Events & Programmes Archive

Lecturers: Shoko Middleton, Michiyo Kato and Sachiko Yamaguchi Language of workshop: Japanese (parts of the workshop will be in English） Workshop content: This will be a hands-on workshop including the following activities: Brief introduction of the new A-Level. Introduction of activities using “Motto Yomu CHIKARA (the old AS resource)” for your A-Level classrooms. Group work divided by units: Learning from each other by showing your materials and exchanging ideas. Sharing the posters you will make with all participants. Fee: Free (Registration is essential. Participants will receive a certificate of attendance for CPD.) Requirements: Participants must bring examples of A-Level teaching materials that they use. They do not need to make new materials/resources. A small amount of material is fine, such as: Handout or homework (single sheet will be fine), Activity/vocabulary cards you use in your lessons, Some work made by your pupils, Some data such as PPT or Quizlet (please bring your own laptop or ask to print out in advance), Others NOTE: Please be prepare to share your materials/resources and explain usage methods, any good points, any points to be improved, etc. Registration: https://forms.gle/rEDwmMMQAXEkjJiWA The deadline for registration is 10th Feb (at 17:00). Limit of the participants: up to 30 teachers. Registration may close before the deadline if the number of participants reaches maximum capacity. Contact: Hiroko Tanaka            hiroko.tanaka@jpf.org.uk

Organised by The Japan Foundation, Sydney, Seikatsu Kogei: Objects for Intentional Living explores the Japanese craft movement that began in the 1990s known as Seikatsu Kogei, or lifestyle crafts. See how the works of Seikatsu Kogei artists re-examine our relationship to the objects in our lives, presented together in Australia for the first time. Included in this exhibition are some 50 works by 22 currently-active Seikatsu Kogei artists. The objects on display are made from a variety of materials, including wood, ceramics, lacquer, glass, metal, bamboo, paper and clay. Due to the unexpected closure of The Japan Foundation Sydney gallery as a result of COVID-19, the Seikatsu Kogei: Objects for Intentional Living exhibition is now available to view online. We invite you to enjoy the exhibition virtually by clicking here.

The Japan Foundation/BAJS Postgraduate Japanese Studies Workshop is returning for its 8th year and will be held at SOAS, University of London. This year's theme will publishing your research.

The early twenty-first-century presents us with a host of pressing contexts and challenges, from concerns about climate change and technological innovation to diversity issues and shifts in geopolitical power. To what extent does Ishiguro’s writing anticipate and comment on the early twenty-first century Zeitgeist? Surely, The Remains of the Day anticipates Brexit, Never Let Me Go argues against posthumanism, whilst The Buried Giant comments on our distracted, amnesic times. This conference invites critical and creative responses that connect Ishiguro’s work in new ways and/or situate it in new contexts.

  As a preview for the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2020, the Japan Foundation is delighted to present a special screening of the film Every Day A Good Day (2018), directed by OMORI Tatsushi.   About the film From the director of The Ravine of Goodbye (2013) and starring KIRIN Kiki (Shoplifters, 2018). At the recommendation of her mother, 20-year-old Noriko (KUROKI Haru) and her cousin Michiko (TABE Mikako) start taking tea ceremony lessons with Takeda (KIRIN), who has a reputation for being an extraordinary teacher. At first, Noriko is confused by the intricate rules, but after two years she comes to realize the profundity of tea ceremony.   While this event is free to attend, priority booking will be given to the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2020 ticket holders.   To reserve your space, please submit your interest here.   If you have not yet purchased a ticket to any of the programme screenings, you may add your name to the waitlist at the above link; please be advised that spaces cannot be guaranteed to those on the waitlist but will be released as they become available.   To purchase your advance tickets for any of our screenings at ICA London, please click here.

This exhibition captures Japan’s creative culture and monozukuri spirit through the theme of “superlative artistry,” which refers to the exceptional methods and techniques used. Starting with the craft works from the Meiji era, the exhibition features 38 items across a wide range of genres, including contemporary art, craft works, food samples, and shokugan (small toys sold with candy).   This is the only chance to see this popular exhibition in the UK, don't miss it!

A unique opportunity for teachers to learn Japanese language & culture! Why don’t you teach your pupils Japanese language & culture at your school? We think your pupils will love it! Please share this information with any colleagues who may be interested! The Marugoto A1-1 (Katsudoo & Rikai) Tutor Support Course gives a comprehensive introduction to Japanese language and culture. This course will combine online self-study with submission of assignments to a real-life tutor, in addition to live lessons (1 live lesson covers 1 Topic) with the tutor. You will get a certificate when you finish the course! Application period: 9th – 18th December 2019 Course period: 15th January – 10th April 2020 Course fee: £80 For more information on the teaching materials and to try out Marugoto, please visit this website, which introduces the Marugoto Nihongo Online Course: https://www.marugoto-online.jp/info/ Please note that we can only accept a maximum of 12 people on this course. Your suitability for this course will be assessed by the Japan Foundation London after we have received your application.   If you have any questions, please contact us at: info.language@jpf.org.uk   Click here for full details and to apply

London and Cardiff Registration Now Open. The Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) is a test which evaluates and certifies the Japanese-language proficiency of non-native speakers of Japanese.The test is conducted twice a year, in July and December, in Japan and various locations around the world.

