Oct 24, 2013 - 1 min read

British Fair in Umeda

A taste of the UK in the Land of the Rising Sun

By John Carter

Community writer

I've never seen so many people interested in tea cosies

It was interesting to see British antiques as a foreign treasure

The 17-year old whiskey on the right was of a very high quality

Though imitating Chinese porcelain I always wonder how delft plates where viewed in Asia

Terracotta pots are not so expensive in the UK

I was surprised to see Wallis and Gromit when I looked across the mock English garden

A portrait of Elizabeth Oliver at the ARK stall

Japanese culture is infinitely interesting though forgetting about home is a little difficult. Saying that, when I heard there was a British fair in Umeda I was draw by curiosity more than anything. I wanted to see what Japan’s view of Britain was and it was actually very enjoyable. It was a little cliché with stalls devoted to garden roses, tea cosies and delft plates but I couldn’t stop smiling the whole time I was there. Most of the antiques on sale were the kind my family home is adorned with but here they were unusual items from the other side of the world. Apart from the antiques and crockery, apparently the locals flock in the hundreds to visit as the jam and scones are really popular. I was pleased to see ARK had their own stall making sure their important organisation is recognised. Umeda is the main area of Osaka so making your way there is no problem. I took the Midosuji line from Nanba when staying at Hotel Kuramoto. The fair this year ran on the 9th floor of the Hankyu department store, so keep your eyes out for the next fair.