikuji x Iwane Ai, which focuses on Japanese immigration to Hawaii as part of its wider narrative.
About the Japan Association in the UK
The Japan Association in the UK (JA) was established in November 1996 with the aim of fostering a sense of community and providing mutual support for the growing number of Japanese residents in the UK. Initially named the Japanese Residents Association, it was renamed the Japan Association in the UK in 2011 and officially registered as a charity in January 2012. Since 2015, the Honorary President of the association has been the Consul General of Japan in the UK. Currently, Consul General Kajita Takuma holds this position.
Main image: The Chōshū Five at the University College, London, 1863 (Courtesy of Yamamoto Sukeyoshi and Yamamoto Kimiko)
Supported by 1 supporter.
