When, in 1891, Tsarevich Nicholas reached the age of 23, his father Czar Alexander III sent him on a tour of the Far East to "round out his political development," recalled Russian politician Count Sergei Witte some years later.
The Emperor Meiji was doubtless pleased to hear of the young Tsarevich's travel plans -- Nicholas was heir to the throne of Russia, and was the highest-ranking royal visitor yet to visit modernized Japan.
Nicholas, and his cousin Prince George of Greece, arrived in Nagasaki on April 27 aboard the warship Pamiat Azova. For the next three weeks, the young men enjoyed official duties, such as banquets, exhibitions of Japanese arts and crafts, and displays of traditional martial skill such as horseback archery. Included in the current exhibition are photographs of the Tsarevich riding in a rickshaw and enjoying the view from one of the Western-style houses provided for their accommodation.