Japan House London Announces 2025 Exhibitions and Highlights

Next year will see the Osaka Kansai Japan Expo 2025, themed 'Designing Future Society for Our Lives'. Japan House London will be celebrating with a selection of activities relating to Osaka and the Kansai region in the exhibitions and the events programme.

Spring Exhibition 
The Craft of Carpentry: Drawing Life from Japan's Forests 
March – July 2025

With forest covering two-thirds of the Japanese archipelago, Japan's celebrated carpentry culture is rooted in a profound respect for nature and trees. Craft of Carpentry focuses on three core aspects: Dōmiya daiku (temple and shrine carpenters); sukiya daiku (teahouse carpenters); and kigumi (wood joinery). It uncovers more than 1,000 years of the techniques that have enabled temples and shrines to withstand centuries of wind, snow and earthquake. Visitors can see a full-scale teahouse, as well as experience hands-on interaction with kigumi wood joints and smell different native Japanese trees.

Summer Exhibition
Pictograms (title TBC)
July – October 2025

Japanese graphic designers pioneered the creation of a set of symbols to represent each sport in the 1964 Toyko Olympic Games. Building on this legacy, designers from the Nippon Design Center have created an award-winning set of pictograms, a universal visual language to enhance overseas visitors' appreciation of Japan. Winning the Good Design Award in 2021, Experience Japan Pictograms is a masterclass in information design.

Winter Exhibition
Muji 100 designs (title TBC)
December 2025 – April 2026

A collaboration with Atelier MUJI in Tokyo, this exhibition brings together a vast display of everyday items made by more than 100 artist-makers from all over Japan. A wide variety of new craft objects will be displayed, including ceramic, glass, wood, urushi (lacquer), paper, leather, bamboo, iron, copper, and silver works.

Events
The year begins with a series of family workshops held across the Christmas period, with drop-in festive activities for all ages.

Grand Sumo highlights screenings continue to take guests ringside to the Tournaments held six times a year across Japan, starting in January. Broadcast in English by NHK World-Japan, each tournament lasts 15 days and features the top rikishi (wrestlers) competing in the ring for the prized Emperor's Cup.

Chadō ('The Way of Tea') demonstrations start again in March in collaboration with Tankokai UK.

More information on upcoming events is always available from Japan House London website's What's On page, with tickets usually released 2 weeks ahead of time.

Film Screenings
Next year marks the start of Japan House London's Shinkai Makoto season, featuring screenings of both his major and lesser-known animated films from February. The widely acclaimed Your Name (the second-highest grossing Japanese film of all time) will be shown in May, alongside screenings of 5 Centimeters per Second (February) and Weathering With You (June), amongst others. 

There are a number of food-related film screenings linked to the current exhibition, Looks Delicious!. In January, there will be two screenings of Tampopo (1985), colloquially known as the first "ramen Western", followed by screenings of Wim Wenders'sTokyo Ga (1985) in February.

The summer season will feature a selection of Japanese documentaries and, later in the year, screenings of Japanese classic cinema will take place.

As always, all the film screenings at Japan House London are free to attend, but booking is essential.

The Shop at Japan House London
Throughout 2025, the Shop at Japan House London continues to offer visitors the opportunity to learn about the artists, designers, craftspeople and regions of Japan through its fresh rotation of products. Visit the Kensington High Street store and the Shop online for new product ranges and capsule collections curated to reflect the ever-changing seasons. Many items are available exclusively at Japan House London in the UK.

Library displays
The Library's current display, Japan in Motion, will remain on display in early 2025, displaying hard-to-find books on Japan's planes, trains and automobiles, as well as a working light-up truck model. Later in the year, the Library will celebrate Expo 2025 in Osaka through a carefully curated book selection.

Artist residencies 
The Japan House London Trust continues to support Japanese artists, musicians and designers through residencies at several key arts organizations around London and the UK. Next year's support includes:

1. An artist residency at Camden Art Centre
2. The Japan Youth Collective, with the Japan Society
3. A new translation from Isolarii publishing house

  Sam Thorne, Director General and CEO of Japan House, said:

'With Expo 2025 in Osaka, all eyes will be on Japan to act as a global hub for speculating about the future. Japan House London will be an important part of that conversation, presenting an exciting series of exhibitions, projects and events in and around our building.'

Notes to Editors

About Japan House London

Japan House London is a cultural destination offering guests the opportunity to experience the best and latest from Japan. Located on London's Kensington High Street, the experience is an authentic encounter with Japan, engaging and surprising even the most knowledgeable guests. Presenting the very best of Japanese art, design, gastronomy, innovation, and technology, it deepens the visitor's appreciation of all that Japan has to offer. This year, Japan House London marked six years of bringing the best of Japan to the UK and beyond. Part of a global initiative, there are two other Japan Houses, one in Los Angeles and the other in São Paulo.

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