Holland meets Japan, 2009

The Netherlands is celebrating 400 years of close relations with Japan that began in 1609, when Japanese Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu granted a trading permit to Dutch merchants based on Deshima Island in Nagasaki Bay. For centuries after that, the Dutch alone were granted access to the mysterious, closed Asian kingdom, fostering cultural ties between the two mini-nations that persist today.

Japanese-inspired events are scheduled all around Holland. But the celebration’s epicenter is the town of Leiden, about 25 miles southwest of Amsterdam, home of the Siebold House museum.

In addition to its stunning Japanese art and artifacts collected in the 19th century by Philipp Franz von Siebold, the museum is mounting a full year of special exhibitions on Japanese subjects, including artist Takako Hamano (through Oct. 4), Japanese swords from the Sugita family (through Oct. 11) and Japanese tattoos (Dec. 18 to Jan. 31).

More encounters between Holland and Japan are scheduled at Leiden’s Museum of Ethnology, with tours of the Japanese galleries: in the beautiful Japanese garden at the Hortus Botanicus, the town’s 400-year-old botanic preserve; and during the Nov. 13-15 Whiskey Festival at the Pieterskerk, where Japanese blends will be featured.

It’s a small world after all, and that’s not just Disney talking.

— Susan Spano, Los Angeles Times staff writer

Photo: A memorial stone at the Netherlands’ Siebold House museum, which features exhibits on Japan.  Credit: Susan Spano / Los Angeles Times

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This entry was posted on Sunday, September 6, 2009 at 10:24 am by Susan Spano and is filed under Asia, Europe, Festival, Japan, News, Tips & Advice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.