What’s in thisissue
WelcomeMessage
Eye on JapanTokyo Days
Piece of Japan
Upcoming
EventsGeneral Links
Contact Us
Editor: Oliver Moxham, CJS Project CoordinatorCJS Director: Professor Simon Kaner
Header photo by editor

Welcome Message

CJS ニュースレターへようこそ！

Welcome to the fourth May edition of the CJS e-newsletter. Good news from Japan as it begins to emerge
from its state of emergency and a ‘new normal’ begins to take shape in post-peak society. Nadine Willems
writes her final article for us this week on the changing atmosphere as the concrete leviathan of Tokyo
begins to wake from its hibernation. As this Thursday marks the 115th anniversary of the end of the RussoJapanese War, we present to you a selection of cultural offerings on the theme of war & conflict in our
Piece of Japan segment. The newsletter (and its editor) will be taking a brief break next week with the next
issue coming out on 11 June. In the meantime we will be taking stock and considering a new direction of
future publications, so please do get in touch and share any feedback you care to give on the past twomonth’s editions. You can find a message from CJS Director Professor Simon Kaner on the Sainsbury
Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures website and hear more from our SISJAC colleagues on
their monthly e-bulletin.

Written by Oliver Moxham, CJS Project Coordinator and editor
Editor’s note: Japanese names are given in the Japanese form of family name first i.e.
Matsumoto Mariko1Eye on Japan: State of Emergency Lifted|‘New Normal’|Tourism Trouble 日本の最新情報
Despite the worrying outlook, Japan has lifted its nationwide state of emergency
having weathered the virus far better than expected, with restaurants anddepartment stores reopening in an attempt to restart the economy. As a thankyou to frontline medical workers, the government is considering giving ¥200,000
to each member of staff given the considerable risk they have faced in the line of
duty. Support is also being rolled out for those who have lost their homes throughthe crisis. Inevitably there are losers in the generous handouts being distributedby the government, including foreign students who will need to earn their financial support through theirgrades and elderly workers who are left in the lurch as businesses close. Furthermore, Japan’s dependency
on paperwork has left many exasperated in their efforts to claim their ¥100,000 handout.
As people begin to repopulate the streets, the ‘new normal’ imposed by Covid-19 is rapidly becoming
apparent. A new design of of breathable, fast-drying facemask is coming out to help people stay safe in thesweltering Japanese summer heat, while ‘telecubes’ are popping up to provide workers a place toconcentrate while working remotely. The seasonal shūshokukatsudō, or ‘job hunting’, has seen an online
revolution as interviews for fresh graduates are conducted online [JP] – perhaps a welcome relief fromcrowded convention halls at job hunting fairs. Shopping habits are also undergoing change as people seek
to buy directly from food producers, possibly revitalising small scale food producers.
Caution is the watchword, however, as a raft of tests are underway to track and protect against
coronavirus, including antibody tests to be carried out next month and a possible saliva alternative to theinvasive nasal tests that have been the standard for detecting virus. This same caution is tempering
government efforts to invest in travel demand from late July, with governors urging people to hold back oninterprefectural travel and a sobering statement from the International Olympic Committee saying theTokyo Olympics may not be going ahead next year with or without a vaccine. The virus and its impacts may
be here to stay for the foreseeable future, but humanity continues to adapt as it always has done inovercoming times of trouble.
Written by Oliver Moxham, CJS Project Coordinator and editor.
Sources can be found in the ‘News from Japan’ section.
Tokyo Days – Report by Nadine Willems

東京の日々TOKYO TIME TRAVELTokyo is waking up from its slumber. After a month and a half of a loose lockdown, the government lifted
the state of emergency on Tuesday, clearing the way for the city to roar again, although in cautiously
managed phases. In the end, Japan contained the damage remarkably well. The Covid-19 death toll remains
very low by international standards, the Japanese health system coped against the odds, and people
avoided sliding into panic mode.
It is the close of a strange experience, but part of me paradoxically resists letting it go. Despite theconstraints of confinement, I reconnected over these past weeks with a long-forgotten Tokyo, one where
the texture of time and the patterns of daily life tell a singular story. So, before plunging again into the2relentlessly fast pace of the roaring city, I am writing up this last blog post as a tribute to the slow time of
confinement, Tokyo style.
Since we were allowed out but discouraged from using public transport, walking and cycling became thestandard means of locomotion. It sometimes took me hours to get to a spot of interest that I could havereached by train in twenty-five minutes. But only then did I measure the true extent of the urban sprawl –endless but never the same, each street and each alley meandering through what seems like an organically
evolving living environment. So asymmetric, so varied, yet so organized.
And because my movements were unhurried, I tuned more intensely thanever into the rhythms of the outside world. A couple of days ago, along oneof the little streams that crosses Setagaya ward, hordes of small children
were out with their parents, equipped with makeshift fishing rods andsquatting on the ground with eager expectation. They were trying to catchzarigani, the small black crayfish that proliferate in muddy rivers at this timeof the year.
Sometimes a cry of joy emerged from the crowd, and the trophy was
dropped into a plastic bucket. Unfit for consumption, the creatures would
probably be returned to their habitat a few hours later. But I reflected on
how even in the depths of the city, the ritual of catching and releasing
playfully marked the spring season and nature’s power of renewal. Not
even the coronavirus could stop it.
A little while later, another gathering on a bridge above the railway line caught my attention. This time
everyone held a smartphone high in the air, ready to snap a picture. I could sense among the children thesame kind of excitement as amongst the zarigani enthusiasts. And there it appeared, nicknamed Dr Yellow,
a flashy shinkansen train whizzing past to everyone’s delight. In its own way, a new model of technologicalprowess marks the passing of time in a city that constantly regenerates itself.

