Introduction: Centenary Perspectives

The book written by a Japanese specialist on international exhibitions did not include this Exhibition at all, while it covered the Franco-British Exhibition of 1908, which was quite similar in nature to this Exhibition and held at the same site. It also discusses one of the controversial issues raised, namely, the decision of the organizers to include among the attractions to be viewed both the Ainu people and the inhabitants of Taiwan. The centenary in 2010 has provided another opportunity to examine the subject with fresh eyes. Originally, it had been hope to balance our account between British and Japanese attitudes to the Exhibition. But, our contributors have dealt mainly with the Japanese side. For Britain, similar exhibitions were an annual occurrence while for Japan it was something special. Keywords:Britain; Franco-British exhibition; international exhibitions; Japan