Events 2017Annual & Special EventsL

12 JanLecture by Tim Hitchens, former British Ambassador to Japan. At Nomura International

3 JunTrooping the Colour 2017 - Special Seats at the Major General’s Review

12 JulJapan Society Annual General Meeting 2017

2/3 Aug

Tanabata: Japanese Star Festival at Kew Gardens, with the Embassy of Japan and Japan House London

14 SepJapan Society Rose Fund – an update from Yuji Suzuki, with Sanaburi Foundation

24 SepJapan Matsuri 2017 at Trafalgar Square, with Japan Association, JCCI, Embassy of Japan, Japan House London
and the Nippon Club

6 Dec

Japan Society Christmas Party at the Japanese Embassy

Arts & Culture
16/17 Feb Exploring Japanese Art in Norwich, a visit to Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts and SISJAC
Feb/MarTea Room Project with Chelsea College, UAL and Hashiguchi Architects

1 Mar

Flora Japonica exhibition private view, with The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

25 AprSheer Pleasure: Frank Brangwyn and the Art of Japan private tour, with William Morris Gallery

11 MayA dialogue between fire and clay: pottery and the appeal of the anagama kiln - an evening with Kazuya Ishida, potter

13 JunHokusai: beyond the Great Wave private view with curator Tim Clark, with British Museum

22 Sep

Yuko Nasaka and Kim Lim Exhibition private view with Deputy Director Bianca Chu, with Sotheby’s S|2 Gallery

23 SepAyakashi, an evening of unnerving Japanese literature on stage, with Doubtful Sound and SOAS Minyo Group

25 SepPraemium Imperiale - El Anatsui, at the Royal Academy of Arts

27 SepLegacies and innovation in the production of chochin, with craft-maker Kenichi Fushitani from Fushitani Shoten

LBusiness
Lectures & Seminars
5 Apr

Brexit and the City: Economic arguments for leaving the EU – Gerard Lyons, hosted by BDO LLP

6 Nov

Yoshiyuki Ishizaki, Special Adviser to the Fukushima Revitalization Headquarters, TEPCO

Chairman’s Lunches and Breakfasts (private, off the record meetings with an informal talk by the guest of honour)
2 Feb

Alok Sharma MP, Minister for Asia and the Pacific at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, hosted by KPMG LLP

13 MarCharles Grant, Director of the Centre for European Reform, hosted by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

1 Jun

Stable and Strong? Britain, the election and Brexit, with Philip Stephens, Financial Times, hosted by HSBC

6 Dec

Glen S Fukushima, Senior Fellow at the Centre for American Progress, Washington D.C., hosted by Ernst & Young LLPIn Partnership with Other Organisations
Joint Lunches with the JCCI
14 FebFuture developments on Climate Change and Energy Transition, with Sir David King, at the National Liberal Club

21 JunSpecial guest Nick Clegg, at the National Liberal Club

7 Sep

The UK-Japan 21st Century Group’s 34th Annual Meeting, at the Cavalry & Guards Club

FinTech Seminar Series with Mitsubishi Corporation International (Europe) Plc
25 JulThe Present and Future of Fintech: a Tool for Financial Inclusion with Doreming

13 SepAI in financial services, a case study with Equity X

25 OctSecurity for Open Banking Financial APIs with Authlete

1 Nov

The Present and the Future of Virtual Currencies with Robert M. Learney (Imperial College’s Centre for
Cryptocurrency Research and Engineering) and Yuichiro Kawasaki (Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group)

14 Nov

Beyond FinTech: who will benefit from an open ecosystem? With Skwile

Others5 Oct

Japan’s way towards strong, sustainable, and balanced growth, with Hiroshi Nakaso, Deputy Governor of the Bankof Japan, hosted by City of London Corporation with Bank of Japan

20 NovA Japanese View on World Energy Future: Outlook for Global Energy-Environmental Challenges – Ken Koyama, Chief
Economist and Managing Director of the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan, with JETRO and JOGMEC

LecturesJapan Society Lectures (at the Swedenborg Society unless otherwise stated)
16 JanSilk, Porcelain and Lacquer: China and Japan and their Trade with Western Europe and the New World – Teresa Canepa

