Events & Programmes Archive

  We are delighted to welcome the Otsu Kagura Troupe who will perform special shows of the Iwami Kagura dance tradition in the UK. Come and join us at the following places and dates – fun for the whole family! No booking required. What is Iwami Kagura?  Kagura is a Shinto theatrical dance and music dedicated to the deities of Japanese mythology. It originated from a mythical event recorded in the Kojiki, a 1,300-year-old historical record of Japan, in which the female deity of dance and the arts dances to coax the female deity of the sun out of hiding in a cave so that her light would grace the world again. The older and ritualistic form is still performed at the Imperial Court, and the more theatrical forms are staple in local communities in regions of Japan. Iwami Kagura is a form of kagura native to Iwami region of western Shimane Prefecture. It has about 300 years of history and is performed mostly during the annual celebrations of shrines in the autumn to dedicate it to the deities in gratitude and to pray for an abundant harvest throughout the year. The repertoire includes ritual dances and narrative plays based on myths. The magnificent dance, up-tempo music, and flamboyant costumes are captivating, and although being a traditional performing art, it continues to evolve over times.   Who are the Otsu Kagura troupe? The troupe was founded in 1999 as the new generation to carry on the tradition of Iwami Kagura. The troupe works on preserving and developing the tradition by making new plays as well as devoting itself to preserve the classic plays to convey the appeal of the indigenous and traditional kagura. The troupe performs 41 plays and presents around 50 performances annually, performing also at many events in other cities as well as in urban areas and overseas. The troupe also operates Mai-no-za, the first dedicated theatre for Iwami Kagura opened in April 2019, with the aims of developing new fans and making the facility as the base of promoting the kagura not only for locals but also domestic and international visitors.

A collaboration between the Uchledre Centre and dance practitioner Melissa Prasut, this full-length dance production will combine traditional and non-traditional art approaches and involve a number of international artists, including butoh dancer Sayako Onishi and music mixer, Toshimaru Nakamura. 

  The Japan Foundation is proud to partner with the Japanese Avant-garde and Experimental Film Festival as they bring yet another exciting line-up of Japanese film titles to the UK. 2019: NATION | 国家  This year's edition of the festival examines national identity, cultural memory and perceptions of history in Japan with a programme of classic avant-garde cinema and contemporary experimental short form film. This weekend festival of screenings will be complemented by introductions from experts, Q&As, a free panel discussion and a filmmaker’s workshop for aspiring video artists.

  As part of an annual series of artist-curated sonic and interdisciplinary events in extraordinary spaces, MODE 2019 (produced by Thirty Three Thirty Three), the Japan Foundation is delighted to partner on welcoming artists Yosuke Fujita and ASUNA as they create distinct live sonic performances. Yosuke Fujita presents NOISEEM Yosuke Fujita creates distinct live sonic performances that are inspired by traditional Japanese Gagaku music; incorporating flowing water, the human voice and analogue reel tapes to create spatial and sonic compositions that are designed to stimulate and embrace the eye and the ear. For the European premiere of NOISEEM, he will employ synthesised water tanks interconnected with a unique pipe organ fabricated by Fujita to construct an immersive environment that aims to elicit embodied multi-sensory experiences. In conjunction with his performance work, Fujita has featured in numerous exhibitions including INVISIBLE LAKE (2015), presenting a sound installation that focused on underwater sounds, and CELL (2017) at the Sapporo International Art Festival, which comprised of a sonic work that amplified the sounds of black soldier fly larvae buried in the soil. ASUNA: 100 KEYBOARDS Japanese sound artist ASUNA has been creating experimental music and installation work since the late 1990s. He is a pioneer in the experimental ambient/drone/ improvisation scene in Japan and has collaborated with both Japanese and international electronic musicians. ASUNA will be using 100 battery-powered analogue keyboards to create waves of overlapping sound in the Clore Studio. The instruments sit in concentric circles, each one playing a single note to produce an electronic chorus in this site-specific listening experience.

In 1963 Osamu Tezuka’s TV series Astro Boy brought a new kind of robot to Japan. The robot child with a loving heart began a line of compelling, conflicted cyborgs whose existence challenges humanity. Japanese animation has embraced robotics, cybernetics and artificial intelligence as major themes. More interestingly, it uses these themes to explore complex moral and social questions: humanity’s responsibility for its actions, response to the other, greed, short-termism, failure to care for the ecosystem that sustains us. The Japan Foundation is delighted to be associated with Barbican's season which examines the challenge of the man-machine interface through eight films on various aspects of humanity’s response to technological change. One interesting factor to emerge from these films is how our own view of technology has changed since the earliest was released. Another is how humanity still refuses responsibility for the impact of our actions. These films give no answers, but suggest responses.