3

Over the weeks, ignoring clock time has not been that difficult. Instead I have listened to the sounds
around me, some new, some old, all intricately woven into Japan’s urban reality. In the morning, it is the all
too familiar beep beep of the garbage truck making its way into the narrow streets, collecting carefully
sorted household rubbish. In the evening, it is the five o’clock chime emitted by the ward’s loudspeakers.
They test the communication system’s functionality as preparedness for possible earthquakes, andoccasionally warn children they must go home for supper and homework. In between, I hear the scrape ofbrush against tarmac as my neighbour clear the leaves off the street. The ritual of tidiness punctuates the
day too.

I ponder about all of this while standing in front of the small Buddhist temple dedicated to Benzaiten at
Inokashira Park in western Tokyo. Benzaiten is originally the goddess of everything that flows – water, time,music, words, eloquence, and by extension, knowledge. In Japan, she also has a place in the Shinto
pantheon. She is a protector-deity, and one of the seven gods of fortune. It is seemingly a lot of
responsibility for one deity, but she takes it all in her stride. People keep coming to pay their respects. They
write prayers on the wooden ema plaques sold at the temple. One of them asks for the virus to go away.
For the time being, it seems that Benzaiten has granted that particular request.

4

Written by Nadine Willems, Lecturer of Japanese History at UEA.
All photos taken by the author.

Piece of Japan

日本のかけら

Each week, we will bring to you some fresh recommendations from CJS members to help
bring a piece of Japan to you at home through film, books, anime, manga and more. As
today marks the 115th anniversary of the end of the Russo-Japanese War, this week sees
recommendations on the theme of war and conflict. If you have any suggestions forthemes or other recommendations, send us an email at cjs@uea.ac.uk.
Editor’s note: English e-books and Japanese e-books on Amazon can largely only bepurchased on amazon.co.uk and amazon.co.jp respectively, meaning that English andJapanese e-books cannot be purchased on one account. You can read in both languages on yourcomputer, but it is necessary to have two accounts. Furthermore, if you wish to read on a Kindle you must
log in with either an English or Japanese account. Switching accounts on a Kindle will delete any content
already stored on the device, so choose wisely!
Archaeology and warfare in Japan
Foreword by CJS Director Professor Simon Kaner
Battlefield archaeology has emerged in recent years as a major area of interestin the discipline, not without generating some controversy. Not a specificallyJapanese example but one of the most poignant examples has to be Waterloo
Uncovered, with contemporary veterans discovering the therapeutic and wellbeing benefits of archaeological excavation at one of the most famous
battlefields of all. The University of Glasgow has been undertaking
archaeological research associated with the fall of Singapore, which has
particular resonance in East Anglia. And one of our research partners in our Silk
Roads project, Nara to Norwich: art at the ends of the Silk Roads, Professor Neil Price of the
University of Uppsala is undertaking research into the battle of Palau as part of his broader interestin the archaeology of violence, which relates to his major engagement with Viking archaeology. The
underwater archaeology of the battle for Saipan has also resulted in an interesting read.
Investigations of the battle Enoshima which saw the end of the Kamakura bakufu in 1333 resulted in
the discovery of many skeletons which featured in a 2011 Channel 4 documentary, human remains
which now rest at the repository that forms part of the museum facility at Doigahama, a famous
Yayoi-period cemetery in Yamaguchi prefecture. Little has been done to date to my knowledge on
the archaeology of the Russo-Japanese war – but the invitation to look into battlefield archaeology
to mark the end of that conflict did remind me of a visit to the small town of Fukaura on the north
Honshu Japan Sea coast while preparing for our Power of Dogu exhibition at the British Museum in2009. I had just visited the local museum with Mr Doi Takashi from the Agency for Cultural Affairs
when he suggested we made a brief visit to the temple on the other side of the road. There wewere shown an extraordinary collection of funa-ema 舟絵馬, maritime votive tablets left by sailors
who had survive storms at sea – each one bearing not only the image of a ship but also the5chonmage 丁髷, donated by the lucky sailors. I recall being startled and somewhat disturbed by all
the ancient human hair on display – but the real surprise was around another corner in the state of
the art storage facility, a huge tapestry showing Kannon, the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy over the
depiction of the Battle of Tsushima, woven from human hair donated by the Japanese public in
sympathy for the souls of the Russian sailors who lost their lives in the depths of the Sea of Japan.
Other funa-ema are known from along the coast, for example in Noshiro city, Akita prefecture [JP].

