Experience the Japan collections

Old maps, beautifully coloured drawings, early photographs, rare books, and even a genuine love letter. Leiden University Libraries (UBL) holds an important and diverse Japan collection. From January through December 2026, we will organize various public activities around the Japan collections.

In 2026, it will be 200 years since Philipp Franz von Siebold (1796–1866), as physician for the Dutch trading settlement of Dejima, participated in the chief's quadrennial journey to the Japanese court in the capital, Edo. During this court journey, Von Siebold kept a diary, which he developed into a travelogue.

The extensive collection of Japanese objects that he was able to bring home from Japan in 1829 was later purchased by King William III, who subsequently donated it to the Dutch government. In the late nineteenth century, the collection was dispersed among several museums and Leiden University. The collection transferred to the UBL includes Japanese-Dutch dictionaries, Japanese literature, maps, and drawings.

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Events

Two books will be published: a reissue of Von Siebold's "Nippon" and a book on nineteenth-century Japanese photography. We will also organize "In Contact with Collections" workshops, exhibitions, symposia, film screenings, and a themed afternoon on Japanese Giant Robots in Animation. Finally, we will present various reading lists with book recommendations and blogs, as well as the "In Search of Japan" podcast limited series, which will cover both the modern collections and the Special Collections.