Japanese Friendship Dolls
Alabama Georgia North Carolina South Carolina
Japanese friendship dolls or Japanese ambassador dolls and the American blue-eyed dolls were programs of goodwill between Japan and the United States. American Sidney Gulick, a missionary in Japan, initiated an exchange of dolls between children as a way to ease cultural tensions in 1920s. Japanese Viscount Eiichi Shibusawa responded by initiating a program to send 58 dolls to American museums and libraries. Here is a list of the ones located in our jurisdiction. In addition, Miss Tokyo-fu was sent to Richmond, Virginia but the present location is unknown.
Alabama
Japanese Friendship Doll ("Miss Iwate")
Birmingham Public Library
2100 Park Place
Birmingham, AL 35203
Phone: 205-226-3600
Georgia
Japanese Friendship Doll ("Miss Nagoya")
Atlanta History Center
130 West Paces Ferry Road NW
Atlanta, GA 30305-1366
Phone: 404-814-4000
Email: information@atlantahistorycenter.com
North Carolina
Japanese Friendship Doll ("Miss Kagawa")
North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences
11 W. Jones St
Raleigh, NC 27601
Phone: 919-733-7450
South Carolina
Japanese Friendship Doll ("Miss Saitama")
The Charleston Museum
360 Meeting St
Charleston, SC 29403
Phone: 843-722-2996
*Page updated May 2012
This directory was compiled by the Consulate General of Japan in Atlanta with the support of The Japan-America Society of Alabama, The Japan-America Society of Georgia, The Japan-America Society of Charlotte, The North Carolina Japan Center, The Japan-America Society of Western South Carolina, and The Japan-Virginia Society. Specific listings have been gathered from information provided to the Consulate General of Japan in Atlanta and from public information sources. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of listings, but we cannot guarantee that there will be no errors. The Consulate General of Japan takes no legal liability for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information listed in this resource directory, or for the conduct of organizations or businesses listed. Furthermore, links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views contained therein.