This is the story of dancer and producer Itō Michio (1892-1961). The highlights of this article are his years in Germany, England and America, where he developed his career. 

Japanese art became fashionable in Britain in the second part of the 19th century, when Japanese native art dealers started to arrive in London. This chapter tells the story of these art dealers, mainly concentrating on the life of Katō Shōzō (1863-1930) and Tomita Kumasaku (1872-1953). 

Lisa Ingeborg Van den Bergh (1912-2014), also known as Lady Sainsbury was a prominent figure in Britain for promoting art. Her deep interest in and strategic support for Japanese art did not receive too much attention, therefore this chapter aims at exploring this side of her life. 

Charles Rennie Mackintosh and his group called ‘The Four’ or the ‘Mac’ group, were involved in the 1880s and 1890s with the Glasgow Style of design. This essay illustrates how their arts have been influenced by Japan and Japanese art. 

This chapter focuses on Marianne North (1830-1890) who was a traveller, botanist and artist. She has been travelling in Japan between November and December of 1877. She travelled to Yokohama, Tokyo, Kobe and Osaka; there are records of her entire journey. Whilst in Japan she did many paintings of gardens, flowers and landscapes, her speciality.

Shimaoka Tatsuzō (1919-2007), a Japanese master potter, also considered a ‘Living National Treasure’, furthered the relationship between Japan and Britain in ceramics. The chapter covers his life and experiences, including the ones in America and UK where he became known for his art. Appendix 1 explains how life was as an apprentice of Shimaoka, while appendix 2 shows some examples of Shimaoka’s ceramics. 

Chapter 63 concentrates on The Royal Academy of Arts and Japan, covering 140 years of activities. Highly relevant events are analysed here. More specifically, among others, The Great Japan Exhibition of 1981-1982 and an exhibition of the most distinguished Japanese woodblock designer, Hokusai. 

This last chapter explores the establishment and evolution of the UK-Japan 21st Century Group, created in 1984 as the UK-Japan 2000 Group after a joint recommendation of (at the time) Japanese Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The Group still remains a major non-governmental forum that brings together influential Japanese and British figures.