Events & Programmes Archive

At Plymouth's Atlantic Project, Japan's most sought-after multimedia artist, Ryoji Ikeda, creates his first UK site-specific project outside of London. Ikeda's The Radar presents mapping the cosmos in a large scale installation across a former dancehall.

Join us in welcoming the creator and lead animator of Domo-kun to talk about their characters and creative processes!

Japanese architect and Pritzker Prize winner Fumihiko Maki takes a closer look at the work of his early mentors, Josep Lluis Sert and Kenzo Tange.

This edition of the Japanese Avant-Garde Experimental Film Festival, in partnership with The Japan Foundation, riffs off the Oxford Dictionaries word of 2017: 'Youthquake'- defined as 'a significant cultural, political, or social change arising from the actions or influence of young people.' From 'sun tribe' delinquents in Bad Boys, psychedelic drag queens in Funeral Parade of Roses, and heat-of-the-battle political documentary, to films from the influential Art Theatre Guild (ATG) film studio, the festival will showcase classic avant-garde films from the 1960s and 1970s that examine youth counterculture, the student movements, and general currents of dissatisfaction and rebellion. Showing alongside these films are short experimental works from contemporary filmmakers and video artists that engage with life in present-day Japan. 

With just one year to go before the Rugby World Cup 2019's first match kicks off in Japan; the Japan Foundation London is delighted to announce a special symposium "Countdown to Kickoff: Japan's rugby history one year out from the 2019 Rugby World Cup", in partnership with SOAS Japan Research Centre.  Japan will be the first Asian nation to host the Rugby World Cup and the lead-up provides a great opportunity to reflect upon the relationship between Japan, rugby, and sporting mega-events. The symposium will look at Japan's rugby history, its place within society and culture, and the possible effects and challenges of hosting such a major sporting event in the current climate. There will be a chance to reflect on the rationale of Japan's bid for the tournament as well as an analysis of the orgnaisational differences between Japan's previous sporting mega-events, i.e. the 2002 FIFA World Cup and the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, and the upcoming 2019 Rugby World Cup. There will also be reflection on Japan's perfomance at the previous tournament and their prospects for the upcoming tournament. The symposium will be chaired by Dr J. Simon Rofe, the Programme Director of MA Global Diplomacy at SOAS whose research has a particular focus on diplomacy in sport. We are delighted to be hosting four speakers at the symposium, who will reflect on a wide range of topics:   Session 1:Phil McGowan (Curator of the World Rugby Museum, Twickenham) will discuss Japan's rugby history and introduce key characters up until the Second World War, placing Japanese rugby in a wide social context. Session 2:Helen Macnaughtan (Chair of the SOAS Japan Research Centre) will be talking about Japan's post-war rugby history up until the present day, reflecting on the place of Japan's university, and steel and iron industry teams. Session 3:Simon Chadwick (Professor of Sports Industry, Salford University Manchester) will reflect on bidding for international sporting mega-events and explore some of the key key economic and business issues affecting the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Session 4:Hilary Frank (Cornwall Council) will give a personal insight into some of Japan's previous mega-events such as the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics and the 2002 FIFA World Cup.She will reflect on Japan's 2015 Rugby World Cup performance and the outlook for Japan as they prepare to become the host nation.   Please click here for a full list of the speakers' biographies. With just one year to go before the Rugby World Cup 2019’s first match kicks off in Japan; the Japan Foundation London are delighted to announce a special symposium “Countdown to Kickoff: Japan’s Rugby History one year out for the 2019 world cup”, in partnership with SOAS Japan Research Centre. Japan will be the first Asian nation to host the Rugby World Cup and the lead-up provides a great opportunity to reflect upon the relationship between Japan, rugby, and sporting mega-events.     The symposium will look at Japan’s rugby history and its place within society and culture, and the possible effects and challenges of hosting such a major sporting event in the current climate. There will be a chance to reflect on the rationale of Japan’s bid for the Rugby World Cup, as well as an analysis of the organisational differences between Japan’s previous sporting mega events, i.e. the 2002 FIFA World Cup and 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, and the current 2019 Rugby World Cup. There will also be reflections on Japan’s previous Rugby World Cup performance and their prospects as their role as hosts. The symposium will be chaired by Dr J. Simon Rofe, the Programme Director of MA Global Diplomacy at SOAS whose research has a particular focus on diplomacy in sport.           We are delighted to be hosting four speakers at the symposium, who will reflect on a wide range of areas surrounding Japanese Rugby and sports-mega events:   Session 1: Phil McGowan (Curator of the World Rugby Museum in Twickenham) will discuss Japan’s rugby history and introduce key characters up until the Second World War, placing Japanese rugby in a wider social context.   Session 2: Helen Macnaughtan (Chair of the SOAS Japan Research Centre) will be talking about Japan’s post-war rugby history up until the present day, reflecting on the place of Japan’s university, and steel and iron industry teams.   Session 3: Simon Chadwick (Professor of Sports Industry, Salford University Manchester) will reflect on bidding for international sporting mega-events and explore some of the key economic and business issues affecting the 2019 Rugby World Cup.   Session 4: Hilary Frank (Cornwall Council) will give a personal insight into some of Japan’s previous mega-events such as the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, and the 2002 FIFA World Cup. She will also reflect on Japan’s 2015 World Cup performance and the outlook for Japan as they prepare to become the host nation.   Please click here for a li

One of Japan's leading contemporary artists, Taro Izumi, joins us for a special talk ahead of his exhibition at the White Rainbow gallery.

Winds of Change returns for another series of plays and playwright talks from some of Japan's most famous contemporary playwrights.

The British Association for Japanese Studies (BAJS) 2018 conference “Crisis? What Crisis? Continuity and Change in Japan” will bring together scholars and students from  a wide range of locations and fields to discuss the relevance of viewing Japan as being in states of social, economic, and/or demographic crisis. With Japan creating, resisting, and implementing major constitutional changes in recent years, signs of sustained growth have begun to emerge and a resurgent image of what it means to be Japanese is being promoted, particularly with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics approaching. The BAJS conference will look at the relevence of a crisis and continuity framework in modern Japanese Studies discourse.   Accompanying the talks from a wide range of speakers, the conference will also include a conference film programme, a postgraduate student workshop, and a postgraduate student poster session.   The key note speakers for this conference are Professor Mori Yashitaka (Tokyo University of the Arts) and Professor Gennifer Weisenfeld (Duke University) who will be exploring cultural and social change in Japan from two difference perspectives.

The Japan Foundation is proud to support Open City Documentary Festival 2018, and their presentation of Kazuo Hara's documentaries.

We are delighted to announce that the 14th 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 2nd March 2019 at King’s College London. :: Contest Aims The 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. Six finalists will be selected. Application Deadline: 22nd November 2018 (applications for this category have now closed)   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: 10th December 2018 (applications for this category have now closed)   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: 17th December 2018 *Details of JF Standard can be found here: http://jfstandard.jp/pdf/jfs2015_pamphlet_eng.pd   Videos from the 13th 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 - Speech Category Application Form - Individual Presentation Category Application Form - Group Presentation Category Application Form

Sound artists Tomoko Sauvage and ASUNA present new installation work and performances as part of the Yo No Bi tour in collaboration with ame.

For more information and to book, download our flyer. Summer Explorers returns this August! Join us for two days of free film screenings in London.