Events 2016

Annual & Special Events
25 JanJapan Society Annual Dinner

2 Feb

Lecture by Tim Hitchens, British Ambassador to Japan. At Nomura International

28 MayTrooping the Colour: Special Seats at the Major General’s Review

22 JunJapan Society Annual General Meeting 2016

22 JunBook and Website Launch: Biographical Portraits Vol. X and Japan Society eLibrary

3/4 Aug

Tanabata: Family Activity Day at Kew Gardens, with the Embassy of Japan

25 SepJapan Matsuri 2016 at Trafalgar Square, with Japan Association, JCCI, Embassy of Japan and the Nippon Club

28 Sep

The History of Manchuria: Book Launch and Talk with Ian Nish

27 OctJapanese Studies in Britain: Book Launch and Talk at the School of Oriental & African Studies

2 Nov

Japan Society 125th Anniversary Dinner with Special Guest The Rt Hon Sir John Major KG CH

1 Dec

Japan Society Christmas Party at the Japanese Embassy

5 Dec

Book Launch: Carmen Blacker – Scholar of Japanese Religion, Myth and Folklore, with the Sainsbury Institute for
the Study of Japanese Arts & Cultures

L

Arts & Culture
24 MarSuzuki Method and its International Significance, with Professor Koji Toyoda

8 Apr

Vickers Bovey Guitar Duo with Clive Bell (shakuhachi): Thirty Six Views of Mount Fuji

1 May

Kimono and calligraphy workshops at Victoria & Albert Museum’s Japan Festival for Families

7 JulyHamlet and Japan: an evening of talks and performances with Shakespeare’s Globe

15 SepEdo Kiriko: Two Perspectives on the World of Japanese Cut Glass

20 SepAsobi: Japanese and Korean Post-War Art Tour with Christie’s

12 DecNoh Masks: Behind the Scenes at the Pitt Rivers Museum, introduced by Rachel Payne

L

Business
Lectures & Seminars
19 Jan

The World in 2050: Long-term forecasts for the UK and Japan – Robert Ward, Editorial Director of the Economist
Intelligence Unit. At Mitsubishi Corporation

25 MayThe Media and Politics: A Conversation with Tadakazu Kimura

Chairman’s Lunches and Dinners

Private, off the record meetings with an informal talk by the guest of honour
6 Dec

The Current State of Russian-EU Relations – Bridget Kendall MBE, Master of Peterhouse, University of Cambridge.
At King & Wood Mallesons LLP

In Partnership with Other Organisations
Joint Lunches with the JCCI
6 Apr

The Future Shape of London – Sir Edward Lister, Chief of Staff and Deputy Mayor for Policy and Planning, GLA.
At the National Liberal Club

17 MayLunch with His Excellency The Japanese Ambassador, Mr Keiichi Hayashi. At the Cavalry & Guards Club

8 Jun

Lord Mandelson on the EU Referendum. At Furniture Makers’ Hall

Others20 JanA Japanese View on World Energy Future: The Impacts of Lower Oil Prices – Ken Koyama, Chief Economist andManaging Director of the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan. With JETRO and JOGMEC

22 Mar

The EU-Japan EPA Free Trade Agreement: Is it a Game Changer? – Kenichi Kawasaki, Senior Fellow, National
Graduate Institute for Policy Studies. With JETRO and BIS

15 NovA Japanese View on World Energy Future: The “3E” Challenges Under the Emerging Energy Landscape – Ken
Koyama, Chief Economist and Managing Director of the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan. With JETRO andJOGMECLecturesJapan Society Lectures

At the Swedenborg Society unless otherwise stated
18 JanWhat do Anthropologists do in Japan? The Value of their Increasing Numbers – Joy Hendry

