If you are a lover of Japan and all things Japan, a visit to Japan House on High Street Kensington is a necessity. The large space has been re done and the modern designer avatar is amazing. The clean lines and white everything makes it the most soothing space on the rather busy high street. Upon entering you are welcomed by a stunning but very neat white colored cafe bar. Do try their matcha lattes, amongst the best in London. The Japan House also displays traditions crafts and items from Japan. In the basement, they have a library and an exhibition space. We saw the exhibition on traditional windows of Japan. And their evolution. A really nice space, everyone visiting High Street Ken must stop and wander at Japan House.

Very cool spot. There is a great exhibition on contemporary graphic artists in Japan at the moment, the shop itself is also arranged like a little museum exhibition, including the beautiful shelves, lighting, and some labels. It’s an interesting way to show cultural production of Japan and the manufacturers while offering some high-end products. Another great feature is a small library on -1 level. Not the largest, but the books are high quality. There are even some big wacky toilets downstairs which smell fresh.

Not a lot of people know this remarkable place. The enormous Ground floor covers shops with goods from Japan. Most amazing gift opportunities and goods are changed with the influence of the exhibition. So buy when you see it because some of the items won't be there a few months later. There is also a seating area and cafe with delicious offers. In the basement is a reading and meeting room and a gallery with the most extraordinary Japanese exhibitions promoting life, culture, art, craft, history and philosophy. Their exhibitions change regularly and I have gone to visit each one of them. Current exhibition on Ainu indigenous people and their contemporary life The top floor hosts a fantastic high-end Japanese restaurant. We went there a couple of years ago and it was WOW in all aspects. Now the most important - TOILETS on the basement floor. These are the art of science. It's hard to describe but you might be spending the first five minutes trying to work out how to navigate a lid and flash without washing your face by mistake 😄 I go there every time just to remind how fun they are!!!

Quality items, a pleasurable walking around experience, friendly staff and it feels very genuine. Yes it has a high price point, but quality items cost money, so don’t get confused with The Japan centre. This place has seriously well crafted items. Will return to buy more.

Service was appalling. Stood in front of the counter for a solid 7 mins trying to get their attention before the three staff members even ACKNOWLEDGED us with a Hi. They were all busying about discussing stuff (not sure what). Looked terribly inexperienced, two of them didn't look like they knew anything at all because one guy kept having to tell them what to do....which explains why they ignored us for so long. 2) There was a stone in my salad. I was shocked. Went to the counter to tell them and all they said was "would you like a new salad?" Didn't even apologize properly or offer to take the item off the bill! 3) the salad . Tasted like coleslaw. Almost no lettuce at all. Negligible strips. Seasoning was awful. Update - it was not a small bit of grit; it was an actual stone the size of a small pebble. I only said it was fine in the moment because I was shocked by the poor service standard and had resolved never to patronize this restaurant again!!!!!!!

Wonderful space arranged over three floors. It is open to the public and free to visit. The main street level area has a coffee bar and a mix of exhibits and products for sale. The first floor is a restaurant and bar. And the basement level is an exhibition space and micro library. The staff are friendly and helpful.

Excellent Japanese culture centre. Japan House is homed in a lovely building on Kensington High Street. It has a gift shop, cafe, restaurant and regularly hosts a range of exhibitions. This weekend I was fortunate enough to go and see the fascinating exhibition on the indigenous Ainu people of Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost main island. Make sure you use the toilet before you leave. It’s an experience!

An interesting center for Japanese crafts, niche brands and reading. Cozy and friendly atmosphere and full of interesting Japanese tea ceremonies items and information for traveling in Japan. The coffee is great and the shop is overflowing with great sake and Japanese utensils. ⛩️🫖 😊

How did I not know about this place till now! What a nice surprise. There are lots of local and national treasure crafts and it's just fun looking at them but you can also purchase them. There is a cafe bar right by the entrance where you can buy Minamoro Kicchoan Japanese sweets with Kissaten coffee (hand drip blended coffee) or matcha etc. You can also purchase award winning coffee beans here, too. There is a restaurant on the first floor where you can have lunch and afternoon tea. There is also a trip organiser bureau. I'm definitely coming back.

The Japanese Silk Braiding exhibition in currently on, and wow. It was really fantastic to see the techniques used. Really lovely examples on show, so intricate - really blown away. We spent around 30-45 minutes here. The main exhibition space is downstairs but lots to see on the ground floor too. They have a tourist information desk at the back too which is useful to know (I think it's by appointment only).

Thanks to the heavy rain, it is such an enjoyable visit at the Japan House in Kensington High Street. The matcha tea is heavenly, the merchandise brings one an authentic feel of any city in Japan. The artworks and the free exhibition is truly engaging and mentally-boggling. The restaurant brings you to Japan without setting foot on a plane. Unique gift items from regions in Japan are presented in a relatable and curated manner. If you're in Kensington it is definitely a must-visit for the cultural and curious mind. A small detail, if you've seen in movies about these high-tech yet sustainable toilets and you're wondering how it is, on the basement level you'll get to experience how to use one.

