Events & Programmes Archive

This one-day conference is organised by the Japan Society, the Japan Foundation and the Embassy of Japan. The conference is free to attend, and 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. The aim is for people to network and share practical ideas about introducing Japan and Japanese in their schools. It also aims to give experienced schools ideas on taking their Japanese activities further. To provisionally book your place on the course please click here.  Fee: Free (Registration required)Lunch will be provided on the day

Come along and listen to what young people studying Japanese in the UK have to say!

In conjunction with the current Japan Foundation exhibition Metamorphosis of Japan After the War at Open Eye Gallery, Marc Feustel the co-curator, will provide an overview of the dramatic evolution in Japanese documentary photography produced during the incredibly significant and turbulent 20 year period between the end of World War II and the Tokyo Olympic Games in 1964. Capturing both the historical and social perspective of the period, he will expand on why he chose to create this poignant exhibition, the philosophy behind it, and discuss some of 11 accomplished Japanese photographers included in the retrospective and why their images were chosen. Telling this story through photographs, Feustel will also examine the impact that these works and photographers have made upon contemporary artists, and what elements may be connected to the current state of Japanese photography. Marc FeustelMarc Feustel has curated several photographic exhibitions and edited both fine art and photographic publications including the anthology of postwar Japanese photography, Japan: a self-portrait, Photographs 1945-1964, published in 2004 by Flammarion. He writes regularly on photography for print and online publications and is co-director of Studio Equis. The exhibition Metamorphosis of Japan After the War includes works from Japanese photographers such as Yasuhiro Ishimoto, Shomei Tomatsu, Eikoh Hosoe, and Ken Domon. It is currently running until the 26 April 2015 at 19 Mann Island, Liverpool Waterfront, L3 1BP, organised by Open Eye Gallery. For more information, please visit: www.openeye.org.uk

There will be a Chinese and Japanese GCSE & IB event at Dartford Grammar School on Friday 27th February 2015. It will be an opportunity for teachers to discuss developments relating to both GCSE and IB; conduct moderation and share good practice. UCL IOE Confucius Institute and The Japan Foundation are both supporting this event and Katharine Carruthers and Tomoki Akazawa will chair discussions on the day regarding the current teaching of Chinese and Japanese. Sessions will be divided into subject specific groups but there will be opportunities throughout the day for teachers from each language to network. Teachers have the option to attend either the morning GCSE session or the afternoon IB session, or both. Schedule for the day:8.45-9.00: Registration and networking9.00-9.30am: Welcome and Address from Katharine Carruthers (Director, IOE Confucius Institute for Schools) and Tomoki Akazawa (Deputy Director, The Japan Foundation)9.30-10.15am: Discussions chaired by Katharine Carruthers and Tomoki Akazawa10.15-10.30am: Break and coffee10.30-12.30am: GCSE session (Discussion; moderation of speaking and writing controlled assessments; sharing resources/good practice)12.30-1.15pm: Lunch1.00-1.15pm: Registration and networking for afternoon IB session1.15-2.45pm: Ab Initio (Discussion of new specification; moderation of Written Assignments and Individual Orals; sharing resources/good practice)2.45-4.15pm: Standard Language B (Discussion of new specification; moderation of Written Assignments and Individual Orals; sharing resources/good practice) Any school who is not currently teaching Chinese or Japanese but are interested in introducing or developing Chinese or Japanese into their curriculum are welcome to attend. There is no cost for attendance. If you would like to attend, please contact Katy Simpson on ksimpson@dartfordgrammarschool.org.uk before 30th January 2015.

Learn how to bring your Japanese classes to life with Microsoft PowerPoint! 

This year’s Japan Foundation-supported Glasgow Film Festival will again feature a selection of contemporary Japanese films, including the UK premieres of Daihachi Yoshida’s new film Pale Moon and Shinya Tsukamoto’s adaptation of Shohei Ooka’s acclaimed novel, Fires on the Plain, the Scottish premiere of Naomi Kawase’s Still the Water (pictured) and more.

This talk is a unique opportunity to learn about artist Fujiko Nakaya’s practice and influential explorations of nature and technology throughout her forty year career

In celebration of Bristol's status as European Green Capital and as part of the IBT15 Bristol International Festival, In Between Time have invited artist Fujiko Nakaya to present her artwork Fog Bridge, an installation which will engulf Bristol’s Pero's Bridge in fog.

Chu Enoki is a seminal figure in Japanese contemporary art renowned for his varied artistic practice

The Japan Foundation will be at London Anime & Gaming Con on 7th and 8th February 2015. Visit our stand for information about studying Japanese and perhaps take away a few freebies!

This year’s Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme will provide an exciting programme of films under the narrative framework of ‘encounters’. Showcasing a vast variety of styles and tones, from popular contemporary films, classics through to animation, the programme will include titles in which characters experience seemingly unusual meetings, plunge into unexpected circumstances and new environments, as well as collide with different generations, ideals and ideas – asking the question, does it really only happen in the movies? For full details of the lineup and participating venues, please visit the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme website. This year’s Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme will provide an exciting programme of films under the narrative framework of ‘encounters’. Showcasing a vast variety of styles and tones, from popular contemporary films, classics through to animation, the programme will include titles in which characters experience seemingly unusual meetings, plunge into unexpected circumstances and new environments, as well as collide with different generations, ideals and ideas – asking the question, does it really only happen in the movies? For full details of the lineup and participating venues, please visit the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme website.

Hideki Nakazawa's Contemporary Art History: Japan, is a foundational text in the international understanding of post-war art in Japan.