The fashion for emu eggs for decorative purposes gained momentum through the latter part of the 19th century as Australia approached Federation. As aligned to Australian identity as the emu is, it may come as a surprise to discover that emu eggs attracted Japanese artisans who expressed their artistry in innovative ways. Two emu eggs decorated specifically for Japanese audiences in Japan, and others by a Japanese carver living in Australia, provide very different scenarios for examination of this art form. Japanese scholar Dr Jennifer Harris looks into the differing treatments of this typically Australian material by Japanese artists, both in Japan and Australia.