Britain’s Tiniest Pub Is Big in Japan
One of Britain’s smallest pubs is being recreated at exactly the same size inside an Osaka department store. Much of its memorabilia is coming too, along with the landlord. Britain has finally found an export that fits in hand luggage.
A pub measuring just 15ft by 7ft is being exported to Japan without anyone making it any bigger first. The Nutshell, one of the UK’s smallest pubs, will be recreated at exactly the same size inside an Osaka department store, complete with much of its memorabilia and, for the opening week, its landlord.
The landmark pub stands in The Traverse in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, where its 4.5m by 2.5m interior contains curiosities dating back about 400 years. Its compact dimensions and unusual collection made a strong impression on Japanese visitors to the town, proving that good things do indeed come in small packages, provided everyone breathes in.
A replica of The Nutshell will appear inside the Hankyu department store for its two-week British Fair, running from October 7 to 19, 2026. Landlord Jason Mealey, who runs the pub with Geoff Page, will fly to Japan and welcome visitors throughout the first week.
The project began after Hankyu approached Bury St Edmunds and Beyond, the town’s official tourism brand, which is operated by Our Bury St Edmunds BID. The Japanese organisers had visited Bury and were particularly taken with The Nutshell’s uniqueness.
Yukiya Matsunaga, event planning manager at Hankyu, said the trip had left a lasting impression and that the fair hoped “to convey not only its beauty but also the spirit that makes it unforgettable”. Replicating the pub down to its original dimensions is a promising start. There is no room for the spirit to get lost.
During the fair’s second week, attention will move from the tiny pub to sweet treats from Bury’s Angel Hotel, including cakes and puddings linked to Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
Bury tour guide John Saunders will host The Angel’s pop-up stand, talking about the town and encouraging visitors to make the journey to Suffolk for themselves. He will also appear on stage at the fair’s “Talk Show” with Tamao Sako, owner of The British Pudding Company.
Sako, an adviser to the Hankyu British Fair, regularly visits the UK and is often described as the Julia Child of Japan. Together, she and Saunders will showcase The Angel’s cakes and puddings.
The hotel serves a Pickwick Afternoon Tea throughout the year and a festive A Christmas Carol Tea. Both draw on its connection with Dickens, who stayed at The Angel and included the hotel and Bury St Edmunds in The Pickwick Papers.
By the time the British Fair closes on October 19, Osaka shoppers will have sampled a remarkably concentrated portion of Bury St Edmunds: one very small pub, four centuries of curiosities, Dickensian puddings and a tour guide ready to explain where the full-sized town can be found.
Original story
suffolknews.co.uk