Why the UK’s smallest pub is being recreated inside a Japanese department store

The UK’s smallest pub is packing its bags for Japan, with The Nutshell from Bury St Edmunds being recreated inside an Osaka department store this October.

For two weeks this autumn, a little piece of Suffolk will be making an unlikely appearance in Japan. The Nutshell, widely recognised as the UK’s smallest pub, is being recreated inside Hankyu Department Store in Osaka as part of the store’s annual British Fair, which runs from October 7 to 19.

The British Fair has become a major celebration of British food, drink, culture and craftsmanship, attracting around a quarter of a million Japanese visitors. The Osaka event will welcome visitors from across Japan, along with dignitaries from both Japan and the UK.

This year, Bury St Edmunds will have an unlikely role. The town was chosen after representatives from Hankyu visited Suffolk and went looking for something distinctive to bring back to Japan. The Nutshell’s tiny dimensions and collection of eccentric curiosities proved difficult to resist.

The pub measures just 4.5m by 2.5m. It’s packed with memorabilia and curiosities dating back around 400 years, giving visitors plenty to examine in a space barely larger than the average living room.

For the British Fair, The Nutshell will be reconstructed to exactly the same dimensions, complete with many of its familiar pieces of memorabilia. Landlord Jason Mealey will also make, spending the first week at the recreation to welcome visitors and tell the story of the original pub.

The British Fair has become a major celebration of British food, drink, culture and craftsmanship, attracting around a quarter of a million Japanese visitors…

From Bury St Edmunds to Osaka

There’s a second taste of Bury St Edmunds waiting for visitors during the Fair’s second week. The Angel Hotel will also be bringing a traditional British Afternoon Tea to Hankyu, with cakes and puddings inspired by Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

The connection with Dickens runs deep. The Angel serves its Pickwick Afternoon Tea throughout the year, alongside a festive A Christmas Carol Tea. Dickens himself stayed at the hotel and featured both The Angel and Bury St Edmunds in The Pickwick Papers.

Bury St Edmunds tour guide John Saunders will host The Angel’s pop-up stand, talking visitors through the town’s history and attractions while encouraging them to make the journey to Suffolk themselves.

Saunders will also appear on the British Fair’s Talk Show alongside Tamao Sako, owner of The British Pudding Company. The pair will showcase The Angel’s cakes and puddings, offering Japanese visitors a taste of Bury St Edmunds, which is beeing promoted as Suffolk’s Foodie Capital. 

“This is a fantastic opportunity and a great honour for us to work with a leading brand in Japan placing our small town on the international stage,” Sue Warren, Head of Marketing for Our Bury St Edmunds and the Bury St Edmunds and Beyond brands. “We anticipate it will encourage more visitors to Bury St Edmunds and Hankyu Travel International are currently planning a new tour to Suffolk and the town which will be announced at the Fair.”

For Hankyu, the appeal of Bury St Edmunds lies in its particular blend of history, character and eccentricity.

“It is a genuine pleasure to have the opportunity to showcase the charm and character of Bury St Edmunds at this year’s Hankyu British Fair,” says Yukiya Matsunaga, Event Planning Manager at Hankyu Department Store. “Few towns capture the spirit of English heritage as vividly as Bury St Edmunds, and sharing its stories with visitors in Japan feels both meaningful and exciting.”

Matsunaga picked out The Nutshell and The Angel as two places that capture different sides of the town. The Nutshell represents the warmth, intimacy and quirky humour of British pub culture, while The Angel brings literary history, Georgian architecture and a more refined side of Bury St Edmunds.

The Hankyu British Fair runs from 7 to 19 October, closing on Tuesdays. Around 250,000 visitors are expected to attend.