15 FebJapan’s Role in the Great War 1914-18: A Reassessment from a Military History Perspective – Ian Gow

21 MarThe Importance of Being Visible: Media and Religion in Contemporary Japan – Erica Baffelli

18 AprGirls’ Aesthetics in Japanese Theatre – Nobuko Anan

16 MayHenry Dyer: The Japanese Art of a Scottish Engineer – Rosina Buckland

20 JunThe Film Compendium on the Japanese Mingei Movement: A Presentation by Canadian Film Maker Marty Gross

30 JunHawaiian History with Britain and Japan – Pauline Chakmakjian. With Japan Room, The Freemasons’ Hall

18 JulCarmen Blacker Lecture 2016. Confucius in Tokugawa Japan: Unofficial Ceremonies of Worship – James
McMullen (21 July at Cathedral Hostry, Norwich). With the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts &Cultures

15 AugA Ruin Nation: Excavating Japan’s Haikyo Boom – Mark Pendleton

8 Sep

Tales of Ise with Translator Peter MacMillan

19 SepTreaty Port Life, 1859-99, Seen from the British Consular Court – Chris Roberts

17 OctMurdered for their Art? Censorship and the Dark Side of Edo-period Cultural Endeavours – Jenny Preston

10 Nov‘Aliens Invade!’ The Barbarians and the Shogun with Lesley Downer

21 Nov

The Abe Government, Freedom of Speech and the Issue of War Apology – Arthur Stockwin

19 DecMadness and Moral Panic in Japan, Meiji to the Present Day – Christopher Harding

Lifestyle
23 FebMy Shanghai, 1942-1946: A Novel, with author Keiko Itoh

1 Mar

Sake Tasting at Hox Cup Sake Bar with Museum of Sake

20 Apr

Generation to Generation: Window on Ise, Japan’s Most Sacred Place

3 May

Eddie Jones: In Conversation with England rugby’s head coach and former coach of the Japanese national team

23 AprHanami in Kensington Gardens

7 Jun

Japanese Vegetarian Cuisine, with Mari Fujii

30 JunJapan Society Golf Tournament

3 Jul

5-a-side Football Tournament. Hosted by Samurai Football Academy

29 SepJapanese in Britain: Wasurenagusa Oral History Project Film Screening

8 Oct

Family Cookery Day: Make a Hallowe’en Bento. With Clearspring

15 OctCollar Cup Golf TournamentJapanese Conversation Group – held on the first Tuesday of every month at The Brewmaster:
An opportunity for Japanese speakers of all nationalities to come together and speak Japanese.
Book Club

Held on the second Monday of each month
11 JanThe Tokyo Zodiac Murders by Soji Shimada

8 Feb

Grotesque by Natsuo Kirino

14 MarRouse Up O Young Men of the New Age! by Kenzaburo Oe

11 Apr

The Makioka Sisters by Junichiro Tanizaki

9 May

In Search of a Distant Voice by Taichi Yamada

13 JunConfessions by Kanae Minato

11 JulSpring Snow by Yukio Mishima

8 Aug

Apparitions – Ghosts of Old Edo by Miyuki Miyabe

d 12 Sep
10 OctThe Twilight Years by Sawako Ariyoshi
The Pillow Book by Sei Shonagon

14 NovN.P by Banana Yoshimoto

12 DecAnd Then by Natsume SosekiSchools Education
Reaching over 7,000 school children annually
All YearJapan in Your Classroom School Visits: During 2016, over sixty visits were made to primary and secondary
schools in the UK giving children an introduction to aspects of Japanese life and culture.
School Links: Continuing to establish new partnerships while providing targeted support to help strengthen
existing links through bilateral exchange trips, conference calls and curriculum-based projects.
‘NEW’ Japan UK LIVE! The Society’s bilingual website was re-designed allowing access to the site via mobile
platforms to encourage greater cultural exchange between young people in the UK and Japan.
Loan Resources: Cultural artefacts and materials on loan to schools throughout the year.

6-10 Jan

Escomb Primary School in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, hosted their first visit from Japanese partner
school Ogawara-Minami Elementary School in Miyagi.

