Events & Programmes Archive

When you think of Japanese woodblock print-making, you likely think of the 18th-and-19th-century greats: KITAGAWA Utamaro, KATSUSHIKA Hokusai, and UTAGAWA Hiroshige are all well-known around the world for their ukiyo-e works, but the art of woodblock printing continued to prosper well beyond their times. In fact, the artform thrived well into the more modern times of the 1920s and 1930s, evolving beyond ukiyo-e along the way, with a number of its artists using it to express their own unique takes on the liveliness of a newly-modernised Tokyo. In this special talk event, KOYAMA Shuko, curator at the Edo-Tokyo Museum in Tokyo, will give an illustrated talk on hanga (woodblock print) works, with a particular focus on the 1920s and 1930s and the ways in which the artists of this time captured the changing city of Tokyo, while also comparing this more modern hanga to its ukiyo-e predecessors. This event is organised in celebration of the opening of Tokyo, naissance d'une ville moderne (Tokyo, the Birth of a Modern City) at the Japan Foundation's Maison de la culture du Japon in Paris. 

Why not learn Japanese language alongside the exhibition of Japanese food replicas? Calling all young learners who have never learnt Japanese before or those who are at a very beginner level! Japan House London is currently holding an exhibition showcasing Japan’s food replicas. This bold exhibition bridges the worlds of Japanese food and culture. The Japan Foundation, London will be holding a Japanese Language session linked to this exhibition.   Date: Wednesday 30th October, 12:00-13:00 / 14:00-15:00 *The same session will be repeated twice. Venue: The Hall at Japan House London, 101-111 Kensington High Street, London W8 5SA Session content:  Basic Japanese expressions about Japanese meals and more! Please note: This session is aimed at young people, such as sixth form students or university students (aged 16-22) For those who have never learnt Japanese before or those who are at a very beginner level. The food samples at this session and the exhibition are not edible. The session is followed by a free exhibition tour, led by Japan House staff. (Optional, approx. 15 min)  To register, please click here Fee: Free (registration in advance is required.) Registration deadline: Monday 21st October The maximum number of participants is 30 people for each session. Applications will close when this event has reached maximum capacity (30 participants) Lecturer: Ms Masumi Jinda Everett Organised by The Japan Foundation, London Supported by Japan House London   About the Lecturer   Masumi Jinda Everett has dedicated over 20 years to educating young minds, teaching Japanese at Harrow International School in Thailand, as well as at Bexley Grammar School in the UK.   Her commitment to her students' development while teaching Japanese language and culture has been the cornerstones of her teaching philosophy. She has continued to inspire and guide students from various cultural backgrounds, enriching their understanding of Japanese language and culture.

  If you love learning Japanese, funny stories and performing, then we have an exciting opportunity for you! We are looking for performers for the Kobanashi Happyoukai 2024! Kobanashi is a style of Japanese sitting comedy, performed as a prelude to Rakugo (traditional Japanese one-man storytelling). Kobanashi performers tell short (often under a minute) humorous stories all while sitting “seiza” Japanese style. We will be putting on Rakugo events in Oxford on Friday 8th and Saturday 9th November and in London on Sunday 10th November, with a master performer travelling from Japan. As part of the Rakugo events, we will also have Kobanashi performance events. This is an amazing chance to perform in front of an audience and also get advice from a Japanese Rakugo master during the event rehearsal . There is no age limit and you are not required to be a fluent Japanese speaker to take part! Kobanashi is a great way to learn Japanese so we encourage any and all Japanese learners to take part in this event! If you are a teacher, you can help guide your students through the world of Kobanashi using some useful websites, which we have linked below. To find out more details, including eligibility, what sort of performances we are looking for, and information on travel expenses, check out our detailed guidelines. Click here to fill out the application form – OXFORD 9th November Click here to fill out the application form – LONDON 10th November Application deadline: 24 October 2024 at 15:00 (BST/UTC+1)   Check out some useful websites with Kobanashi performances videos: 1. Kokusai Kobanashi Godo Happyoukai (KKGH) 2. Minna no Kobanashi Project 3.  Kobanashi Performance Event in September 2021  (organised by JF London)               *All websites are in Japanese except for Link 3. We will also soon hold a casual meet-up event (date TBC) for teachers. We hope it will help teachers who want to encourage their students to try Kobanashi and take part in the upcoming Kobanashi performance event. ---   Event Dates/Times/Venues (save the date!)   Oxford London Date 9 November 2024 (Saturday) 10 November 2024 (Sunday) Time 13:00 – 16:00 (TBC)   *Rehearsal 10:30-11:45 (TBC) 13:00 – 16:00 (TBC)   *Rehearsal 10:30-11:45 (TBC) Venue Holywell Music Room, Wadham College, University of Oxford Tuke Hall, Regent’s University Contents Kobanashi performances by Japanese learners and teachers, Rakugo performances, Explanation and Q&A by Rakugo master *English translation will be provided. * A Rakugo event without Kobanashi performances will be held in the evening of Friday 8th November in Oxford as well. *We will open applications for event spectators soon. ---  We can’t wait to receive your Kobanashi performance applications! If you have any enquiries, contact us (in English or Japanese) at events.japanese@jpf.go.jp    

