Bonsai is the English approximation of two characters read in Japanese as ‘bon’ (tray) and ‘sai’ (plant). This chapter traces the history of the famous art of Bonsai and illustrates its developments in Europe and the UK. 

This essay talks about five British participants of The Japan Exchange Teaching (JET) Programme. The JET Programme participants are involved in language guidance (rather than simply teaching) and are also involved in overall cultural communication. In the appendix of the chapter, the focus is on British English Teachers in Japan before the JET Programme was established in 1987. 

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. 

A display at the Museum of the Imperial Collections (Tokyo) was about three Minton dessert stands (tableware and ceramics produced in Stoke-on-Trent, specific for their western-style 1870s-1880s designs) kept by the Meiji Emperor.

Netsuke is a kind of miniature sculpture invented in Japan in the 17th century. During the 19th and 20th century, this form of art became very popular in Britain due to the small size and the ‘taste’ of Japan in it. These miniatures can be considered the precursors of modern Japanese miniature art. This article explores the lives of British collectors of Netsuke. 

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. 

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. 

Victorian writers started becoming popular in the Meiji era and their works are still discussed today, among others, by The Hardy Society, The Dickens Fellowship and The Brontë Society.