Ainu Stories Crosses Continents As London Exhibition Travels To Lithuania

On The Table Read Magazine, “the best arts and entertainment magazine UK“, Discover the living spirit of Japan’s indigenous Ainu people as the acclaimed exhibition Ainu Stories: Contemporary Lives by the Saru River travels from Japan House London to Lithuania to celebrate contemporary Ainu voices.

Ainu Stories

The exhibition Ainu Stories: Contemporary Lives by the Saru River made a significant impact during its run at Japan House London in 2023/24, attracting more than 160,000 visitors. Curated in close collaboration with the Ainu community of Biratori in the Saru River basin of southern Hokkaido, the show offered an intimate look at how this indigenous people maintain their cultural heritage while living in modern times. It highlighted the deep connections between the community and their natural environment, and it also uncovered historical ties between the United Kingdom and the Biratori region.

Journey to Vilnius

Following a visit by curators from the National Museum of Lithuania, selected elements from the London exhibition are now heading to Vilnius. They will form part of the larger international exhibition A Soul Between Worlds: Indigenous Ainu in Northern Japan and Ethnographer Bronisław Piłsudski, running from 5 February to 2 August 2026 at the House of Histories, part of the National Museum of Lithuania.

This new presentation pairs contemporary Ainu perspectives with the pioneering work of Bronisław Piłsudski (1866–1918), a Lithuania-Polish ethnographer renowned for his research on the Sakhalin Ainu. The exhibition marks the 160th anniversary of Piłsudski’s birth and combines his historical materials with examples of Ainu history, culture, and daily life today, providing visitors with a richer understanding of Ainu identity across time.

Objects and Materials on Loan

Japan House London is lending key items to the Vilnius show, including much of the original video footage recorded in Biratori and specially commissioned woodwork created for the Ainu Stories exhibition. The House of Histories is also borrowing Ainu-related tourism objects, such as an Ainu-designed Coca-Cola bottle and carved wooden bears from the personal collection of Simon Wright, Director of Programming at Japan House London.

These loans allow the exhibition to blend recent community voices from Hokkaido with historical ethnographic insights, creating a dialogue between past and present.

The move to Lithuania represents a continued celebration of Ainu culture in Europe. After Vilnius, elements of the exhibition are expected to travel further to Poland later in 2026. This international journey helps bring authentic Ainu stories directly to new audiences.

About Japan House London

Japan House London serves as a vibrant cultural destination on Kensington High Street, presenting the best of contemporary Japan through art, design, gastronomy, innovation, and technology. It offers an authentic and often surprising encounter with Japanese culture for visitors of all levels of familiarity. As part of a global network, sister Japan Houses operate in Los Angeles and São Paulo.

The traveling exhibition underscores the growing international interest in Ainu heritage and the power of cultural exchange to connect communities across continents.

Find more from Ainu Stories now:

The Japan House London exhibition can be viewed virtually here and you can read more about Ainu culture here.