Washington D.C. Itinerary,

2/28/1872 – 5/4/1872

New Jersey Avenue Station, Washington, D.C., Late 1800s, Source: Library of Congress.

2/28 – 2/29:

The delegation arrived in Washington D.C. by train on February 28, 1872. The following day they received a bouquet from Hannah Grant, the first lady of the United States.

The National Theater in Washington D.C., 1868, Source: National Theater Washington DC.

3/4 – 3/6

On March 4, 1872, the delegation attended a formal state reception at the White House.

The following days they visited the Capitol building and watched a debate in the House of Representatives. The group also went to the National Theater, which was decorated with crossed Japanese and American flags.

White House Blue Room, 1897, Source: Library of Congress.

3/11 – 3/14

The delegates attended a banquet hosted by President Grant in the Blue Room of the White House.

Five Native Americans visited the Embassy at their hotel to have a brief interview.

Image of students and teachers at Howard College, Between 1867 and 1920, Source: Library of Congress.

3/25

The Embassy visited a home for soldiers, a care facility for veterans, and a college for African Americans.

Washington D.C. Patent Office, Courtesy of the Kume Museum of Art.

4/2 – 4/3

The delegates received a tour of the Patent Office. Later, the group visited the U.S Printing Office and watched as steam-powered machines handled complex printing services.

View of Washington D.C. from Smithsonian Institute, 1886, Courtesy of Smithsonian Institution Archives.

4/16 – 4/30

The delegates attended a celebration for Emancipation Day in front of the White House. They were also treated to a tour of the Smithsonian Institution, took a boat cruise down the Potomac River, and visited the Department of the Treasury and the United States Postal Service.

Row of tombstones at Arlington Cemetery, 1865, Source: Library of Congress.

5/4 – 5/30

The Iwakura Mission traveled to Annapolis, Maryland to visit the United States Naval Academy. Upon returning to Washington D.C., they watched a Civil War memorial service at Arlington Cemetery.