The Japan Foundation is proud to partner with Open City Documentary Festival on screenings of a selection of works by critically-acclaimed Japanese director, Naomi Kawase. The director herself will be in attendance.   Sunday, 8 September at Regent Street Cinema 1:30pm - Embracing + Sky, Wind, Fire, Water, Earth + Q&A In these two deeply personal films, Naomi Kawase reflects on her relationship with her father, absent throughout her childhood. Embracing (1992) revolves around Naomi’s search for her father despite her adoptive mother’s discouragement and her own doubts about what she might find. Combining nostalgic home movies and handheld Super 8mm footage of nature, Kawase weaves together an achingly beautiful search for identity and the true meaning of family. Sky, Wind, Fire, Water, Earth (2001) chronicles Naomi’s reaction to her father’s death a decade later, drawing lifelong connections between her original search, her childhood with her adoptive parents and her unfulfilled longing for a relationship with her birth parents. Followed by a Q&A with director Naomi Kawase   4:00pm - Katatsumori + See Heaven + Chiri + Intro  This triptych of moving tributes from Naomi Kawase creates an affectionate portrait of her bond with her great-aunt who adopted and raised her. Capturing her lovingly with close up Super 8mm photography, Katatsumori (1994) introduces us to Uno Kawase as she enters her eighties. A recurrent figure in all of Kawase’s personal documentaries, Uno remains kind, good-humoured and devoted to her adoptive daughter, and See Heaven (1995) offers an intimate, experimental collage of images dedicated to the playful but tender relationship between the two. In Chiri (2012), we witness Uno’s daily routine as she nears her final days and Kawase grapples with coming to terms with her great-aunt’s passing. Director Naomi Kawase will be present to introduce the screening.   Monday, 9 September at Curzon Soho Cinema 6:30pm - Birth/Mother + Extended Conversation  About to give birth to her own child, Naomi Kawase turns her camera back on to her adoptive mother and great-aunt in this riveting examination of family, motherhood and the female body. An intensely intimate and candid film, Birth/Mother (2006) captures images of her great-aunt’s ageing body while Kawase reflects on her own journey to becoming a mother. The film offers a more complex portrayal of the relationship between the two women than Kawase’s earlier shorts, but the connection between them remains undeniable. Naomi Kawase will join us after the screening of the film for an extended in-conversation event

The Triennial Joint East Asian Studies Conference will be held at Edinburgh University  The JEASC is open to members of the British Association for Chinese Studies, the British Association for Japanese Studies, the British Association for Korean Studies and non-members alike. We welcome participants from all countries and backgrounds. Panel and individual paper proposals have been submitted across the full range of disciplines within the humanities and social sciences that address topics related to Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea, other parts of the East Asia region, or the region as a whole. For more information, please visit the conference website

English (Japanese is below) Cardiff University Japanese Education Seminar - "Language Education and Identity of Children Who Move Locations" Speaker: Professor Ikuo Kawakami (Professor, Waseda University Graduate School of Japanese Applied Linguistics) Date: 3rd September 2019 Time: 1:00pm to 4:00pm (planned) Venue: Cardiff University School of Modern Languages Price: Free (in order to control the number of attendees, we ask that all those who wish to attend register. The registration system is still in progress. If you wish to attend, please contact Dr Inaba at Cardiff University via e-mail: inabam@cardiff.ac.uk ) Note for those traveling by car: If you plan to travel to the event by car, please let Dr Inaba know in advance by contacting her via: inabam@cardiff.ac.uk - you will be able to use Cardiff University's free car park.   Professor Ikuo Kawakami Professor Ikuo Kawakami is a professor at the Waseda University Graduate School of Japanese Applied Linguistics. He has a PhD in literature. He specialises in Japanese language education for young people. He undertakes researches based on the analysis of children who are raised in multiple linguistic environments - "children who move locations". His written works include: "I was a child who moved locations - lifestories of children raised in diferent linguistical environments" (Kuroshio) and "Learning Japanese / Being raised multilingually - Considering children's vocabulary work book" (collaboraiton, Kuroshio).  http://www.gsjal.jp/kawakami/   Japanese ーカーディフ大学日本語教育セミナー「移動する子どもたちの言語教育とアイデンティティー 講師: 川上郁夫先生（早稲田大学日本語教育研究科） 日時:  2019年9月3日（火）　午後1時－4時（予定） 会場: カーディフ大学School of Modern Languages   参加費： 無料 （人数把握のため、registrationのみお願いしています。登録システムは現在準備中ですので、稲葉（inabam@cardiff.ac.uk）  までご連絡いただければと思います。） ＊お車でいらっしゃる予定の方は、稲葉(inabam@cardiff.ac.uk) まで事前にお知らせくださいませ。カーディフ大学の駐車場が無料でご利用いただけます。 川上先生略歴 早稲田大学大学院日本語教育研究科教授。博士（文学）。専門は年少者日本語教育。幼少期より複数言語環境で成長する子どもたちを「移動する子ども」という分析概念で捉え，子どもたちのことばの教育について研究を行う。著書に『私も「移動する子ども」だった――異なる言語の間で育った子どもたちのライフストーリー』（くろしお出版）、『日本語を学ぶ／複言語で育つ――子どものことばを考えるワークブック』（共著、くろしお出版）等。 http://www.gsjal.jp/kawakami/

