In 1860, 77 members of the Tokugawa shogunate traveled to New York to ratify the Treaty of Amity and Commerce, following the opening of Japan's borders by Commodore Matthew Perry in 1854.
The delegation was the first to leave the country since 1635, and the mission marked a new era of cultural exchange between Japan and the United States. The "ambassadors" set sail from Yokohama to San Francisco and took a train to Panama before making their way to New York, where their arrival was celebrated with parades and grand banquets.
In an article published on June 16, 1860, The New York Times reported that "a splendid collation will be provided on the boat during the passage to the City, under the superintendence of Warren Leland, of the Metropolitan Hotel. Several tables will be spread so as to accommodate the whole retinue without crowding, and the food will be adapted to the Japanese taste."
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