Connecting Japan and Switzerland: Visitors, Objects and Collections

Lecture by Prof. Dr. Hans B. Thomsen. While Switzerland and Japan are celebrating 160 years of diplomatic relations, the connection between the two countries reaches far beyond diplomacy: merchants, tourists, adventurers, and others connected the two countries – and continue to do so – leading to a deep set of relations on personal, institutional, and governmental levels. This talk will look at some of the earlier connections between the two countries and will focus on the objects that were brought to Switzerland in the process.