Events 20122012 Programme of events
Annual & Special Events

6 Feb		

Lecture by the British Ambassador in Tokyo, Sir David Warren at Nomura International PLC

12 Jun		Annual General Meeting of the Japan Society at the Embassy of Japan

27 Jul to 11 Aug

2012 Japan House: Olympic Games TV Screening

1 Oct		

Japan Society Annual Dinner at the Hotel Russell, supported by JTI

6 Oct		

Japan Matsuri 2012 at Trafalgar Square, with JCCI, Japan Association and the Nippon Club3 Nov		

Collar Cup Golf Tournament against JCCI, at Old Thorns Golf Club, supported by BDO LLP

20 Nov		

Special reception at St James’s Palace for donors and volunteers

19 Dec		Japan Society Christmas Party, supported by the Japan Centre

Arts & Culture
9 Feb		The Bee - Hideki Noda at the Soho Theatre

11 Feb		

I Just Didn’t Do It - Lunch and film screening with Director Masayuki Suo at the ICA

22 Mar		Kitsch Kōgei: A Private View at the ICN Gallery

24 Mar				Catch the blossom – A Haiku Workshop with Sho Otaka at the Triangle Space, Chelsea College of 		
Art and Design

26 Mar		BADA Antiques and Fine Art Fair in Duke of York Square, visit and special talk

11 May		Private view and curator talk – Yayoi Kusama at Tate Modern

22 May		Coriolanus - Chiten Theatre Company at the Globe Theatre (Globe to Globe Festival)

1 Jun		Cymbeline - Ninagawa Company at the Barbican Theatre

13 Jul		re:new Tohoku: a Tradition of Perfection Brought to Life for You - Private View at Asia House

1 Nov		

Japanese Culture in Practice: An evening of calligraphy at the Nippon Club with Yoko Takenami

18 Dec		Mariko Mori: breakfast and private view

Business
Lunchtime Lectures Venue JETRO unless otherwise stated.
9 Feb		

Climate Change: The 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) and Japan’s Perspective:		Jun Arima and Pitta Clark

28 May		An Update on Tourism Recovery in Japan: Ryoichi Matsuyama, President of JNTO

12 Jun		UK-Japan Trade – An Update: Sue Kinoshita, British Embassy in Tokyo

10 Sep		Global Warming and Energy Challenges for Japan and the UK

5 Dec				Corporate Governance - One-size fits all?
In association with the British Japanese Law Association, at FTI Consulting

Joint Lunches with JCCI - Guests of Honour
At The National Liberal Club unless otherwise stated. 		
15 Feb		Prospects for the Coalition – Philip Stephens, Financial Times

26 Apr		

From West to East: Testing the ‘Re-balance’ – Robin Niblett, Chatham House

12 Jul		

Recent Developments in Corporate Japan – Glen S Fukushima, Former President & CEO, Airbus Japan

15 Oct		His Excellency The Japanese Ambassador

3 Dec		The Monarchy and its relevance in modern day Britain – The Right Hon. Lord Janvrin

Other
28 Feb		

Paul Smith in Conversation at S. J. Berwin LLP

24 Oct		Table for Two & Corporate Social Responsibility at Simmons & Simmons LLP

Chairman’s Lunches - Private, off the record lunches with an informal talk by the guest of honour
27 Mar		Two decades on the board of a Japanese Public Company - Miranda Curtis at PricewaterhouseCoopers

5 Jul		Business, Government and the Arts - Lord Hall at KPMG

18 Sep		

The new Lord Mayor’s agenda - Roger Gifford at HSBC

9 Nov		Can Japan globalise? The end of the community firm - Dr George Olcott at BlackRockLecturesJapan Society Lectures - At the Oriental Club unless otherwise stated.
16 Jan		Collecting Japanese Ceramics for the British Museum in the later 19th Century, Nicole Rousmaniere

21 Feb		The Crucible of Self: A Critical Analysis of War Diaries by Japanese Soldiers, 1937-1945, Aaron Moore

19 Mar		

Gender, Power and the Erotic Body in the Tale of Genji, Rajyashree Pandey

16 Apr		Lt. Nobu Shirase and the 1910 – 12 Japanese Antarctic Expedition, Hilary Shibata

26 Apr		Zen: Its Practice and Philosophy for Everyday Life, Reverend Sokun Tsushimoto

21 May		Photography and Japan’s 1960 Anpo Crisis, Julia Adeney Thomas

18 Jun		

The New Japan and the Last Samurai, Lesley Downer

16 & 19 Jul		

Carmen Blacker Lecture – Paragons of Culture: The Soft Power of the Japanese Emperors, Professor
Ben-Ami Shillony, with Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Culture (19 Jul in Norwich)

15 Aug		Children’s Lost Landscapes, Helen Woolley

17 Sep		Tengu and the Warrior Traditions, Roald Knutsen

15 OctImages of Japan 1885-1912: Scenes, Tales and Flowers – Sir Hugh Cortazzi

19 Nov 				Nurturing the children of tomorrow – a new Japanese pre-school education system,Shizuka Suzuki

17 Dec		Museums in Japan: From Artists’ Houses to National Treasures, Sophie Richard

With the Daiwa Anglo - Japanese Foundation
5 Oct		SLURP A Social and Culinary History of Ramen, Barak Kushner at Daiwa Foundation Japan House