We are delighted to announce that the 15th Japanese Speech Contest for University Students is open for applications! This contest gives students the chance to make their voices heard in Japanese, and win some fantastic prizes! Finalists will all perform their speeches on Saturday 29th February 2020 at the Great Hall, King’s College London. :: Contest AimsThe main purpose of the event is to improve the speaking and presentation skills of students studying Japanese as a foreign language. Through this event, we hope to promote Japanese language learning at higher education level in the UK and Ireland. :: Who can apply?The contest is aimed at undergraduate students who are currently studying Japanese as a foreign language at a university in the UK or Ireland.   There are three different categories: 1. Speech Category:  For those studying a Japanese course aiming for the equivalent of JF standard C1 or C2 at a university the UK or Ireland including as an elective, optional or other university-based language course. Five finalists will be selected. Application Deadline: 11th November 2019    2. Individual Presentation Category: For those studying a Japanese course aiming for the equivalent of JF standard B1 or B2. Participants will give a PowerPoint presentation using Japanese. The aim of the presentation is to introduce a particular theme to the audience, for example a region, event, custom, etc. from the UK or another country outside Japan. Five finalists will be selected. Application Deadline: 9th December 2019    3. Group Presentation Category: For those studying a Japanese course aiming for the equivalent of JF standard A1 or A2. Participants will take part in groups of two to four students and give a PowerPoint presentation using Japanese. The aim of the presentation is to introduce a particular theme to the audience, for example a region, event, custom, etc. from the UK or another country outside Japan. Five groups which are selected to present during the finals day will be given a special award. Application Deadline: 16th December 2019 *Details of JF Standard can be found here: http://jfstandard.jp/pdf/jfs2015_pamphlet_eng.pd   Videos from the 14th Contest Finals Day can be viewed here Please see the files below for contest poster, FAQ and application forms for each category. - Frequently Asked Questions - Contest Poster - Speech Category Application Form - Speech Category Rules and Guidance - Individual Presentation Category Application Form - Group Presentation Category Application Form

Keiko Takemiya is arguably one of the most influential manga artists in Japan. Starting her career as an artist in late 1960 while still a teenager, her fame rapidly grew to stardom. This reached a new height in the 1970s when she became a seminal member of “the Fabulous Year 24 Group” – a new wave of female authors that revolutionised manga by developing new drawing techniques and introducing unconventional subject matters to the genre of girls’ manga, such as science fiction, fantasy, as well as boys’ love. Takemiya’s representative manga, The Poem of Wind and Trees (1976-84), which has sold nearly 5 million copies so far, is praised by critics and readers alike as a monumental work that laid the foundation for the rapidly growing genre of boys’ love within manga. In addition to her creative work, Takemiya has been a great advocate of preserving this nation-specific graphic art form as a cultural asset and was the first manga artist in Japan to be elected as President of an academic institution. During this very special talk and in a rare appearance Takemiya, in conversation with comics historian Paul Gravett, will discuss her extensive career as one of Japan’s leading manga artists, and her inspirations behind iconic works such as To Terra… (1977-80) which shaped the precedent for female manga artists to create stories for a young male readership. Reflecting on the development of the narrative art form in Japan, she will also review what manga has meant to her and the society at large.

Though it might not be widely recognised in the UK, shojo manga (girls’ manga) is an established genre within the Japanese manga world, for many decades having been primarily targeted at a female readership demographic. Constantly evolving in its narrative structures as well as the pictorial expression, it has inspired girls and young women through comic media suitable for different stages of their lives. Reflecting the demands of Japanese contemporary society, it often acts as a companion guide on which its readers can model their life styles. So what is shojo manga and what actually defines the genre? The Japan Foundation is delighted to welcome manga curator, critic, and shojo manga researcher at Meiji University, Tomoko Yamada, who will take you on a journey through the world of shojo manga with her insightful and informative illustrated talk. Having written extensively on the effects of the genre on visual pop culture, and interviewed many shojo manga artists including Keiko Takemiya, Yamada will delineate the origin of shojo manga as well as the characteristics and development of this unique narrative art with fresh perspective. Yamada will also elucidate how the readers have interacted with one another during the development of the genre throughout the years, while pointing out some of the pivotal moments in the history of shojo manga. This talk will map out Japan’s arguably lesser known yet certainly one of the most expansive manga genres, as well as offer the opportunity to discover more about who’s who in shojo manga, complementing the City: Manga exhibition at the British Museum.

Manga has boomed in popularity in recent years. Whilst it is enjoyed globally by a varied audience, there remains a lack of understanding about its breadth and depth, and its relationship with Japan and the rest of the world. This symposium aims to redefine manga by suggesting ways of looking at it as a cultural activity and an expression of historical activities. Although manga has become a major global art form, East and West remain relatively isolated from each other in the field of comic studies. By bringing together scholars, manga artists and manga industry members from Japan, Europe and beyond, the symposium creates a dialogue on the definition, reaches, and impact of manga in a global context, seeking to find and answer the questions that need to be answered about this global, cultural phenomenon. Presented by the Japan Foundation and SISJAC, in collaboration with British Library