Events 2022

Annual & Special Events
9 Mar

Lecture by Julia Longbottom CMG, British Ambassador to Japan, at Nomura International

12 JulJapan Society Annual Dinner, at the Chelsea Physic Garden - supported by JTI

20 SepJapan Society Annual General Meeting 2022

5 Dec

Japan Society Christmas Party, at the Embassy of Japan

Arts & Culture Events (Online & In-person)
4 Jul

Painting Modern Japan - with artist Carl Randall (Hybrid event Online & In-person)

20 JulMinoru Nomata Private Guided Tour - with curator Joseph Constable, at De La Warr Pavilion

12 OctTalk and Exhibition Tour - Kimono: The Making of a Cultural Icon, at the Japanese Gallery

29 OctYOBITSUGI - Beyond Repair: Private View, at White Conduit Projects

11 NovTuning the Singing Bowl: Tradition and Innovation in Toyama Prefecture, at the Swedenborg Society- in association with Toyama Prefecture

16 Nov

Tradition and Modernity in Kaga Yuzen Dyeing, at the Swedenborg Society - co-organised with the JapanFoundation and IndigoRose Project

24 Nov

Making tradition relatable: Kutani Ware in the Modern Era, at the Swedenborg Society - co-organised with
the Japan Foundation and IndigoRose ProjectBusiness Events (Online & In-person)
Webinar Series (chaired by Japan Society chairman Bill Emmott)
26 JanProspects for Japan and Asia in 2022 and Beyond - with Jesper Koll and Jim McCafferty

15 FebIssues at Home and Abroad. Japan’s Agenda for 2022 - A Conversation with Noriyuki Shikata

28 Apr

The War in Ukraine: Where Next in the Military and Economic Battle with Russia? - with Sir Laurie Bristowand Tadashi Maeda

28 JunJapan Macro Salon - with Jesper Koll and Yumiko Murakami

19 SepTaiwan tensions. implications for China, the US, Japan and Europe - with Yasuhiro Matsuda and MeiaNouwens

27 SepJapan Macro Salon - with Jesper Koll and Tatsuya Terazawa11 Nov

The Future of Corporate Alliances between Japan and Europe - with Jean Barthélemy and Philippe Riès

In Partnership with Other Organisations
24 Feb

Looking Ahead: Japan and the World in 2022 - in association with the British Chamber of Commerce inJapan and the International Institute for Strategic Studies

24 FebThe Japan Society Careers Networking Series. From Japan to the City - in collaboration with the London
Business School

8 Mar

International Women’s Day 2022 #BreakTheBias - in association with the British Chamber of Commerce inJapan

20 Apr

The Japan Society Careers Networking Series. Getting into Gaming - in collaboration with the London
Business School

11 NovJapan Summit 2022 - in collaboration with the London Business School

Chairman’s Lunch (private, off the record meetings with an informal talk by the guest of honour)
28 MarTony Danker, Director General of the Confederation of British Industry

26 JulJames Murray, Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury

Bilingual Public Speaking Club (held online or in-person on the last Wednesday of each month)
The first bilingual Japanese-English public speaking club in the UK, open to all people who would like to improvetheir skills at speaking in public in Japanese and English. Sessions were hosted by EY, Nomura International andDeloitte.

Lectures (Online & In-person at the Swedenborg Society unless otherwise stated)
19 FebGender and Voting Preferences in Japan and Britain - with Gill Steel (Online)

26 MarBritish Collecting of Tea Ceramics from Meiji Japan - with Ai Fukunaga (Online)

11 MayCourts & Culture: The British Royal Family and the Japan Society, 1902–1923 - with Rachel Peat

16 MayFukushima Narratives. Textile and Papermaking Practice, Past, Present and Future - with Eleanor Burkett

20 JunTouching the Unreachable: Writing and Skinship in Modern Japanese Literature - with Fusako Innami(Online)

9 Jul

Physical Disability and the Politics of Inclusion in Contemporary Japan - with Mark Bookmans (Online)

15 AugLord Sempill and Japan: Traitor or Spy-Myth? - with Alex Hardie

26 Sep‘Abandon all hope, you who enter’ - Sir Rutherford Alcock and Japan (1859–1865) - with Robert Morton

25 OctThe History of Medicine in Japan, at Japan Room, The Freemasons’ Hall

Lifestyle Events (Online & In-person)
5 Feb

Japan Society New Year Celebration Lunch, at Pantechnicon - with Guest Chef Tim Anderson

7-8 MarShochu Masterclass, at ROKA Shochu Lounge - in association with Japan Sake and Shochu Makers
Association29 May

Private Day Trip to Dojima Sake Brewery

28 JunJapan Society Golf Tournament 2022, at Essendon Country Club

7 Aug

Japanese Garden Community Day, at Hammersmith Park

9 Oct

Collar Cup Golf Match 2022, at Brocket Hall

7 Nov

All You Ever Wanted To Know About Japanese Rugby But Were Afraid To Ask - with director of the Japanese
Rugby National Team, Yuichiro Fujii, in collaboration with SOAS University of London

11 DecMake Your Own Japanese New Year Card - with artist Aya Burbanks

Book Club (held alternating online and in-person on the second Monday of each month)
10 JanThe Key by Junichiro Tanizaki

