Japan-British Exhibition 1910

The Japan-British Exhibtion was held at White City from 14 May to 29 October 1910. The Empire of Japan participated in part to celebrate the forthcoming 1911 renewal of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance. They also hoped that a display of Japanese manufactured goods would lead to increased commerical possibilities in Britain.

For the Japan-British Exhibition, the exhibition space of White City was transformed into an oriental wonderland. Miniature Japanese gardens surrounded by pagodas were built and visitors could ride on a unique mono-railway up into a mountain reminiscent of Mount Fuji.

The Japanese Fair pavilion, representing 'Japan at work and Japan at play,' was one of the main attractions. It included reconstructions of Japanese homes, sacred shrines and places of entertainment as well as workshops where Japanese ivory carvers and workers in bamboo demonstrated their crafts. A series of dioramas illustrated the history of Japan with life-size wax figures, attempting to show Japan as a nation with a history of civilization as rich as Great Britain's.