Manga & Anime
漫画とアニメのおすすめ
Recommendations by Rayna Denison, Senior Lecturer in Japanese Film at UEA

Onwards towards our Noble Deaths (1973) Mizuki Shigeru
総員玉砕せよ！
作者：水木しげる
Mizuki Shigeru is perhaps better known for his yōkai (monster) manga, but he also
produced significant historical and autobiographical works, including Onwards,
which follows a unit of Japanese soldiers in New Guinea at the very end of WWII.
Available in Japanese ebook and English paperback.
Barefoot Gen (1973-87, 1983) Nakazawa Keiji
はだしのゲン
作者：中沢啓治
Following the story of a little boy named Gen, this manga and its anime and live
action film adaptations recount the story of the Hiroshima bombing throughreenacting horrifying first-hand accounts from survivors.
Available in Japanese ebook and English paperback.
The film is available to stream in Japanese and on subtitled Japanese DVD.
In this Corner of the World (2016) Katabuchi Sunao
この世界の片隅に 作者：片渕須直
Much the same as Barefoot Gen and other "hibakusha" (atomic bomb survivor)
cinema, Katabuchi Sunao’s beautiful, highly detailed and pastel-coloured anime
slowly unfolds the deprivations and impact of war on the Japanese people, andfocuses on the emotional and physical impact of the atomic bombing on theJapanese people. Unusually, this anime film got its start from an online publicfunding campaign, before finding its way to global distribution and accolades.
Available to stream in Japanese and subtitled Japanese.

6Girls und Panzer (2012-2014) Actas
ガールズ＆パンツァー 制作：株式会社アクタス
For something a little lighter, why not try this anime series about a group of
schoolgirls who do tank battles as an after-school sport? Combining
meticulously presented tanks and armoury alongside a story of female
friendship at the Oarai Girls High School, this series became a hit in Japan.
Available in Japanese ebook and English paperback.
Available to stream in Japanese and on English DVD.
Film

映画のおすすめRecommendations by Rayna Denison, Senior Lecturer in Japanese Film at UEA
Throne of Blood (1957) Kurosawa Akira
蜘蛛巣城
作者：黒澤明In Kurosawa Akira’s famed adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth, we see adefinitive performance by Kurosawa's favourite leading man, Mifune Toshiro, in
the role of General Taketoki Washizu. Made at lavish expense (with castle walls
and other sets built into the landscape around Mt Fuji), the film balancesdelicately between theatricality (smoke effects) and period war drama.
Available to stream in subtitled Japanese.
The Burmese Harp (1956) Ichikawa Kon
ビルマの竪琴作者：市川崑
This film began life as a children's book by Tateyama Michio, and became thesource of inspiration for two films by renowned director Ichikawa Kon. The film
questions what of our humanity is lost in war, and juxtaposes the worst and bestof human nature in lyrical, heart-rending fashion.
Available to stream in Japanese and subtitled Japanese on Bluray.

Recommendations by the National Institute of Japanese Literature
Director-general Robert Campbell of the NIJL (国文研) has announced that they will be releasing
many of their premodern texts on infectious diseases in response to the pandemic. These will beavailable for free on their homepage at www.nijl.ac.jp with regular updates on the latest texts to bereleased. You can watch Robert explain the move in both English and Japanese on YouTube.

7

Upcoming Events & Opportunites

催し物

Manga Faces and Expressions: Draw-Along with Kutsuwada ChieJapan House
Friday 29 May
2pm-3pm
Free to attend, booking essential
Due to the popularity of Japan House London’s manga
workshops during the exhibition This is Manga – The Art ofUrasawa Naoki in July 2019, acclaimed manga-ka Kutsuwada
Chie and Elena Vitagliano return to host a series of free online
demonstrations.
In this event, part of the Japan House London’s series focussing on how to draw manga, they invite
manga enthusiasts and aspiring comic artists to follow the guide of UK-based manga-ka Kutsuwada
Chie on the best way to draw facial features and expressions of manga characters and to improvetheir personal style with her advice.
Participants are encouraged to take the opportunity to ask questions directly to a professional
manga artist and listen to her suggestions while following her detailed instructions.
More from How to Draw Manga: Online Event Series
Friday 29 May: Manga Faces and Expressions: Draw-Along with Kutsuwada Chie
Tuesday 2 Jun: Inking a Character: Draw-Along with Elena Vitagliano
Friday 12 Jun: Kutsuwada Chie
Tuesday 16 Jun: Elena Vitagliano
The drawing sessions are open to all levels and make use of digital drawing, although participants
are welcome to use any drawing equipment that they have available at home.
JSPS London Pre/Postdoctoral Fellowship for Foreign Researchers(Short Term)
Application Deadline: Monday 8th June, 2020
Fellowships must start between: 1st November 2020 to 31st March 2021.
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) is the leading research funding agency in Japan,
established by the Japanese Government for the purpose of contributing to the advancement ofscience. Their Pre/Postdoctoral Fellowship for Foreign Researchers (Short Term) provides the8