The Japan Foundation offices (Cologne and London) will jointly hold an online teachers’ follow-up session on the topic, ‘Improving Teaching Skills! Let’s Relearn Japanese Teaching Methods’ on 19th October 2024 (Saturday). The details of the seminar, such as the theme, date and time, are as follows. Please find the event details below written in Japanese. *Please note that information is only available in Japanese, as the seminar will be conducted in Japanese. Thank you for your understanding.    Theme: Improving Teaching Skills! Let’s Relearn Japanese Teaching Methods  Date/Time: 19th October 2024 (Saturday),  9:00-11:00 (BST/UTC+1)/ 10:00-12:00 (CEST/UTC+2)  Application Deadline: 10th October 2024 (Thursday)  11:00（BST） Online form  Eligibility: Japanese language teachers in Europe    Enquiries:  The Japan Foundation, Cologne:  kurse@jpf.go.jp  (Japanese / German)  The Japan Foundation, London enquiries: events.japanese@jpf.go.jp  (Japanese / English)   ------- このたび国際交流基金ケルン日本文化会館とロンドン日本文化センターの共催で2024年10月19日（土）にオンライン日本語教師研修会を開催する運びとなりました。   今回のテーマは「日本語教授法の学びなおし」です。日本語教師のための勉強会、研修会が開かれ、私たち教師が学ぶ機会も増えています。今回は国際交流基金が制作した「教授法動画・テキスト」をご紹介します。みなさまの学びに活かしていただければと思います。   みなさまのご参加、お待ちしています。   テーマ： 日時：2024年10月19日（土）9:00-11:00 （英国夏時間）/ 10:00-12:00 （中央ヨーロッパ夏時間） 形式：オンライン（Zoom） 使用言語：日本語 対象：　欧州の日本語教師 定員：50名 話題提供：大舩ちさと（国際交流基金ロンドン日本文化センター） ファシリテーター：菊岡由夏（国際交流基金ケルン日本文化会館） 参加費：無料 使用言語：日本語 備考：事前課題があります。下の「事前課題」の箇所を見てください。   申込：https://forms.office.com/r/eetxjQ39X6 ＊締切：10月10日（木）11:00 （BST） チラシ　URL   【ファシリテーターから一言】 7月にケルン日本文化会館に着任して初めての研修で、とても緊張しています！さて、最近は各地で日本語教師のための勉強会、研修会が開かれ、教師力アップの機会も充実してきました。今回ご紹介する「教授法動画・テキスト」も皆様の日々の学びにぜひ活かしていただければと思います！   【事前課題】下記のwebサイトから「日本語教授法動画・テキスト」を視聴、確認する   下記サイトからご関心があるものをピックアップしてご視聴、ご確認ください。目安時間は30分程度です。 ・国際交流基金日本語国際センターwebサイト 　日本語教授法動画・テキスト  ・みんなの教材サイト　 　日本語教授法動画・テキスト   ・JFにほんごeラーニング「みなと」日本語教師向けコース内 　JFにほんごeラーニング　みなと 「日本語教師向けコース内」  　＊同サイトの「日本語教師向けコース」タブ内で開講されているもの。利用には登録、ログインが必要です。   問い合わせ先 :ケルン日本文化会館  kurse@jpf.go.jp（日本語／ドイツ語） ロンドン日本文化センター: events.japanese@jpf.go.jp  (日本語／英語)  

We’re delighted to support Arnolfini in Bristol as it presents esteemed Japanese photographer KAWAUCHI Rinko’s first major UK exhibition since 2006. Rinko Kawauchi: At the edge of the everyday world features photography spanning across KAWAUCHI’s twenty-year-plus career, utilising even the smallest aspects of everyday life as a vessel by which to capture poetic reflections on themes of care, identity, sustainability, humanity, and nature.

KAWAUCHI Rinko is one of Japan’s most prominent contemporary photographers. Her work is exhibited globally, including a 2006 solo exhibition at The Photographers’ Gallery in London, and is often described as poetic, offering an ethereal, dream-like perspective on the everyday world we inhabit without being constrained by any one particular theme. In celebration of her new exhibition at Arnolfini in Bristol, Rinko Kawauchi: At the edge of the everyday world (supported by the Japan Foundation and opening on 19 October), KAWAUCHI will be visiting London to reflect on her works to date, focusing on the past 10 years. She will introduce the ethos behind them, along with the philosophies that drive her photographic practice, giving an exclusive insight into the enthralling images she produces.

The Japan Foundation is proud to partner with the Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) in Glasgow and the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London for these special screening events featuring director ENDO Maiko, including an In Focus series at ICA. Don't miss this rare opportunity to witness ENDO's profound, thought-provoking experimental films, accompanied by a pair of Q&A sessions with the director herself - click the event title for more details and to get your tickets.

