Made in Japan: Toshiba Gallery of Japanese Art @ The V&A, London

The Hello Kitty rice cooker, toaster and kettle included in the Toshiba Gallery of Japanese Art (free admission) at London's Victoria & Albert Museum may convince younger generations of fans of all things kawaii to rush and see this recently reopened and refurbished space, but there is definitely more to see here.

First opened in December 1986, the Toshiba Gallery of Japanese Art was the first major gallery of its kind in the UK. Currently curated by Rupert Faulkner, Senior Curator of Japan at the V&A, this space was originally designed to celebrate the history and traditions of Japan and showcase highlights of the V&A's internationally important collection of Japanese art, craft, design and fashion.

The current space features around 550 works and over 30 more recent acquisitions, so that the gallery basically includes items from around the sixth century to the present day, the oldest object in the V&A's Japanese collection being a round bottomed stoneware jar dating from 500–600 that would have been buried in a tomb for use in the afterlife.

Yet there are all sorts of objects in the gallery, from swords and armours to lacquer and cloisonné enamels from the period 1880 to 1910; from textiles and dresses to rare examples of inrō (traditional Japanese cases for holding small objects, suspended from the obi via a netsuke) for the twelve months of the year by the renowned 19th-century lacquer artist Shibata Zeshin, to paintings, prints and illustrated books.

The themes and disciplines tackled in this space vary, going therefore from religion and ritual (samurai art and tea drinking are two important sections with several utensils for the tea ceremony such as examples of ceramics on display) to design, folk craft, theatre and performance. Films about the importance of the inrō, how to wear a kimono and obi (sash), how to make a sword fitting and how to get dressed in a suit of armour help visitors understanding a bit better the various functions of the pieces on display. The most interesting thing about this gallery remains the variety of objects included, something that will definitely attract a large number of visitors with a wide range of interests.

Retro technology fans will fall in love with a portable transistor radio manufactured by Sony in 1958, but will also be able to see the first portable stereo Walkman designed and manufactured by Sony in 1979, and the videosphere television set and alarm clock by JVC, designed in 1970 and characterised by the peculiar shape of an astronaut's helmet, plus a selection of mobile phones designed by Naoto Fukasawa.

Visitors interested in costumes should instead take their time to study the kimonos on display. The gallery features quite a few beautiful examples, at times accompanied by intricately carved netsuke that could really be considered as miniature works of art. A red silk satin kimono from 1800-40, probably owned by a young woman, features long swinging sleeves (furisode) and a tie-dyeing (shibori) technique used to create the highly labour-intensive pattern.

As a new textile dyeing techniques arrived in the early 20th century, traditional dyeing methods were speeded up, as proved by the patterning on a meisen silk kimono characterised by dynamic abstract forms and created using chemical dyes that were stencil printed on to the warp (longitudinal) and weft (horizontal) threads prior to weaving. This method allowed for the creation of bold, colourful images which often reflected Western artistic styles.

A printed wool kimono for a young boy commemorates instead the first aeroplane flight (the Kamikaze-go) flying from Tokyo to London in 1937. The kimono is decorated with images of Mount Fuji, Tower Bridge, the aeroplane and the route it took.

Young people studying fashion should pay attention not just to the structure of the kimonos, but also to the samurai armours that feature intricate breastplates in which high-quality mail is complemented by fine textiles.

Fans of contemporary fashion will instead fall for a pair of gravity-defying shoes inspired by the vertiginously tall geta worn by courtesans in Edo period (1615 – 1868) and created by Noritaka Tatehana, and they will covet the Alice in Wonderland-evoking sweet Lolita ensemble by brand Baby, the Stars Shine Bright (2011-12) that perfectly embodies the kawaii (cute) cult (together with the Hello Kitty domestic appliances…), and an outfit from Issey Miyake's 132 5. range, with its clever construction that allows to transform what looks like a flat piece of fabric into a stylish three-dimensional dress.

People with a passion for photography and graphic art won't be disappointed by the choice of the curator who opted to include in the gallery a woodblock print from the series "Edo Beauties" by Kikukawa Eizan (about 1820), a dark portrait of Japanese novelist Yukio Mishima by photographer and filmmaker Eikoh Hosoe and an image from a street poster by Daido Moriyama.

Apart from exploring the gallery according to one's personal tastes, another way to look at the objects it features could be by studying the gallery via historical and design juxtapositions: the lavishly decorated Mazarin Chest, made in Kyoto around 1640 may not have much in common for example with the colourful Cabinet of Curiosities made of coloured Perspex acrylic and designed in 1989 by Shirō Kuramata.

Yet each of them is unique in its own way: the former is the finest piece of Japanese export lacquer shipped to Europe by the Dutch East India Company in 1643 (its first owner was the French statesman and Catholic cardinal Jules Mazarin) while the latter is a brilliant example of design by one of the driving forces in the formation of the Memphis Milano design collective.

"The V&A's collection is increasingly recognised for its modern crafts, design and fashion; fields in which Japan is recognised globally for its innovation and creativity," stated Martin Roth, Director of the V&A, in an official press release. "The Museum continues to develop its relationship with Japan and we hope the refurbished gallery will bring the rich artistic heritage and contemporary culture of the country to new audiences."

The gallery reopening is part of V&A's ongoing FuturePlan scheme of restoration and redesign and it was carried out with the help of the Toshiba Corporation.