News and Reports Archive

In this short article, manga artist Shangomola Edunjobi shares his suggestions for five series to get you started on your new interest – or add to an existing one! Click the PDF icon below to discover the handpicked titles and what makes each one a great read while isolating. Author/Artist…

In this easy recipe tutorial, bento artist Mari Miyazawa shares her expert tips on how to create cute characters out of common food ingredients for you to try your hand at them at home. Click the PDF icon below to read. Mari Miyazawa, bento artist and animation filmmaker Born in…

In this short article, Professor Stephen Dodd shares his expertise on Japanese literature and invites you to read a selection of his recommendations best suited for the times we find oursleves in now. Click the PDF icon below to read. Professor Stephen Dodd is a translator and an expert academic…

What am I doing? Ichikawa YojiroArtistic Director Due to the measures introduced by the Japanese government in order to prevent the spread of Covid-19, many performances of the show I was directing at the New National Theatre Tokyo in February were cancelled. Subsequently, when I came back to London, many…

Following the guidance of the UK Government, our offices currently remain closed and our staff are working remotely. We ask for your continued patience and understanding whilst the scope of our work is limited. As per the recent announcement from Ministers, the offices will not reopen before May 8th 2020.…

What am I doing? Helen McCarthyAuthor and Japan Cultural Specialist As a writer and speaker, I spend most of my working life at home, either at my computer in the study, or in the garden working on my iPad. In many ways, this terrible pandemic has not changed my everyday…

What am I doing? Noel Thatcher MBE Paralympian, 5-Time Gold Medallist We are all living in challenging times.  The COVID-19 global pandemic has changed our lives virtually overnight bringing huge challenges to our physical and mental health and well-being. This is compounded by the vital need to maintain social distancing and…

What am I doing? Nicole WatsonCreative Director Surface Area Dance Theatre I have taken this period of isolation to extend my theoretical research on the concept of Ma (間), which can be translated from Japanese to mean a gap, pause or interval. With support from Arts Council England, in the coming months I will advance…

The Japan Foundation has produced a short video describing our “Erin’s Challenge! Japanese Test” app designed for learners of Japanese at the beginner level. If you are interested in using the app to aid your study but are unsure about what sort of app it is, we hope that you…

The current website for “Erin’s Challenge! I can speak Japanese” will be closed with effect from July 2020.  A new website offering video content will be available from 1st August 2020. We will publicise the link at a later date. User information registered on the “Erin’s Challenge” website will be…

The Japan Foundation is pleased to announce that the new online learning resource “IRODORI – Japanese for Life in Japan” has been launched. Using this resource, Japanese learners can increase their abilities in Japanese communication in order to get on with daily life in Japan. IRODORI offers fundamental Japanese communication…

On 14th March, experts in teaching Japanese as a foreign language located across the globe gathered together for the British Association for Teaching Japanese as a Foreign Language and the Japan Foundation, London Spring Seminar: “Using Drama as a Method of Education”. The seminar was a continuation of the April…