Have you ever visited Japan House on Kensington High Street? No? Are you curious about Japan House? Well, let me tell you all about it! (As usual, you’ll find all the practicalities at the end of the article.)

Japan House London: An Overview

Japan House, in Kensington High Street, is a Japanese cultural centre, one of three Japan Houses worldwide. (The other 2 are in Los Angeles and Sao Paulo, respectively.) This year, Japan House London celebrates its 5^th anniversary: five years of being a hub for Japanese craft and design, food and drink, architecture, technology and travel.

Let’s step in!

A shop as beautiful as an art gallery

The first thing you see in Japan House is the shop, a bright and airy space with large windows that tantalize you with what’s inside.

The shop takes up most of the ground floor and features a beautifully curated selection of Japanese classics, such as bonsais, bento boxes, and soy sauce pots. There’s also jewellery in organic shapes, bags made from surplus parachute fabric, and elegant kitchenware in bamboo, porcelain or glass, as well as stationery, pens and inks, and books, and apparel, and confectionery, and home décor, and kids toys. There’s even a nail clipper, a snip at £110 (sorry, couldn’t resist. And, yes, you read that price right.)

There’s the minimalistic, the whimsical, the practical, the playful, and there’s even the compostable. All the goods are beautifully displayed, many of them in their own little alcoves, with small notices that tell you about the company that made them, their history and their geographical location, and how that shapes their aesthetic.

There’s an online shop, too.

And tucked in a corner at the back, there’s an outpost of the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), where you can get general advice and recommendations if you’re planning a visit to Japan. There are brochures to go home with, too.

An extensive, ever changing program of cultural events

It’s not all shop, shop, shop, though. Japan House has a very extensive programme of exhibitions (including a lot of virtual ones), film screenings, workshops (in Japanese language, for example), performances, special displays and even competitions.

At the time of writing, you can visit “WAVE: Currents in Japanese Graphic Arts”, an exhibition of Japanese graphic design. It showcases a diversity of styles and perspectives that might come as a surprise to those who associate Japanese Illustration exclusively with cherry blossoms and Mount Fuji.

And it’s also available as virtual exhibition if you can’t make it in person, as are past exhibitions like “Architecture for Dogs” or “Windology”.

The Japan House library: a reference for Japanese knowledge

If you want to be transported to Japan via the magic of books, head to the library (next to the exhibition space downstairs). If you don’t read Japanese, fear not – many of the titles are in English. You can stay as long as you want, and it’s easy to lose track of time.

Eat Japanese!

For a dedicated Japanese culinary experience, book a table at Akira restaurant. Both lunchtime menus and dinner menus are available, and you can also experience what’s probably the most special afternoon tea you’ll come across in London. Although, apparently, Japanese afternoon teas are quite the thing… (Who knew? I didn’t!)

If you prefer a quick sugar and caffeine rush, you can indulge in something from the counter at the front of the shop and find a seat on the shop floor.

And finally…

So… this last bit you won’t see mentioned much, if at all, but can we talk about the bathrooms at Japan House? They’re quite something! First, there’s the warmed up toilet seat. But mainly, there’s the computerized panel that lets you … customize the experience, basically. There’s a helpful diagram to help you, too.

Japan House in a nutshell

There you go, that’s Japan House: a unique cultural centre where you can shop Japanese, eat Japanese, read Japanese. It’s a fantastic place to immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of Japanese culture. Also, it’s a soothing oasis of serenity on busy Kensington High Street.

Japan House London: Practical information

Address: 101-111 Kensington High Street, W8 5SA

Website: https://www.japanhouselondon.uk/

How to get to Japan House: the nearest tube station is High Street Kensington (Circle line, District line)

Japan House opening hours: Mon – Sat 10:00–20:00 | Sun & Bank Holidays: 12:00–18:00

Where to go from there?

What can you do after visiting Japan House? How about visiting the Serpentine art gallery in nearby Hyde Park?

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