Update from JICC

The 13th Japan Matsuri was held at Trafalgar Square in London at the begining of the month. It was the first time in four years that the event was held and was a great success. In addition to various Japanese cultural performances, visitors could also enjoy a variety of Japanese food stalls, including produce from Fukushima, Hokkaido, and Kumamoto prefectures. Check here for more details about the day.

Earlier this month we launched our new exhibition at the Embassy, Wanderlust - Travel Japan through Vintage Posters. The exhibition invites you to step into a time machine and explore Japan through the lens of vintage tourism posters dating back to the 1930s-1970s, on loan from AntikBar Gallery. Capturing the essence of unexplored Japan - let the posters be your Japan guide!

Ambassador Hayashi recently made several decoration and commendation award presentations. On 26 September, he awarded the Ambassador’s Commendation to Mr John Gordon-Smith, Former Chair of the Friends of Japanese Garden at Hammersmith Park. The commendation was handed by Ambassador Hayashi at the Japanese Garden at Hammersmith Park. On 29 September, he awarded the Foreign Minister’s Commendation to Professor Roger Goodman, Nissan Professor of Japanese Studies, Warden of St Antony’s College, Oxford, and to the Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies, University of Oxford, respectively. Lastly, on 5 October, Ambassador Hayashi bestowed upon Miss Janice Brennan the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon at a ceremony held at the Ambassador's residence.

On 12 October, Ambassador Hayashi attended the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering at Buckingham Palace, where Dr SAGAWA Masato, who was awarded the prize in 2022, was honoured by His Majesty King Charles III. Read more here. Ambassador Hayashi also hosted several receptions at the Embassy this month, including the Reception for 150th Anniversary of UK-Japan Railway Friendship, jointly co-hosted by JR Central, Hitachi and MTR UK. The reception was held to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the first railway in Japan, which opened in 1872 with the cooperation of British railway technology, and to promote further friendship of the UK and Japan through railways. Read more here.

You can follow all Ambassador's latest activities via the archive here.