With the opening of Expo 2025 Osaka scheduled for April 13, the "Osaka in Portugal" program has brought together a growing network of cultural and educational institutions. Joining Casa Asia, the first institution to become part of the project, are the Lamego Museum, the Soares dos Reis National Museum, the Fundação da Casa de Bragança – Museu-Biblioteca da Casa de Bragança, the Maritime Museum, the Municipality of Sertã, and the Pharmacy Museum. Throughout 2025, these institutions will offer a deep dive into Japanese culture through exhibitions, conferences, lectures, and educational activities across various regions of Portugal. The program aims to foster mutual understanding, encourage ongoing dialogue between the two nations, and strengthen the historical and cultural ties that unite them.
The Lamego Museum will contribute with exhibitions and initiatives dedicated to Japanese art and traditions, offering the public an immersive experience of Japanese heritage. The Fundação Oriente will extend its temporary exhibition "Japan: Festivals and Rituals" until December 2025, enriching it with educational activities reinforcing cultural exchange between the two countries.
The Fundação da Casa de Bragança – Museu-Biblioteca da Casa de Bragança will also play a key role, offering guided tours of emblematic pieces such as the painting Martyrs of Japan and the Japanese arms collection. Additionally, the institution will promote a historical reflection on the visit of the Japanese Tenshō Embassy to the Ducal Palace of Vila Viçosa in 1584, accompanied by the presentation of the book From Japan to Alentejo by Tiago Passão Salgueiro.
The Maritime Museum will highlight the historical relationship between Portugal and Japan by producing three short videos featuring Japanese pieces from its collection. These videos will explore Portugal’s presence in Japan and the commercial and diplomatic exchanges that date back more than 400 years.
In Sertã, the program will include an exhibition dedicated to António Mota, one of the first Europeans to arrive in Japan. This exhibit will be complemented by a lecture on his historical connection to the country. As part of the Reading Marathon, a special session will focus on Japanese literature and Portuguese authors who have written about Japan.
The Pharmacy Museum will participate in the initiative Quick Meetings and Thematic Tours—Eastern and Japanese Pharmacy in the Pharmacy Museum’s Collections, which will run from April 13 to October 13, 2025. This activity will allow visitors to explore Japanese and Eastern artefacts in the museum's collection and learn about traditional pharmaceutical practices from these regions.
The Ateneu Artístico Vilafranquense will promote judo as a cultural bridge between Portugal and Japan. Through free experimental classes for all ages, participants can learn about this Japanese martial art, its history, and its development in Portugal. The initiative will also include promotional activities in local schools, featuring presentations on judo's physical and mental benefits and its significance as a martial art and Olympic sport.
With a diverse program including exhibitions, conferences, film cycles, concerts, and other performances, "Osaka in Portugal" will continue throughout 2025 to provide an enriching cultural experience.
The program seeks to offer the Portuguese public a direct encounter with Japanese culture, strengthening historical ties between the two countries and fostering closer collaboration for the future.
