Story: Japanese

Cultural influences

At least since the 1960s New Zealanders have shown an appreciation of things Japanese. There has been a long association between the two countries in the martial arts. Judo and karate are the most popular forms in New Zealand, but kendo and aikido also have a strong following. Here, students at Wellington’s Clyde Quay School watch a kendo demonstration in 1994.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, Dominion Post Collection (PA-Group-00685)

Reference: EP/1994/2588/15

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page

Tessa Copland, Japanese – Community and culture, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/1225/cultural-influences (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Tessa Copland, published 4 March 2009, updated 1 August 2024.

Comments

sam the kiwi
23 July 2011

love japan and japanese welcome to nz