"Restaurant for One" by itsu at the British Museum's Japanese Galleries. courtesy itsu

Supper with a samurai has been impossible for a century and a half, but lately the British Museum has been dishing up the next best thing.

For a few evenings in September and October, after day visitors had filtered out and the halls grew silent, a quiet ceremony took place in the Japan galleries. Three single tables were arranged opposite display cases, place settings laid out, and bowls of steaming noodles served to a handful of guests.

My companion on the evening of October 9 was an 18 th century suit of samurai armor . Beautifully ornate and ramrod straight, the armor cut an imposing figure, remaining stoic, even as I fumbled the pickles and let out a mortifying slurp halfway through. As com

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