Japan House’s new exhibition celebrates the power and precision of Japanese visual communication

This week brought us to Japan House on High Street Kensington for the opening of Pictograms: Iconic Japanese Designs, a slick, informative, and fun new exhibition for all ages, celebrating the power and precision of Japanese visual communication.

Located in The Gallery on the lower ground floor of Japan House, the exhibition fills the large room with the evolution of pictograms. From ancient cave paintings, some dating back at least 40,000 years, to the digital age of emojis, the exhibition explores how Japan has played a quietly influential role in shaping this universal language, most notably through the pioneering icons of the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games and the globally adopted concept of emoji.

Installation view Pictograms: Iconic Japanese Designs Japan House. Image courtesy of Japan House.

The universally recognised word ‘emoji’, comprised of e (‘picture’) and moji (‘character’), originated in Japan, marking a new chapter in visual language. We see pictograms every day, but where did they come from, and how do they speak so clearly without words? The answer is clearly demonstrated here.

Be sure to catch The Making of the Tokyo 1964 Olympic Pictograms video, in which Nagai Kazumasa, graphic designer and advisor at the Nippon Design Centre, reflects on how the design process for the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games began in 1959. He shares insights into the challenges of creating the facility pictograms.

With visitors arriving from around the world for the Olympics, the organisers faced the challenge of communicating with speakers of multiple languages. This necessity gave rise to the first systematically designed set of Olympic pictograms, covering both sports and event facilities. Since 1964, pictograms for each sport have become a standard feature of every Games’ visual identity, with each host city designing its own custom pictograms. As technology has progressed, design continues to adapt and evolve. When Tokyo hosted the 2020 Olympic Games, Japan introduced animated pictograms for each sporting event, these are also on display.

Installation view Pictograms: Iconic Japanese Designs Japan House. Image courtesy of Japan House.

One can’t help but marvel at how thoughtful design can distil complex ideas into clear, impactful representations that ensure clarity and universal recognition. You’ll come to realise how much we already rely on pictograms in our daily lives. They are found everywhere, from road signs and safety labels to washing instructions, packaging, and maps. Pictograms allow everyone to respond instinctively, transcending cultural and language barriers.

Highlights include the innovative Experience Japan Pictograms project, featuring over 600 designs created to support international travellers. Interactive displays, such as a lightbox table, invite visitors of all ages to explore and devise their own symbols and pictograms by combining modular components.

Another standout area features usually miniature pictograms brought to full scale. Visitors are invited to step into and become part of a pictogram themselves, standing under a 2.5 metre torii shrine gate, sizing up to a sumo wrestler, or even taking the controls of a Japanese train. It’s a perfect spot for creating some memorable photos.

An additional zone reimagines what pictograms can be, moving beyond flat graphics to explore their creative potential in three-dimensional and interactive forms.

Installation view Pictograms: Iconic Japanese Designs Japan House. Image courtesy of Japan House.

The use of a grid system in designing pictograms is well illustrated by a display of work from UK school children aged 7 to 16, who were invited by the Nippon Design Centre to create original pictograms representing an aspect of London that is important to them. Each offers a personal take on what ‘their London’ looks like as a symbol. Their drawings begin on grid paper and develop into some excellent pictograms. A few favourites include the fish and chips, Tower Bridge, and afternoon tea pictograms.

This is a travelling exhibition which will later move on to Los Angeles and São Paulo. For now, we’re lucky to have it here over the school holidays and into the autumn, offering something entertaining and inspiring for the whole family.

Additionally, to mark the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan House is hosting workshops inviting participants to fold origami paper cranes, inspired by the story of Sasaki Sadako. Sadako was two years old when she was exposed to radiation from the Hiroshima bombing. Later developing leukaemia, she began folding 1,000 cranes while wishing for recovery.

Installation view Pictograms: Iconic Japanese Designs Japan House. Image courtesy of Japan House.

A series of workshops is being held in the Library throughout August, where participants can learn to fold paper cranes to be displayed on the Lower Ground Floor. Visitors can pick up origami paper and instructions to contribute their cranes at the reception desk.

A visit to Japan House is a worthwhile and enjoyable experience.

Date: 30 July – 9 November 2025. Location: Japan House London, 101-111 Kensington High St, London W8 5SA. Price: Free. japanhouselondon.uk

Click here to disocver family workshops at Japan House London.

Review by Natascha Milsom