  The Japan Foundation is proud to partner with Thèatre Lapis on this special reading performance. Pearl and Dagger is a new musical inspired by the Japanese folktale, A Story of Oki Island, which can originally be found in Ancient Tales and Folklore of Japan, written in 1906 by Richard Gordon Smith, a British naturalist. It is the story of Tokoyo, a young woman dealing with the grief over her deceased mother. When her father, the former samurai Oribe, is wrongly imprisoned on a mysterious island, she sets out on a journey to find him and must discover the secrets of the island, her family, and the meaning of real bravery. Originally conceived by composer/lyricist Eden Tredwell, directed by Yojiro Ichikawa and co-written by Nozomi Abe, this is the first trial show of the unique production devised from the collaboration between British and Japanese artists, combining both Western musical theatre and Japanese tradition. As part of Thèatre Lapis five-year project ‘Brilliance 2016-2020’, which retells Japanese stories in unique theatre setting, the team behind this production aims to raise and increase awareness of Japan and Japanese culture, as well as hopes that this theatrical experience becomes an invitation to the world of Japanese aesthetics. Thèatre Lapis is planning to expand this production and tour it to various locations in the UK towards 2020.

Experience Japan Exhibition will be back in London this November for the 9th year, bringing information on the growing range of exciting study and research opportunities in Japan. Visit our booth to learn more about the Japan Foundation, our grants and projects. 

Come and see the Japan Foundation at the Language Show London 2019! The Language Show London is a language event for thos ewho offer products and services ot language teachers, learners, translators, linguists, language professionals and businesses. This year, the Japan Foundation is once again giving visitors a chance to learn about Japanese language and culture. We will be running Japanese language tasters, talks and an information stand! Our attractions include: The Japan Foundation Information Stand When: 15-17 November (Fri-Sun) 2019 Where: Olympia London, Hammersmith Road, London W14 8UX Packed full of information about studying and teaching Japanese in the UK, staff members from the Japan Foundation London would be delighted to give you advice on learning Japanese or teaching Japanese. We can also write your name in Japanese for you, and teach you how to write it yourself! Talk: Cross curricular learning: Japanese through maths When: 17 November (Sunday), 3:30pm to 4:15pm As student take-up of languages decreases and languages are squeezed out of the curriculum, Clare Kuroishi, an experienced Japanese classroom teacher, talks about the techniques and outcomes of incorporating languages with other subjects based on her experience of incorporating Japanese with the teaching of mathematics. Japanese Language Tasters When: 15 November (Friday), 2:15pm to 2:45pm / 16 November (Friday), 4:30pm to 5:00pm (Saturday) Ever wanted to try learning Japanese? Experience Japanese language first hand with our taster sessions! Beginners welcome. There will be two tasters, one on Friday and a repeat on Saturday.

  The Japan Foundation is delighted to support this collaborative installation piece as part of Lumiere Durham 2019!   A rolling nocturnal fog cascades into the River Wear. Fujiko Nakaya has been transforming public spaces around the world for over half a century with her ephemeral fog sculptures. An original commission for Lumiere 2015, Fogscape #03238 returns to cloak the riverside in plumes of ghostly water vapour. By bringing the clouds down to the ground, the artist hopes that people will be reminded of their own role in climate change.    About Fujiko Nakaya  Fujiko Nakaya’s innovative use of fog as a sculptural medium emerged during her involvement with E.A.T. (Experiments in Art and Technology), a global initiative promoting collaboration between artists and engineers. As Tokyo representative for the group, Fujiko produced the world’s first fog sculpture for Expo ’70 in Osaka, Japan by shrouding the roof of the Pepsi pavilion with artificially produced fog. Over the last 50 years she has created more than 90 of these immersive installations. As the daughter of Ukichiro Nakaya, the glaciology physicist credited with producing the world’s first snow crystal in a laboratory, her lifelong goal, like her father, is to instil a sense of wonder into our everyday experiences of the environment. Since Lumiere, her sculptures have continued to transform public spaces across the world from Boston’s Emerald Necklace Parks to the Art Tower Mito in Japan, reshaping the idea of what an artwork can be.   About Simon Corder Simon Corder is a London based artist and designer. He has been working with lighting for over 40 years. When he left school in 1978 he joined the circus as a ‘ring boy’ and went on to perfect his craft as a lighting designer for touring theatre and opera. His practice encompasses lighting for performance, set and production design, light art, zoo design, event production and photography. Simon Corder has worked on four commissioned pieces for Artichoke, including Winter Garden at Elvet Bridge for the first ever Lumiere Durham in 2009.