11 JulFirst Person Singular by Haruki Murakami

14 FebThings Remembered and Things Forgotten
by Kyoko Nakajima

8 Aug

The Decagon House Murders by YukitoAyatsuji

14 MarThe Sheltering Rain by Ryo Hanmura

12 SepAt the End of the Matinee by Keiichiro
Hirano

11 AprEarthlings by Sayaka Murata

10 OctAn I-Novel by Minae Mizumura

9 May

How do you live? by Genzaburo Yoshino

14 Nov

The Last Children of Tokyo by Yoko Tawada

13 JunColorful. A Novel by Eto Mori

12 DecBeautiful Star by Yukio Mishima

Film Club (held online on the first Wednesday of each month)
5 Jan

Drive My Car directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi

6 JulIkiru directed by Akira Kurosawa

2 Feb

Onibaba directed by Kaneto Shindo

3 Aug

Belle directed by Mamoru Hosoda

2 Mar

The Happiness of the Katakuris directed byTakashi Miike

7 Sep

Still Walking directed by Hirokazu Koreeda

6 Apr

The Emperor’s Naked Army Marches On
directed by Hara Kazuo

5 Oct

The Human Condition trilogy directed byMasaki Kobayashi

4 May

Giants and Toys directed by Yasuzo
Masumura

2 Nov

Hafu directed by Megumi Nishikura andLara Perez Takagi

1 Jun

37 Seconds directed by Hikari1 Dec

One Cut of the Dead directed by Shinichiro
Ueda

Japanese Conversation Group – held on the first Tuesday of every month at the Shakespeare’s HeadSchools Education
All YearJapan in Your Classroom School Visits: In 2022, JIYC school visits resumed activities after the pandemic.
Loan Resources: continue to offer a variety of materials and cultural artefacts representing traditional andmodern aspects of Japan on loan to primary and secondary schools, as well as other educational organisations
throughout the year to support their Japan-related topics and cultural events.
New Resource Development: the education team worked with professionals and teachers to develop new
Japan-related video and digital teaching resources for educators.

January - April* Hosted a two-part Online Japanese Language Taster class for young people aged 11-18.
* Offered Sixth Form Japan Tasters as a special programme for sixth form students who missed out on ourregular Japan Day in 2021 due to pandemic restrictions. Students took part in soroban, kokeshi and hanko
workshops and listened to guest speaker Aileen Conant, a Japanese-American theatre director.
* Hosted a Kamishibai Workshop at a secondary School in Hackney. Students experienced Aya Nakamura’sversion of The Spider’s Thread and created stories with author Julian Sedgwick.
* Participated in Express Yourself 2022, a Festival of Languages and Culture.
* Collaborated with Haiku Poet Paul Conneally to provide two free family haiku workshops for children up to theage of 14 and their caregivers in Calthorpe Community Gardens during the Easter school holidays.
* Release of Swim Swim Koinobori, a new kamishibai story set for loan and digital use.
May - August* Attended Reading University with Tomoko Hoult to deliver soroban workshops to trainee primary school
teachers.
* Delivered and filmed a soroban workshop at a primary school in West London.
* Released new educational film, Let’s visit a Shrine and Temple on our YouTube channel.
* Release of materials to support the UNESCO AspNet Arts and Culture Peace Initiative.
* Winners of the 17th JAL Haiku Contest on the theme of Towns were announced, with a record number ofentries from individual participants.
* The team led Haiku Walks for the public at the Hammersmith Garden Party.
September - December* Released new educational film, A Trip to the Japanese Countryside on our YouTube channel.
* Released new lesson Origami and Mathematics.
* Sixth Form Japan Day was held for the first since 2019, in collaboration with Ritsumeikan University at
Birkbeck University of London. Guest speakers for the event included Ryan Keeble, News Producer at Fujisankei
Communications as well as student panellists from SOAS, UEA, and University of Cambridge. Attendees took
part in a range of cultural workshops, including new offerings: shogi and origami.
* Release of three new kamishibai story sets for loan and digital use: Onikko, Taa-chan’s Oshogatsu and Momokoand Hina.

Small Grants
In 2022, the Japan Society Small Grants Scheme awarded 23 grants totalling £10,310. Applications came from all over thecountry, including Liverpool, Fife and Stratford-upon-Avon.
At the historic De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill on the South Coast of England, a small grant supported workshops for children,families and young people accompanying an exhibition by artist, Minoru Nomata. Meanwhile, in Camden, London, funding
from the Society went towards a kimono themed exhibition and talks, showcasing kimono and its place in fashion bothtraditional and contemporary.
High School students in Birmingham explored Japanese art in a multi-media visual arts project; In Broadstairs, a day ofJapanese Culture took place in celebration of the 10th anniversary of Japanese at the school; and young students taking partin ‘Japanese Club’ in Aylesbury learnt to write Japanese characters through the art of Japanese calligraphy.
The Greater Good Project in Rossendale planned a series of Japan-themed workshops to help introduce the local community
to Japanese culture and the arts, while a special matsuri took place at Tatton Park in Liverpool, inviting members of the public
to experience different aspects of Japanese culture first hand, including calligraphy, martial arts and music.