We are proud to collaborate with the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation as they present Life on Planet Earth, photographer NOGUCHI Rika’s first UK solo exhibition since 2004.   Featuring both photographic and video works, the exhibition conveys a sense of wonder at being in the world from various perspectives: though NOGUCHI became known for the human figures her earlier works took up as their subjects, she has since broadened her practice to also explore the ways in which other creatures – birds, mammals, fish, and insects – experience our world. Humanity is not unaccounted for, however, with video works such as The Lucent Sea (2021/2023, commissioned by the Japan Foundation) and To the Night Planet (2015) investigating alienness and alienation among human beings.

Join TAWADA Yoko, the multi-award-winning author of The Last Children of Tokyo and Scattered All Over the Earth, for an insightful pair of talks celebrating her latest UK release, Spontaneous Acts. TAWADA will visit London’s Libreria bookshop, along with Cheltenham for The Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival. About TAWADA Yoko TAWADA Yoko was born in Tokyo in 1960, educated at Waseda University and has lived in Germany since 1982, where she received her PhD in German literature. She received the prestigious Akutagawa Prize for The Bridegroom Was a Dog. She writes in both German and Japanese, and in 1996, she won the Adalbert-von-Chamisso Prize, a German award recognizing foreign writers for their contributions to German culture. She also received the Goethe-Medal, an official decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany, and the prestigious Kleist Prize (2016).

  Is your school interested in starting a Japanese Club? Sign up now to receive a Japanese Club package (including teacher training) so your school can be ready to run a Japanese Club in near future! Applications from more than one teacher from the same school are very welcome as it will provide you with opportunities to use what you learn through the course!   What we provide (free of charge): 1. Teaching materials: “Kon-Kon! Konnichiwa Japanese Club” Material set about Japanese culture and language The materials consist of 10 topics for 30-60 minute club activities (KS 2-4) (*Examples of topics covered: Greetings, Self-introduction, Food, Numbers, Festivals, Manga etc.) 2. Online teacher training course- 12 x 1-hour online sessions * Please see the training schedule below. 3. Support and advice for teachers running the Japanese Club The teaching material and the training programme are designed for teachers who don’t have any experience of running Japanese clubs or Japanese language knowledge. Details Aims of the online training programme: to learn how to use the set of materials. to learn basic knowledge of Japan and the Japanese language. to build a network of teachers who are interested in language and cultural education. Eligibility: primary or secondary schools that are interested in starting Japanese clubs. schools that currently don’t have a Japanese programme as a part of curriculum. schools that have a teacher who is available to attend the training programme and run a club at school. * No prior experience in Japanese language learning and running a Japanese Club is required. * Applications from more than one teacher from the same school are very  welcome. * In case of a high number of applicants, those who have no or limited experience in Japanese will be prioritised. Benefits: to be able to learn how to run a Japanese Club for at least 1 term (10 to 12 sessions). to be able to learn how to use the materials. to be able to gain basic knowledge of Japan and the Japanese language. to be able to expand your network. Training Schedule: * Participants are expected to attend all the sessions below: Every Monday (excluding half-term and holidays) starting from 7 October, 4 pm to 5 pm. Please refer to the schedule below for precise dates. In total of 12 sessions of 1h/week classes. October: 7, 14 November: 4, 11, 18, 25 December: 9 January: 13, 20, 27 February: 3, 10   Venue: Online Medium of language: English Fee: Free Number of participants: around 10 teachers   Application: Please click here to fill out the application form *Please ask your head teacher or other senior teachers acting on behalf of the head teachers at your school for permission before applying. Application deadline: 3rd October 2024 at 4pm   Enquiries:  Language Team, The Japan Foundation, London                 events.japanese@jpf.go.jp (English/Japanese)  --- FAQ: Q: I am interested in working at a school but currently am not teaching at any school. Can I apply? A: This course is designed mainly for teachers who are already employed by a school. You can apply but please note that school-employed teachers will be prioritised in the event of a high number of applicants.   Q: Can a teacher who is a native speaker of Japanese apply to this course? A: Japanese native speakers with no experience of teaching Japanese can apply. For those experienced teachers of Japanese, we are going to provide another opportunity in future to introduce the set of materials over a shorter period of time.   Q: Can I get support while running a Japanese club after the training? A: Yes, you can contact us if you have any concerns.   Q: Can I apply although we are not certain we can run a Japanese club this September? A: Yes, as long as you and your school have an active intention to start a Japanese club in the future. You don't necessarily have to start the club before finishing the course.    

We are thrilled to announce that our Senior Arts Programme Officer, Junko Takekawa, will be speaking at The Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival as part of its free programme. Join Junko, along with journalist and editor Sarah Shaffi, to learn more about some Japanese literature worth reading.No ticket is required - just turn up!