Rutgers Exhibit Traces 150-Year Bond Between New Brunswick and Japan

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ (August 27, 2026) - A new exhibition tracing the rich cultural exchange between New Brunswick and Japan from the mid-19th century to the present is opening at Rutgers University's Zimmerli Art Museum.

The free exhibition, "Japan In/Out of View," runs from Sept. 9 through Feb. 14. Organizers say the showcase traces cross-cultural artistic exchanges from the 1860s to today, highlighting Rutgers' history as the first American university to admit Japanese students starting in 1867.

Those early academic bonds laid the foundation for New Brunswick's sister-city relationships with two Japanese municipalities. The city forged its first bond in 1960 with Tsuruoka, which originally sent student Suburo Takagi to Rutgers in 1869 before he helped establish the Japanese Consulate in the U.S.

New Brunswick later partnered with Fukui in 1982, honoring a legacy that began in 1867 when samurai Kusakabe Taro arrived to attend Rutgers. Today, these civic ties support vibrant exchanges in art, education, and health programs.