If you want to learn more about Japanese culture, then this is the place! They have a shop with a beautiful collection of various kinds of objects, an interesting and pleasant exhibition, and of course a very authentic restaurant to complete the experience.

Japan House in London is the nation of Japan in London. The cultural embassy of Japan for the UK and Europe. It has a tea/coffee shop, a restaurant, a library, a tourist office, a shop of high quality Japanese products and many other venues. Staff is very polite(Japan's standard) I am planning many other visits to Japan House, so much to see and learn.

Marvelous experience. Good service and the place itself is amazing for Japan lovers. Loved the matcha tea and the dessert I ordered with it. Bathrooms are kinda fun, they are provided with those electronic loos that I was always so excited to try at least once in my life. Couldn't find the courage to use the bidet feature though.

Very friendly and full of interesting Japanese art, food and items for tea ceremonies and information for trips to Japan. The cafe is great and the shop too full of great sake and Japanese utensils. The downstairs exhibitions are always a must! The Olympic one was great and enjoyed it a lot

Happen to stop by here - met a blonde lady working at the exhibition who was very professional with Japanese culture. And other staff were also very nice and friendly. You may find a little taste about everything of Japan - tea, alcohol, wood articles, arts… There’s a special exhibition of carpenters right now.

The most advanced public loo in London is Japan House! The control panel had 11 buttons, the usual buttons are two leftmost buttons on the top surface; if you inadvertently use other buttons, you are up to an adventure! (Luckily, I have got it right from the first time) In addition to this experience, Japan House hosts very interesting (and free) exhibitions that showcase Japanese art and traditional crafts in the basement, a gift shop on the ground floor and a restaurant on the top floor.

Really interesting exhibitions and shop, a real flavour of Japan. Staff could not have been more pleasant and helpful.

42 pounds for a cloth face mask. Cool and calm day light robbery. Also bamboo chopsticks 28 pounds. No joke! Same ones you get free with a sushi take away... but it’s all official culture in here folks. From Japan with love!

What a beautiful way to be in the middle of all the hustle and bustle in London. This is Japan's home. A place full of beautiful things a place full of beautiful handmade things from beautiful manufacturers in Japan. Maybe not exactly suitable for my wallet, nothing, but still something wonderful. You can have matcha, tea and all other things from Japan on your own and in the back area you can look at Japanese dishes and cooking accessories. In the basement there are changing exhibitions about the history of Japan, which are also highly recommended and not just because they are for free. The staff is striking, friendly and helpful - nothing less was what I expected from Japan! There is a restaurant on the first floor, which we looked at and couldn't say, except that it looked very inviting

I really appreciate the existence of this place in the heart of London. Here, you get a glimpse of Japan. The cafe is placed opposite to the entrance with there are different seating areas around it. On the same floor, you can shop different Japanese products and view displays of different items used in the Japanese kitchen. Restaurant is upstairs and the exhibition is downstairs. Don’t forget to try the smart Japanese toilet with its fun technology before you end your visit 😁

Visited Kensington today and chanced upon Japan House. Having been to Japan in 2019 we were interested to see what was on display. The staff were very friendly and helpful. Downstairs there was a free exhibition about the Tokyo 1964 Olympic Games, which we really enjoyed. We found the main collection on the ground floor very interesting, and were happy to browse for quite some time. The items available for purchase include books, origami, ceramics, art, jewellery, kitchen knives, eating utensils, and clothing. Upstairs there is a restaurant, which we didn’t explore. Overall, very highly recommended, especially if you’re interested in Japanese objects and culture.

Amazing place. With a library, restaurant, cafe, exhibition centre and shop it is a great place to visit. One of my favourite places for reading or working while having a tea in London.

We loved the ambiance, but the coffee and tea was quite pricy! That is the reason I gave them four. Hojicha was okay, but it wasn’t that great! The coffee was a bit disappointing, we could better coffee at home! We expected better coffee than any other place, cause Japan is quite famous for coffee. Matcha affogato was quite nice, at least.

Such a wonderful and calm shop. I recommend going to the exhibition underground first and then having a look in the shop, as the two always correspond. The workers were very friendly and talkative. It’s a department shop where you feel more calm and refreshed coming out of.

An interesting center for Japanese crafts, niche brands and reads. They had the “Symbiosis” exhibition on display, which seemed like an interesting architectural/social initiative though the exhibition itself wasn’t that appealing. I enjoyed the reading room though, plenty of interesting books at your disposal.

We had a 5 course dinner ,the quality of sushi were great they also have vegetarian option so that is very nice. The tempura in a hot stone was a bit boring, maybe the lamb was nice if you like lamb. My friend had a grilled mushroom in a hot stone and he said it was amazing! I think my favourite part was the matcha cake it was really super delicious.Service was good.

