Wells Coates (1895-1958) was an eminent figure in the British Modern Movement, and an avant-garde architect-designer who made frequent reference to his upbringing in Japan.

This essay details Britain's changing attitudes towards Japanese Architecture between 1862 and 1919, including thoughts from Rutherford Alcock, James Jackson Jarves, E.W. Godwin, Josiah Conder, Christopher Dresser, Edward S. Morse, Charles Rennie Mackintosh and William Morris.