opportunity for researchers based outside of Japan to conduct collaborative research activities withleading research groups at Japanese Universities and Research Institutions for visits of between 1 to
12 months. Eligible applicants need to be either within 2 years of finishing their PhD at the time of
applying to start their fellowship in Japan or have obtained their PhD at a university outside of Japan
within the last 6 years (on or after 2nd April 2014). Eligible research fields are not limited.
Please visit the JSPS London website here for further information.
Fellow's experiences from former JSPS Fellows who have taken part in this programme can be foundhere.

日本に関する記事

News from JapanFor a running number of reported COVID19 infections, victims and recoveries in Japan, see the
Asahi Shimbun homepage [JP].
For non-Japanese speakers, the numbers indicate:Nationwide infections: Yesterday (total) Deaths: Yesterday (total) Recoveries: Yesterday (total)
国内の感染者：＋前日（総数）

死者：＋前日（総数） 退院者：＋前日（総数）

BBC:
•
•
•

Japan's economy falls into recession as virus takes its toll
Japan’s low testing rate raises questions
Tokyo hospitals trying to stay ahead [video]

Japan Times [EN]:

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Japan considers giving ¥200,000 per staff at hospitals treating COVID-19 patients
Over 40% of COVID-19 deaths in Osaka linked to in-hospital infections in prefecture
Japan to bolster support for people who lost homes after coronavirus fallout
Only foreign students at top of the class to get handouts in Japan
Elderly workers, once key to Abenomics, suffer as businesses close
Paperwork-heavy Japan trailing tech-savvy South Korea on cash handouts
Fast Retailing to start selling breathable, fast-drying masks in summer'Telecubes' pop up as Japan's workers seek spaces to concentrate
Services connecting consumers with food producers in hot demand in Japan
Coronavirus antibody tests to start in Miyagi, Osaka and Tokyo in June
Japan to OK coronavirus PCR tests using saliva as early as this month
Japan will aim to shore up travel demand from late July
IOC exec John Coates says Tokyo Games may not go ahead, even with vaccine
Aichi and Mie governors urge continued restraint on cross-prefectural travel

Asahi Shimbun [JP]:•Toyota conducts interviews with new graduates onlineo トヨタ、新卒採用でオンライン面接

直接会わず内定も9Mainichi Shimbun [EN]:•Department stores, restaurants reopening in Japan as state of emergency ends

Visit the Pandaid website for comprehensive material for educating on coronavirus. Nosigner has
contributed many such manner posters including advising others to stay one tuna apart.
For a Japanese government public service video on coronavirus (Japanese only):
3 つの密を避けよう！
For Japanese speakers, here are two articles in English from the Japan Times laying out vocabulary coming
out of the crisis:••

The Japanese words used to encourage self-restraint
Cancellations, postponements, suspensions — words that define the times

Click here for a comprehensive online document on Japanese universities adopting distance learning.
For more information on Japanese universities see this twitter thread by Rochelle Kopp, professor at
Kitakyushu University, for resources.
お役立ちリンク

General Links
Orientations Magazine
Embassy of Japan
Japan Foundation
JSPS
British Association for Japanese Studies
Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation
Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation
Japan Society
EU-Japan Centre
Canon Foundation
Applications for JET ProgrammeJapanese Language Proficiency ExamUEA Japan Society: ueajapansociety@gmail.com
Taiko Centre East
Career Forums

お問い合わせContact Us
If you have any contributions for the next week’s e-newsletter,
please send them to us by 12:00 Wednesday to make the next issue.

The CJS office is located in the Sainsbury Centre for the Visual Arts (the mezzanine floor), although theoffice is temporarily closed as per university guidelines. You can always email us at cjs@uea.ac.uk.
To keep up with goings-on at CJS, follow us on social media:
10Or visit our website: uea.ac.uk/cjs

Left: CJS Director Professor Simon Kaner
Right: Editor and CJS Project Coordinator Oliver Moxham
If you wish to be removed from our mailing list, please email cjs@uea.ac.uk

11