20 Feb‘New’ Abenomics and Japan’s Labour Market Policy – Hiroaki Richard Watanabe

20 MarFrom Dying Race to Indigenous People: the struggle over Ainu representation in modern Japan - Richard Siddle

24 AprFrom page to screen to page again: writing and reading Japanese film scripts – Lauri Kitsnik

n 26 AprReimagining Japanese craft traditions in the modern age - Shinichiro Hashiguchi, at Chelsea College of Arts

15 MayThe Meiji Ensoniment: Conflicting Ears and the Decision to Change Japanese Musical Culture – Jonathan Service

30 MayJapan Room Lecture: The Colourful Festivals of Kyoto – Pauline Chakmakjian. With Japan Room, The Freemasons’ Hall

19 Jun

Women in the World of Haruki Murakami – Gitte Marianne Hansen

17 JulCarmen Blacker Lecture 2017: The archaeology of Ritual Sites and the Origins of Japanese Shrines and Festivals– Mamoru Saso (20 July at Cathedral Hostry, Norwich, with SISJAC)

21 Aug

The Art of Nishiki Weaving in Japan. Preservation and Restoration of Yarn Dyed Textiles – Amane Tatsumura

12 SepHistory and Reception of Horoscope Astrology in Japan – Ryuji Kagami

25 Sep

Fukushima Devil Fish: Susumu Katsumata’s Anti-Nuclear Manga – Ryan Holmberg

r 16 OctJapanese Castles and the Making of Regional, National and World Heritage – Oleg Benesch

20 NovJapan’s Foreign and Security Policy Under the ‘Abe Doctrine’ – Christopher W. Hughes

18 DecThe Man who Knew about Furnaces: Thomas Walton (1833-1897), a British glassmaker in early Meiji Japan – Sally Haden

LifestylePb24 JanGaea Girls Film Screening and Q&A, with Royal Anthropological Institute

1 Feb

Experience the Art and Craft of Wasanbon, with Ayumi Uehara

9 Feb

A Story of Locality and the Creation of Regional Identity in Japan, from the viewpoint of producer, Hidetaka Ino

23 FebNode Film Screening, with Royal Anthropological Institute

27 Feb

An evening with Alex Kerr, at Tsuru restaurant

21 Mar

Memories of the Ainu Past and Present at SOAS University of London, with Royal Anthropological Institute28 AprKokedama workshop, create a moss ball plant, with Stefan Thomas from Tranquil Plants

31 MayDogs Without Names – film screening and Q&A with director and contributors, at Phoenix Cinema

5 Jun

Behind the Scenes at Hankyu Department Store’s celebrated British Fair, hosted by The Frameworks

27 JunMiso Inspired Supper Club, hosted by Jay Morjaria, with Clearspring

29 JunJapan Society Golf Tournament 2017

2 Jul

Japan Airlines / Football Samurai Academy 5-a-side Tournament​

7 Aug

Japanese Whisky Tasting, at Anzu Restaurant

17 AugIn conversation with Philip Harper, Japan’s first and only British toji (sake brew-master), with British Sake Association

19 OctLondon-brewed sake tasting with Izakaya pairing, with Kanpai London Craft Sake and Okan Ramen

21 OctCollar Cup Golf Tournament 2017

Book Club (held on the second Monday of each month)
9 Jan

Six Four by Hideo Yokoyama

10 JulI Want to Kick You in the Back by Risa Wataya

13 Feb

Lost Japan by Alex Kerr

14 AugHiroshima by John Hersey

13 MarRecord of a Night Too Brief
by Hiromi Kawakami

11 SepThe Moon over the Mountainby Atsushi Nakajima

10 AprTales of Ise

9 Oct

The Eternal Zero by Naoki Hyakuta

8 May

Horses, Horses, In the End the Light Remains
Pure by Hideo Furukawa

13 Nov

The Thief by Fuminori Nakamura

9 Jun

The Samurai by Shusaku Endo

11 DecSomething Strange Across the Riverby Kafu Nagai

Japanese 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.

