Events & Programmes Archive

Meiro Koizumi (1976, Gunma, Japan) investigates the boundaries between the private and the public, a domain of specific importance to his native Japanese culture. His videos are often based on performances and constructed scenarios. He places characters, played by himself or others, in awkward situations. Often starting harmoniously he gradually heightens the tension manipulating the situation from humorous to painful. His performances focus and enlarge the moment when a situation gets out of control, becomes embarrassing or breaks social rules.

Come and visit the Japan Foundation stand at Experience Japan London 2018...

Come and see the Japan Foundation at Language Show London 2018! The Language Show London is the UK's largest language event for those who offer products and services to language teachers, learners, translators, linguists, language professionals and businesses. This year, the Japan Foundation is once again giving visitors chances 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: 9-11 November (Fri-Sun) 2018 Where: Olympia London, Hammersmith Road, London W14 8UX. Packed full of information about studying and teaching Japanese in the UK, our stand will be staffed with members of the Japan Foundation who would be delighted to give you advice on your Japanese studies.  Talk: "Snow Monkey - Science in the Language Class at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland" Sandie Robb When: 10 November (Saturday), 15:30-16:15 Sandie Robb, senior education officer at RZSS, will give a talk about promoting the cross-curricular teaching of languages and science. With the help of a Japan Foundation grant, Sandie produced the "Snow Monkey Pack", a collection of fun learning materials centred on the Japanese macaque. Using the pack, pupils have been able to learn all about Japanese language as well as Japanese wildlife, georgraphy and culture. Cross-curricular teaching is an innovative way to help children encounter languages and simultaneously deepen their understanding of the wider world. Japanese Language Tasters When: 9 November (Friday), 17:15-17:45 and 10 November (Saturday), 16:30-17:00 Experience Japanese language first hand with our taster sessions!

Thanks to its uniqueness, Japanese street fashion has made a name for itself in the couture world and has enjoyed global attention. Subcultures such as Cosplay, Lolita, and Gothic Lolita have been capturing imagination of people not only in Japan, but across America, Europe and the rest of Asia since the end of the 20th century and into the 21st century. Under what conditions, however, was such a unique fashion born and nurtured in Japan? How has fashion reflected the demands of the consumers, especially the young, trend setting generation?In this special talk, Hiroshi Narumi, Professor of Kyoto University of Arts and Design, and the author of numerous books on contemporary fashion including Feel and Think: A New Era of Tokyo Fashion, will trace the fashion that emerged on the streets of Tokyo from 1945 up to the present day and examine how the desires of young people to express themselves have evolved over time. He will also discuss the role these trend setters have played in the creation of a unique and sometimes rather idiosyncratic mode, questioning what the heart of Japanese Post-War culture was. 

Aida Makoto is a Japanese contemporary artist known for his provocative work. From mountains of dead salarymen, a blender full of young women, and harakiri (ritual suicide), his highly skilled workmanship shared with Japanese traditional paintings appear grotesque at first, but they tend to carry a scathing message towards contemporary culture and society.  Controversial though they may be, his works have been taken up by many prestigious exhibitions including his solo show at Mori Art Museum, Tokyo and have proved to be food for thought for its viewers. In addition to being an artist, he has also received respect for his novels and manga work as well as being involved in a number of art projects in Japan.  For this special talk, Makoto Aida will talk about his long standing career as an artist, introducing his remarkable body of work. Together with Lena Fritsch, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Ashmolean Museum (University of Oxford), they will discuss what it is that Aida wishes to deliver through the various media he uses and what art means to him, reflecting on the state of Japan as well as global art.  This is a rare opportunity to meet and hear from one of the leader artists from Japan who will stir your mind with his bold yet deeply profound art. 

The Japan Foundation and Centre Européen d'Études Japonaises d'Alsace (CEEJA) are now accepting applications for participation in this year’s Japanese Study Seminar scheduled for 15 to 16 October 2018 at CEEJA, in Kientzheim, France. The title of this year’s seminar is ‘Transfiguration of employment at the time of globalization and technical innovation: A question about Japanese employment practice in the present and the future (グローバル化と技術革新の時代における雇用の変貌：日本型雇用慣行の現在・将来を問う).’ The official language of the seminar will be JAPANESE (no interpretation). The Japan Foundation and Centre Européen d’Etudes Japonaises d’Alsace (CEEJA) has carried out a series of seminars since 2007, with an aim to encourage networking among young researchers on Japan in Europe and further promote Japanese studies in Europe. Participants will join a two-day intensive workshop in the cozy and intimate atmosphere of CEEJA's facility in Kientzheim where they will present and discuss their current research projects with fellow participants and a guest mentor. The theme of this year’s seminar will be  “Transfiguration of employment at the time of globalization and technical innovation: A question about Japanese employment practice in the present and the future (グローバル化と技術革新の時代における雇用の変貌：日本型雇用慣行の現在・将来を問う).” We are calling for applications from young researchers in Europe specialising in Sociology, Gender Studies, Literature, History, Arts, Language, Philosophy, Political Science, Economics, etc. Please note the deadline for applications has now closed. For further details including eligibility and application procedures, please visit the Japan Foundation Tokyo website here.