Great place - not a huge variety but still lots of J-items. Friendly and helpful staff. From personal experience the store manager (Scott) went out of his way to assist with a product I was looking for. Nice little cafe with yummy treats. Bonus - free exhibition downstairs.

Amazing

Visited Japan House for the first time for the Wave Art Exhibition. The place was immaculately presented and the staff for the exhibition itself were lovely. There was a cafe there which looked so inviting. The exhibition itself was well worth the visit and I spent about 45 mins studying the art. Well outside my knowledge of art but it helps to keep the brain active.

Etienne (front of house) he’s lovely, made my day and put a smile on my face. Thank you.

Disappointed. Only one floor opens currently. Very small exhibition. It took only 5 minutes to look around. We spent more time to book online and travel to there.

Beautiful, but so so expensive to buy anything. The kimonos are amazing.

High covid std. Interesting place.

This was an interesting way to spend an hour. Lots of beautiful Japanese craftsmanship on display. There is also an interesting exhibition space currently occupied by a modern kimono design exhibition.

A medium size supermarket selling authentic Japanese food and drinks, a small collection of books, magazines, stationery and cosmetics. A small fast food counter selling ramen for eating in service. A good place to go if you want to buy authentic Japanese goods at affordable price. Atmosphere is relaxing and not too many customers even on Sunday.

Amazing exhibition and the staff were really friendly and informative :)

(Translated by Google) It feels like a Japanese culture exhibition hall. It’s good to just look around and it’s too expensive to buy anything. (Original) 일본 문화 전시장같은 느낌입니다 구경만 하시는게 좋고 뭘사기에는 너어어무 비쌉니다

Beautiful designs.

Very cool dog exhibition. Staff were great too in difficult circumstances (COVID-19)

Really lovely little gem in London and great exhibitions

Came here for the exhibition, stayed for the toto technology enabled toilet with “cleansing” feature

cool shop, interesting range of Japanese products and super helpful staff. although all a touch on the expensive side.

Very well organized upon entering. Advised of safety precautions & very well mapped out as to how to proceed through the store. Beautiful items for sale & of course the Kimonos on display were beautiful! Some items were beyond affordable but many good ideas for gifts. Will return.

Sake 👌👌👌

Nice cultural visit but items are very pricey. Only went for one-off exhibition.

THIS PLACE IS INCREDIBLE! A hidden gem in London. So well put together and thoughtfully curated. Amazing!

Amazing place to spend quality time with friends and family

An excellent mind and soul place with plenty of space and inspiring ideas and displays to bring a very positive and creative no d set within visitors. Excellent tea and snacks with Japanese drip coffee. Made in the traditional way. Amazing library downstairs

Amazing encounter with Japanese style, food and even loos! Dog architecture exhibition is just the sort of fun we need at the moment. Bring your own dog !

The theme for the exhibition was architecture for dogs when we visited, many interesting creations indeed, there's even a playground for owners to bring their dogs to play, but due to covid didn't see any. I heard their crepes cakes are good but wasn't available at the time, will try our luck again!

Japan House is the perfect place for a special night. I took my boyfriend here for his birthday. We went to the exhibition downstairs and then went up to have one of the best dinners in London. The ground floor mainly holds the shop. There are some lovely things and really worth a look. You have to book a free ticket to see the exhibition.

Great cultural centre of Japanese culture. Exhibition area, library, retail floor, artworks... and restaurant too. There is also a travel selection very useful if you are planning to visit 🇯🇵

Very expensive place but was expecting this due to the location.

Lovely, professional staff. Interesting space.

(Translated by Google) Sufficient corona measures are taken (Original) 充分なコロナ対策がされている

Cool, and okay. You can see some nice Japanese style of items etc, but the dog display was weird, no practical at all or anything, didn't really get it, seemed more like modern art than something with Japan related, plus they made you book, checking tickets twice for a display thats only few items, 2-5 minutes and done. I think it's worth visiting if you never seen Japanese style toilet other than this it's okay. The shop is also super heavily over priced, the pear shape note book that you can get on ebay for £2 here it was £36...

Really disappointing, the shop has nice items, albeit on the pricier side, but the only "Japanese" exhibition was some sort of DIY IKEA for dogs called "dog architecture". Revolutionary design ideas include a box for a dog, a bed for a dog and stairs but small (because dogs are small). I was really hoping to get a window into Japanese culture and craft which is what they advertise themselves as.

Amazing place, so much to see

Love the building. We went there to see the Architecture for Dogs exhibition, definitely worth a visit. The exhibition was great as well.

Really love this place, great exhibitions, interesting finds to buy. Have to book to visit during this time. Really friendly informative staff 👍

Amazing,5stars for the staff

Architecture for dogs currently on.

The quality of the dishes, the attention of the waiters and the overall experience was sublime, definitely worth the visit!

Nice exhibition and shopping venue. Great place to well designed Japanese designed items

Bright, lively and a bit bonkers

Nice gallery and shop...

Beautifully simple