Schools Education
Reaching over 7,000 school children annually
All YearJapan in Your Classroom School Visits: During 2017, 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.

Loan Resources: Cultural artefacts and materials on loan to schools throughout the year. This year we were able
to revamp our Japan Activity Chest, adding new items and updating our accompanying resources. The chest
now arrives in the form of suitcase, stickered up as if it has just arrived from Japan, filled with toys, clothing,books and more, all from Japan!
MarchVisit from Takamatsu Daiichi High School to Newstead Wood School and Bury St Edmunds County Upper
School.

31 MarSixth Form & GCSE Students’ Japan Day: a global perspective, a door to new opportunities​, with University ofManchester

SpringTea Room project. In conjunction with Shinichiro Hashiguchi’s visit to the UK, workshops were held with
Newstead Wood School, St Cuthbert with St Matthias CofE Primary School and Stratford Girls’ Grammar School.
Students designed their own tea rooms which they were able to present to the architect in person to hear hisfeedback. St Cuthbert with St Matthias CofE Primary School went on to invite the Japan Society to their own
Japan themed annual tea party.

July

A group of teachers and students from Chopwell Primary School visited Kitauchi Elementary School in Nara.

AugJAL Foundation and the Japan Society launched The 15th World Children’s Haiku Contest (entries due by Feb 15,2018).

Sep

Three performers from Japan Matsuri visited St Cuthbert with St Matthias CofE Primary School and Bexley
Grammar School. A Yose Moji calligrapher with two Daikagura performers gave exclusive shows to each school,
followed by workshops for the students.

Oct

A group of teachers and students from Reepham Primary School visited Sakado Azuma Kindergartern inSaitama Prefecture.

9 Nov

Sixth Form Japan Day, organised with Ritsumeikan University and hosted by SOAS

DecWavell School and Farnborough College of Technology hosted Mizuma High School’s Taiko group. The Taikogroup performed at both schools, as well as running a number of workshops. Students at Farnborough Collegeof Technology filmed the group and are editing the video as part of their project work.

Small Grants
In 2017, the Japan Society Small Grants scheme gave support to 31 grassroots projects in the UK with some £21,000 in funding.
Our support is particularly focussed on education and community projects, where a small amount of additional funding canmake a big difference. In many cases, the grants enable event organisers to reach a wider audience or to provide opportunities
for the public to engage directly with performances or exhibitions.

Sixteen of the grants awarded were for projects taking place in schools or for activity involving young people. Several
schools organised cross-curricular events such as a whole school Tanabata festival or Japanese culture week for a particular
year group. King Edward VI Community College in Totnes organised an ambitious exhibition much enjoyed by the local
community and accompanied by a range of art and craft , music, dance and food workshops for students. At other schools, it
was the library which provided the Japan focus with literature workshops or manga clubs for language learners. The British
Cartographic Society continued its Restless Earth workshop series using the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami as acase study to learn about disaster response activities: with a small grant enabling additional schools to be visited.

Once again the Society also supported projects involving young people outside the school system. A ten day residential inWinchester provided opportunities for children and young people with learning difficulties to participate in a ten day arts
programme focused on Japan. Another project involved high achieving young people and their families to learn new skills
and explore Japanese culture in a supportive environment. The Society supported the Kotatsu Japanese animation Festival,
which expanded its activity in 2017 and involves local schools, universities and arts institutions.

Other projects supported in 2017 include: The Museum of East Asian Art in Bath which used a small grant to extend the reachof the ‘Dressed to Impress: Japanese Men’s Fashion’ exhibition with a programme of accompanying talks and workshops; theJapanese Garden Society’s two day conference, where speakers discussed the spread of Japanese gardens across the world
and their adaptation to local conditions; a special screening of the 1926 avant-garde film ‘A Page of Madness’ with benshi
narration; and a programme of lectures to accompany ‘Japanese Junction’ an exhibition of work by emerging Japanesearchitects and designers.
Small grants also supported community-based Japan festivals in Basildon, Bath, Cambridge, Derry-Londonderry and Kent.