Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Japan United Kingdom Relations

Relations between Japan and United Kingdom

Contact between United Kingdom and Japan first began in the 1600s when William Adams arrived on the shores of Kyushu, Usuki, Oita Prefecture. William Adams was honored as an advisor to the Tokugawa Shogun. He was given a Japanese name, Miura Anjin, given a house and land, and lived the rest of his life in Japan, his adopted country. This was followed by a treaty, the Anglo-Japanese Friendship Treaty signed in 14 October, 1854 signed by Admiral Sir James Stirling and representatives of the Tokugawa shogunate. Another treaty, the Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Amity and Commerce was signed on 26 August, 1858 by Lord Elgin on behalf of United Kingdom and on the other part, by the Tokugawa shogunate for Japan. These were followed by a series of events, both positive and negative, including setting up the first Japanese Embassy in Europe in 1862 led by Takenouchi Yasunori and the bombardment of Kagoshima by the Royal Navy in 1863. And of course there was the World War I followed by World War II.

If I am not wrong, Japan had to manufacture the Mini Minor cars for United Kingdom as part of its compensation for its part in the World War II, but I cannot find any reference to it in my research, so this is only from memory and may not be reliable. But if true, then I believe that is how the now great automobile industry of Japan started.

Travel between Japan and United Kingdom

Western influence among the Japanese youth is strong with many dyeing their hair red and blond. It will be no surprise if the United Kingdom present an attractive place for them to visit. With Japanese being so enterprising businessmen, it would also not be unusual for them to make business trips to United Kingdom. But this is not a one-way traffic for there are many British who also travel to Japan. Those I know mostly go there as English teachers as many Japanese are keen to learn English which as ended up as the de facto International Language. The most likely points of arrival or departure would be London where there are 2 major international airport - Heathrow and Gatwick.

If on land you travel with the car, the most convenient form of transport, you will obviously need to find parking space for the car. You can easily book parking space online at UK airport parking. Business and those who are not too bothered about cost will probably use full service airlines. Full service airlines normally operate from the bigger Heathrow airport. Parking is available at Heathrow Airport parking.

For budget conscious travelers and for those who join organized tours, chartered flight is the most likely form of travel. The Gatwick Airport, the second largest airport in London after Heathrow airport, is the most popular airport for chartered flight as Heathrow does not accept chartered flights. Here is a photo of the Gatwick Airport:

Gatwick airport by Dan Taylor


For parking, a great place to find parking at Gatwick Airport is the discount Gatwick Airport parking

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