1 Feb

School partners Ysgol Gymuned Y Fali in Anglesey and Kitauchi Elementary School in Nara Prefecture completed
Welsh Breeze, a joint music collaboration, written and performed by staff and pupils.

15 Feb

The 14th World Children’s Haiku Contest saw Japan Airlines and the Japan Society collaborate with the UK PoetrySociety, receiving over 1,400 entries for the contest.

7 Mar

Japan Conference for Schools with the Japan Foundation and the British Council, London: An annual event since2009, again attended by over fifty teachers taking part in a series of practical workshops alongside discussion
groups. This year topics included school linking; preparation for speaking exams; the Online Resource forJapanese Archaeology and Cultural Heritage (ORJAC); and an update from Pearson on the changes to GCSE
Japanese. In this year’s key note speech Baroness Coussins (Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on
Modern Languages, House of Lords) gave an insightful talk on the importance of language education.

21 Apr

The King’s School in Worcester established a link with Suma Gakuen High School in Kobe.

19 JunWilliam Farr Comprehensive School in Lincolnshire established a partnership with Hosen Gakuen Junior andSenior High School in Tokyo.

21 Sept

Newstead Wood School joined an existing science exchange with County Upper School in Suffolk and
Takamatsu Daiichi Senior High School in kagawa Prefecture.

11-16 Oct

Teachers from Reepham Primary School participated in an exchange visit to Japanese partner school SakadoAzuma Nursery in Saitama.

22-28 Oct Pupils, teachers and parents from Escomb Primary School made a reciprocal exchange visit to Ogawara
Elementary School.
8 Nov

Kobe University Secondary School continued their annual UK homestay exchange visiting partner schools
Cirencester Deer Park School and Alleyn’s School in London.

Small Grants
In 2016, the Japan Society Small Grants scheme gave support to31 grassroots projects in the UK with some £21,000 in funding.

As in previous years, the Society supported a number of school-based extended projects, ranging from whole school Japan
days to interdisciplinary learning days and enrichment weeks. With relatively small amounts of additional funding, schools
are able to bring in experts to run specialist workshops to complement and enrich curriculum-based studies. The JapanClub at Fraserburgh Academy ran alternate language and craft weeks, giving participating students an introduction to
Japanese and its cultural context. Other schools organised cross-curricular events over a shorter period, with a day or weekof concentrated activity. The British Cartographic Society continued its Restless Earth workshop series using the Great East
Japan Earthquake and tsunami as a case study to learn about disaster response activities: with authentic materials and realdata, participants gain an understanding of Japanese human and physical geography.

The Society also supported projects involving young people outside the school system. On the Sussex coast, a group of 16 25 year olds engaged in a three month programme of workshops exploring different aspects of Japanese culture, while Fife
Scouts welcomed a group from Iwate for ten days of activities and homestay, and in south Wales, manga workshops formed
part of the annual Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival.

A collaboration between the Royal Armouries in Leeds and the Halifax-based Textile Arts Group created an exhibition of
textiles which explored traditional techniques and the construction of Japanese armour, in the context of their contemporary
uses. In addition to the exhibition, members of the Group held public sessions to demonstrate techniques used in the
artworks and to discuss the inspiration for the contemporary works and their links to the collection and Japanese heritage.

The Society again supported the Wasurenagusa project, a valuable initiative which aims to tell the story of the Japanesecommunity in the UK through personal narratives. A grant in 2016 enabled the project to be extended to include interviewsin the North of England, Scotland and further afield. A grant to the Devon Guild of Craftsmen supported music and theatre
performances to accompany an exhibition of the work of four Japan-based potters. The ground-breaking Yo no Bi project
entered its second phase, with sound artists Oshiro Makoto and Suzueri touring the North of England, producing new sonicworks and holding performances and talks. Small grants also supported community-based Japan festivals in Cambridge,
Edinburgh, Glasgow, Kent, Lincoln and Sheffield.