With Japan Room
29 Nov		

Discussion: British and Japanese Esoterica, Pauline Chakmakjian at the Freemasons’ Hall

Lifestyle
7 Feb		

Queer as Queen at the Pipeline Bar

22 Feb		

Koshu Wine Masterclass at the Imagination Gallery

24 to 26 Feb

Japan Society at Hyper Japan

24 Apr		

Japanese Whisky Tasting at Tsuru Bishopsgate

22 May				Meet the Chiten Theatre Company – Globe to Globe Post-Performance Reception at Tsuru 		Bankside

2 Jun				Trooping the Colour, Special seats for members at the Major General’s Review at the Horse Guards
Parade19 Jul		

Japan Society Golf Tournament at the Donnington Grove Country Club

30 Aug		

Japan Society Exclusive Tour at Fortnum & Mason

5 Sep		

Blossoms and Shadows – an evening with author Lian Hearn at the Mayfair Library

18 Sep		Natural and Biodynamic Wine Tasting at Tsuru Bishopsgate

24 Oct		Japan Society Special Visit to Kew Gardens

Book Club
Held on the second Monday of each month9 Jan		IQ84 Volumes 2 and 3 by Haruki Murakami

13 Feb		

The Temple of the Golden Pavilion by Yukio Mishima

12 Mar		2 Apr		
14 May		11 Jun		
9 Jul		13 Aug		People Who Eat Darkness by Richard Lloyd Parry
A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro
I Am A Cat by Soseki Natsume
Inspector Imanishi Investigates by Seichō Matsumoto
Samurai William by Giles Milton
The Railway Man by Eric Lomax

10 Sep		
8 Oct		12 Nov		
17 Dec		The Silent Cry by Kenzaburō Ōe
Kinshu: Autumn Brocade by Teru Miyamoto
Kwaidan by Lafcadio Hearn
Wonderful Fool by Shusaku EndoJapanese Conversation Group - held on the first Tuesday of every month at The Old Explorer
14 Apr		

Japanese Conversation Group Hanami Picnic at the Kensington Gardens

Earthquake-Related Events
As at 14 November 2012 the Japan Society Tohoku Earthquake Relief Fund (Rose Fund) has raised £725,000 from 1661
donors. The fund is being disbursed in association with the Sanaburi Foundation, Sendai to support projects plannedand managed by local NPOs for the long-term recovery of the region. The Society also continues to organise andparticipate in events to aid awareness and recovery in Tohoku.
10 to 20 March
14 March		
7 June		3 Dec				KABUKI, a Photographic Exhibition by Frederic Aranda
Pray for Japan film screening - BAFTA European Premiere of Ishinomaki documentary
Takeshi Nagasaki – Rebuilding the Roots: A Garden Recovery Project in Tohoku
Strong in the Rain: Surviving Japan’s Earthquake, Tsunami and Fukushima Nuclear DisasterWith author David McNeill

Schools Education
Language Classes
At Toray Industries, Inc.
8 Feb		Japanese Language Classes (Pre – Intermediate Level) at Toray Industries
9 May		

Japanese Language Classes (Pre – Intermediate Level) at Toray Industries

10 Oct		Japanese Language Classes (Pre – Intermediate Level) at Toray Industries

SchoolsAll Year		Japan in Your Classroom school visits. During 2012, 80 visits were made to schools throughout the UK.

All Year				

School Links. Approximately 15 new links have been created in the year, with over 60 school 		partnerships now using the Japan UK LIVE! website and related services to develop their links.				

Loan Resources: Artefacts and materials for use in the classroom are on loan to schools throughout
the year				

Ready Steady NihonGO! language materials for primary schools, accessed via the Japan Society 		website and also available on CD

2 - 6 Jan				Pupils and teachers from Seka Elementary School (Hyogo) visit Chopwell Primary School (Tyne andWear), including homestays and a performance at the Metro Centre, Gateshead

14 Mar				Takamatsu Daiichi Senior High School (Kagawa) visits Bury St. Edmunds County Upper School for aschool exchange

23 Mar		Haiku workshop at St. Cedd’s Primary School, Essex with Haiku poet Sho Otaka

29 Mar		

Discover Japan – a free one-day course for teachers at Loughborough Town Hall

31 Mar		12th World Children’s Haiku Contest - 641 entries from 37 schools across the UK

14 Apr		Japan One Year On - Dr Peter Matanle at the Geographical Association Annual Conference in Manchester

26 Jun				Japan Society staff participate in the Havering ICT Network meeting in Essex as part of the JIYC 		
and School linking programmes

1 Jul		School Linking Seminar at Osaka Kyoiku University

28 Sep		

Discover Japan – a free one-day course for teachers at Edinburgh Training Venue

5 Oct		

Radio Taiso presenters’ workshop at Scargill Primary School

9 Nov		

Sixth Form Japan Day: a global perspective, a door to new opportunities at SOAS, Vernon Sq

13 Nov				

New school partnership established with a visit from staff at Kobe University Fuzoku Junior High 		
School to Cirencester Deer Park School

Small Grants
All Year				During 2012, £24, 596 worth of funds were awarded to 40 grass roots level projects throughout 		the UK, introducing Japan and its culture to a wider audience