Japan Conference for Schools will be held later this year on Friday 12th October 2018 so please save the date! A free one-day conference for networking and sharing ideas about bringing Japan and Japanese into schools. The event is open to schools or local authorities that are new to Japan work, schools implementing Japanese into the curriculum, those involved with partnerships in Japan and schools looking to enhance or develop an existing programme of Japan-related study. More information about the conference will be shared through the Japan Foundation and Japan Society London. As part of the event, there will be a Pearson A-Level CPD Workshop, covering the new A-Level syllabus. This workshop will run from 11:20 – 15:50 with the cooperation of Pearson. Participants can choose to attend EITHER the A-Level CPD workshop OR a combination of the other sessions running throughout the day. This event is co-organised by Japan Foundation London and the Japan Society with generous support from the British Council.   Detailed information on the timetable and sessions will be posted here soon. We will also soon be opening applications. Please watch this space! In the meantime, for more information you can contact: info.language@jpf.org.uk   -          Event Time Table: Coming Soon -          Application Form: Opening Soon

One of the UK's most admired children's authors, Satoshi Kitamura has been winning the hearts of children (and adults) for over three decades with his lovingly drawn animations and wonderfully imaginative books. Despite no formal training, Kitamura's first book, Angry Arthur, published in the UK by Andersen Press and with words by Hiawyn Oram, earned him the prestigious Mother Goose Award. His quirky characters, bewildering beasts, and lovingly-detailed landscapes have made Kitamura's style iconic and beloved by many. As an author and translator, Kitamura has been behind many famous books such as, Millies Marvellous Hats, Me and My Cat, and David Mckee's Elmer. His new book, Hat Tricks (ScallywagPress), will be released next year.  In partnership with The Children's Bookshow, the Japan Foundation will welcome Kitamura back to the UK to talk about his career as both an author and an illustrator, as well as his unique writing and artistic style. He will also discuss the world of children's books in the UK and Japan and what inspires both young readers and himself.  He will be introducing his lively and fascinating characters through live painting and Kamishibai, a traditional Japanese storytelling theatre style which uses illustrated paper for visual aids.  In adition to this talk, Kitamura will also be making other UK appearances: 8 October Wariwck Art Centre (Visit their website for details) 12 October The Lake International Comic Art Festival  (Visit their website for details)

Japanese Author, Sayaka Murata, is arguably the current most-watched literary talent both in Japan and internationally. Her representative novel, Convenience Store Woman (KonbiniNingen) for which she drew on her own experience of working in a store, earned her Japan's most prestigious literature prize, the Akutagawa award, with a jury's fascinating comment that "it is very rare for the prize to go to such amusing literature". Recently translated into English, Convenience Store Woman has stormed the world with joyful surprise and received rave reviews. Her other titles include her debut work, Breastfeeding (Junyu, 2003) and Breeders and Killers (Satsujin Shussan, 2014). In conjunction with her sell-out appearance at this year's Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival, Murata, in conversation with Megan Bradshaw, former UK Editor at Asymptote Journal will talk, for the first time in London, about her representative work and discuss her views on non-conformity within society, gender roles and parenthood in her work. Joined by the English version's translator of Convenience Store Woman, Ginny Tapley Takemori, who has previously translated for many Japanese authors including Ryu Murakami and Miyuki Miyabe, the event will also provide insight into the difficulties and intricacies of translating works across such a board cultural divide.

Genki Kawamura  may be better known for his work as a producer on critically acclaimed films such as Your Name (Kimi No Na Wa) and Confessions (Kokuhaku), but he has been recently looming on the Japanese literature world and his literary repuation shows just how multi-talented he is. His debut novel, If Cats Disappeared from the World will be out in September this year.  To celebrate this new release, The Japan Foundation is proud to welcome Kawamura for this London debut at this special talk. Introducing his best-selling novel, Kawamura will talk about the different approaches needed for writing and film producing, take us behind the scenes of the creative process for If Cats Disappeared from the World, the secret to penning best-selling novels, including his 2014 and 2016, One Hundred Million Dollar man (Oku Otoko) and April Come She Will (Shigatsu ni nareba kanojo wa), and adapting books for film; both If Cats Disappeared from the World and One Hundred Million Dollar Man have been made into films, for which Kawamura wrote the screenplays. 

Join us for a very special screening on Makoto Shinkai's Your Name (Kimi No Na Wa). This screening will be an amazing chance to meet one of the films producers Genki Kawamura, who will be answering questions on the film, his previous works, and on life in the anime and Japanese film industry.  Genki Kawamura is a writer and film producer. After joining Toho, one of the major film distribuition and production companies, he went on to produce his debut film "Train Man" (Densha Otoko) at the age of 26, which yiedled 3.7 billion yen at the box office. Since then, he has been involved in many Japanese films as a producer including, "Confession" (Kokuhaku), "Vilain"(Akunin) and many others that are also available on DVD in this country. For his achievements as a producer, Kawamura was nominated for the Next Generation Asia List 2010 run by The Hollywood Reporter. In 2012 he made his literary debut with "If Cats Disappeared from the World" which is out in English this month and is included in the prestigious Cheltenham Literature Festival 

This year is the tenth Japan Matsuri and the Japan Foundation will be participating again this year. The Japan Matsuri is a great festival of Japanese culture held at Trafalgar Square. Come and visit our stand to get information about the Japan Foundation, Japanese culture and language. We will be running fun activities throughout the day, which we will release more details about soon, so watch this space! For more information about Japan Matsuri, please see their official website at JapanMatsuri.com. Venue: Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN