CJS e-Newsletter June 2020 2(2)June 25, 2020
What’s in thisissue
WelcomeMessage
Tokyo Days
MA in
Interdisciplinary
Japanese Studies
Beyond Japan
PodcastPiece of Japan
Upcoming
Events

Editor: Oliver Moxham, CJS Project CoordinatorCJS Director: Professor Simon Kaner
Header photo by editor

General Links
Contact Us

Welcome Message

CJS ニュースレターへようこそ！

Welcome to the final June issue of the Centre for Japanese Studies e-Newsletter. This special issue brings
you all the latest information on our new MA in Interdisciplinary Japanese Studies, keeping you updated on
the course through our new promotional video. We also celebrate the launch of our new Beyond Japan
podcast which looks at the interdisciplinary nature of Japanese Studies. Our first episode brings you
discussion on the significance of Japanese archaeology for the global history of humanity. Nadine Willems
rejoins us for in her last article in her series from lockdown Tokyo to say farewell to Japan after finallymaking her voyage back to the UK and we bring you a different take on our Piece of Japan section by
exploring games and recreation to celebrate the 24th anniversary of influential console the Nintendo 64.
You can find a message from CJS Director Professor Simon Kaner on the Sainsbury Institute for the Study ofJapanese Arts and Cultures website and hear more from our SISJAC colleagues in 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 Mariko

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CJS e-Newsletter June 2020 2(2)June 25, 2020

Tokyo Days – Report by Nadine Willems
SAYONARA, TOKYO

What was meant to be a three-week family visit to Tokyo turned into a three-month stay. Because
confinement rules in Japan were not stringent and the mood was panic-free, my experience involved a
relatively low level of stress. But now that the country has recovered a fair share of its pre-covid level ofactivity and my visa is about to expire, it is time to reconnect with European life.
International travel in the pandemic era, however, has its own quirks and challenges. Twice, our flight wascancelled, until we finally got a confirmed seat on a plane to Amsterdam, leaving from Narita. It had been awhile since I had set foot there. Located far away from the centre, Narita airport is inconvenient, but it used
to be the default travel hub until Haneda took over a few years ago. So, I felt somewhat nostalgic when I
boarded the Narita Express on Tuesday evening.
While Tokyo is getting back to normal, global links are in emergency mode until further notice. For all its
scale and capacity, Narita displays little of its former glory. Our flight is the only one scheduled that night
and we walk through one empty corridor after the other. Apart from a couple of convenience stores, shops
and restaurants are closed. Even the lighting is dimmed all around, giving the departure hall the allure of alarge-scale funeral parlour.
Like almost everywhere else, tourism in Japan has taken a serious hit, and the ghostlike atmosphere at
Narita simply makes the phenomenon visible. The country registered a fall of 99.9% in the number offoreign visitors in May. That month for example, a mere thirty people arrived from mainland China
compared to 900,000 in January. With its rapidly ageing population, Japan has been staking a lot on its
future as a tourist destination and Covid-19 represents a real blow to economic dynamism.
Indeed, last year more than 30 million foreign visitors crossed Japan’s borders. The target for 2020 – theyear of the now postponed Olympics – was 40 million, rising to 60 million in 2030. Whether the effect ofthe pandemic will be easily overcome is a question that hangs – literally – in the air. For the time being,
flying around the world is limited to necessity, and certainly not an enticing proposition.

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We were warned that there would be no alcohol provided on the plane, and that a hot meal, the same foreveryone, would be available only on flights that last longer than nine hours. Handed over at arm’s length
by a masked and gloved stewardess after take-off, ours is a sad version of a TV dinner, which seems to taste
little different from its plastic container. Upon waking up, we are faced with a banana, a sugary shortcake,and no hot beverage. We must have looked crestfallen. A member of the crew takes pity on us and sneaks
us an illicit cup of coffee.
It is more of the same once in Holland. Schiphol Airport is deserted, and not only because it is 3:30am. At
border control, the immigration official barely glances at our passports. Nobody bothers to ask for thehealth forms we were urged to complete before travelling. The baggage retrieval area is dimmed too andthere is no one in sight. It takes us a good fifteen minutes to finally locate the only exit made accessible totravellers.
On the train ride to Brussels, I reflect that the border between Holland and Belgium is inexistent and that
nobody bothers to check our tickets or health condition. We are free to go and indeed enjoy Brussels,
where bars and restaurants are now open. Throngs of people occupy the pavements and drink at theextended sunshine, celebrating the end of confinement. But I am now off to the UK, where onerous andover-complicated restrictions are still in place – and, to cap it all, a 14-day quarantine awaits. I already missTokyo.
Written by Nadine Willems, Lecturer of Japanese History at UEA.
Photograph by editor Oliver Moxham.

MA in Interdisciplinary Japanese Studies

The University of East Anglia together with The Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts andCultures are delighted to announce the launch of our new MA programme in Interdisciplinary JapaneseStudies. It’s been an unsettling time for prospective students, but we’ve worked hard to adapt and bring
you an exciting course for September 2020.
Administered through UEA’s Interdisciplinary Institute for the Humanities, home to the Centre for JapaneseStudies, this MA course is a collaboration of Japan specialists from both the University and the Sainsbury
Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures. Lecturers with academic focus on Japan from several
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schools of study at UEA, as well as academic staff of the Sainsbury Institute together have developed an
innovative interdisciplinary curriculum for students who want to know about Japan, its place in the world,
and its transforming cultural identity. For a taste of who will be teaching you and their areas of specialty,
watch our new video on YouTube or follow our new podcast series Beyond Japan for in-depth discussion
with the teaching team.
We hope that this course will help create a new generation of versatile experts on Japan, who are wellequipped to cross geographical, disciplinary, and institutional borders, ready to jump-start their careers inthis exciting field.
Applicants can still apply for 2020 entry with an opportunity of scholarships for outstanding applicants.
Arrival time is also flexible to allow for movement restrictions with students able to arrive as late as midOctober. To be considered for a scholarship, please apply to the course via the university admissions officeby July 10, 2020. The final deadline for applications is July 31, 2020.
Beyond Japan: An Interdisciplinary Podcast

The Centre for Japanese Studies is proud to announce Beyond Japan, a groundbreaking podcast series
exploring the interdisciplinary nature of Japanese Studies and what insights the field provides in otherareas of study. We will be presenting episodes on a weekly basis with initial episodes covering our researchcolleagues at CJS explaining their passion for their field of research and what a Japanese focus brings to thewider field. All interviewees in the initial recording series will be part of the teaching team of our new MA
in Interdisciplinary Japanese Studies, so if any of our podcast episodes pique your interest, find out more
about our course on the official UEA website or email us at cjs@uea.ac.uk with enquiries.
In this episode, the Director of the Centre for Japanese Studies at the University of East Anglia, Professor
Simon Kaner, Executive Director of the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures,
where he is also Head of the Centre for Archaeology and Heritage, talks about the significance of Japanesearchaeology for the global history of humanity, and introduces some of the initiatives he leads setting
Japanese archaeology and heritage in a comparative and interdisciplinary perspective, most recently
launching the Online Jōmon Matsuri.
For more information on Simon's research:

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Work at the Sainsbury Institute
The Online Resource for Japanese Archaeology and Cultural Heritage
Global Perspectives on British Archaeology
You can see works written and edited by Simon here.
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.
Today we bring you cultural artefacts on the theme of games and recreation tocommemorate the 24th birthday of revolutionary games console the Nintendo 64 whichshipped nearly 33 million units worldwide and widely hailed as one of the mostinfluential consoles of all time. Its two most popular titles, Super Mario 64 and The
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, similarly claim critical consensus as two of the mostinfluential games made to date and certainly impacted the childhood of millions aroundthe world. In recognition of this, we will be sharing film that has influenced games as well as some Japanrelated games for those with an interest of Japan’s representation in virtual reality.
If you have any suggestions for themes 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 be purchased on
amazon.co.uk and amazon.co.jp respectively, meaning that English and Japanese e-books cannot bepurchased on the same Amazon account. You can read in both languages on your computer, but it isnecessary 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 thedevice, so choose wisely!
Japanese archaeology gamesCJS Director Professor Simon Kaner
While archaeology features in many manga and anime (the father in My
Neighbour Totoro reputedly being based on the distinguished Meiji University
prehistorian Tozawa Mitsunori), its impact on games remains to beinvestigated. Not quite sure how useful this introduction to archaeology inJapanese video games by Internet Archaeology Online is, but should not be
confused with the highly-rated academic journal of the same name, Internet
Archaeology. Minecraft allegedly employs obsidian as a medium of
exchange, the black gold we promoted in Global Perspectives in British Archaeology – and explains
why so many teenagers already knew about this amazing material (sharpest edges in the natural
world). While preparing our dogu exhibitions a decade ago, we were impressed to encounter dogu
avatars in Second Life (is that still a thing?) and knew it was one of many trails we were unable tofollow. And the indefatigable Lara Croft finds her way to Japan in Tomb Raider (2013) on thelegendary island of is set on Yamatai, a mythical island in the Dragon's Triangle. For those of a more
traditional gaming bent, how about Archaeology: The Card Game, while the very serious minded
might enjoy this foray into Game Theory and state formation.

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CJS e-Newsletter June 2020 2(2)FilmJune 25, 2020

映画のおすすめRecommendations by editor Oliver Moxham
Battle Royale (2000) by Fukasaku Kinji
バトル・ロワイアル
監督：深作 欣二
Perhaps appropriately credited as one of Quentin Tarantino’s favourite film,
this ultra-violent cult classic explores a dystopic Japan where the mostdelinquent schools are annually enrolled in the ‘Battle Royale Surival
Program’, in this case Nanahara Shuya’s Class 3-B. Under the ruse of a field
trip, Nanahara’s class is gassed and taken to a remote island – the iconic,
desolate landscape of Hashima, or ‘Battleship Island’ – where they are fitted with explosive collars
and given three days to fight to the death until a single survivor remains. Influenced by Fukasaku’s
childhood wartime experience of hiding under fellow child munitions workers during bombing runs
to survive, the film has been a major influence on global culture through its creation of the ‘battle
royale’ genre in books, films and video games alike. The tense, chaotic violence of the ‘last man
standing’ mechanic has shocked and thrilled many in equal parts and enshrines this film and thebook which inspired it in the grisly underbelly of world culture.
Available to stream in Japanese with English subtitles on Amazon.

Games

ゲームのおすすめ
Recommendations by editor Oliver Moxham
Sid Meier’s Civilization V (2014) by Firaxis Games
Sid Meier’s Civilization series, one of themost senior and acclaimed strategy
games, allows players to assume the roleof historical figures from around the world
to lead their respective civilisations to
global prominence, either culturally,
diplomatically, scientifically or militarily. In
the fifth installation of the game, you canassume the role of Oda Nobunaga, one of
the three “Great Unifiers” of Japan leading
your samurai to victory on the worldstage. Naturally, the game is fraught withhistorical inaccuracies – obviously, thenation of Japan did not exist in 3,600 BC
and Oda Nobunaga was not its undisputed ruler from then until the modern day – but the game’smechanics allow for an articulation of the attributes of nations impossible to experience in any
other form. However, it does provide an excellent means for considering how nations and the ideasof nations take shape over centuries and millenia, something particularly prominent in theformation of Japan and its history. It also raises new ethical questions around how we engage withhistory – the game states at the start that it doesn’t attempt to portray history and all characters
are pure fiction, yet what are the implications of turning the samurai invasions of Joseon Korea in
the Imjin War into a points-based game? Should we be able to virtually re-enact the attack on Pearl
Harbour and is it morally wrong to enjoy the thrill of progressing in a game while replicating
wartime atrocities? Civilization V provokes all these thoughts and educates its players on major
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historical figures and civilisations that almost certainly get overlooked in school history lessons
through the relatively novel format of a strategy game. While chewing over the problems of ateleological representation of history, will you employ diplomacy with Genghis Khan and Wu Zeitanof China or ‘pound the mochi’ of the world through an army of samurai backed by Mitsubishi Zeros?
The choice is yours.
Available to download on Steam. Can be played on most computers through reduced graphics.
Tomb Raider (2013) by Square Enix
As mentioned above by Simon, the iconic archaeologist-explorer
Lara Croft has her origin story explored in the 2013 Tomb Raider
game. Here she explores the mythical island of Yamatai, the actual
location of which is currently disputed by historians. Afterbecoming shipwrecked on the island, she must fight and craft tosurvive after being hunted by a mysterious private army. In her
exploration of the environment, she discovers ancient Japanese
artefacts to help develop her knowledge and history of the islandfrom Noh masks to calligraphy to tantō blades. Following the
growth of Lara Croft from desk-bound archaeologist to the Tomb
Raider of legend creates combination of action, survival and history
to be enjoyed by a wide audience.
Available to download on Steam and on various consoles.
Upcoming Events & Opportunites

催し物

The Lion & the Sun: New perspectives on Late 19thand Early 20th Century Anglo-Japanese Military
Relations
After a long hiatus from our CJS Research
Seminar series, we are proud to present our
first online seminar ‘the Lion & the Sun’. Thissymposium forms the first event hosted as partof the UEA supported Japan Society for the
Promotion of Science ‘Kakenhi’ project: “OldFriends, New Partners: New Perspectives on
Anglo Japanese Military Relations in theModern Era” led by Thomas French(Ritsumeikan University). The project examines
contemporary and historical peacetime
military ties between Japan and the United
Kingdom and their various political, technical,
strategic, cultural, and social influences andlegacies. Combining UEA and external faculty,
this symposium covers topics spanning fromthe Bakumatsu era to the early years of thetwentieth century.
The participating researchers include:
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Dr. Ra Mason [UEA] Chair
Prof. Thomas French [Ritsumeikan University] Silent Sentries - Writing the British Garrison of
Yokohama (1864-1875) back into the History of the Bakumatsu and Early Meiji Eras
Dr. Cees Heere [Leiden University] "Another England at our doors": The British Empire, Japan, andthe coming of the 'Pacific Age', 1895-1905
Prof. Oleg Benesch [York University] Military Maneuvers as Public Spectacle in Imperial Japan andthe UK
Dr. Sherzod Muminov [UEA] DiscussantDr. Nadine Willems [UEA] Discussant
The presentations and ensuing discussion will all be available today on the CJS YouTube channel
with the presentations available until Thursday 2 July.
Manga with Kubo Kiriko: Online Masterclasses
Japan House
15 July – 12 August
Livestreams available on Facebook
Due to the high demand following the recent series of drawing
demonstrations held in May and June 2020, Japan House
London continues to look deeper into the art of manga and isdelighted to welcome internationally renowned manga-ka
Kubo Kiriko to lead a special series of free online
masterclasses.
Tokyo-born Kubo Kiriko has published widely and successfully in Japan, including ‘Buckets de gohan’(animated for television in 1996) and ‘Dobutsu uranai’ (1999-2007). She has been living in London
for the past twenty years. Two of her best-known manga, ‘Cynical Hysterie Hour’ and ‘Imadoki no
kodomo’ (Children Nowadays), are now available as e-books translated into English and hercharacters adorn the walls of the Evalina London Children’s Hospital.
This series of three live lecture-demonstrations presents a unique opportunity for participants totake a deeper look at manga, from diving into the creative process of an experienced manga-ka toenhancing their techniques and learning how to develop a storyboard for their own characters.
Each date looks at a particular aspect of creating manga:
Wednesday 15 July: How to Develop a Manga Storyboard with Kubo Kiriko
Wednesday 29 July: Inking Patterns in Manga: Online Session with Kubo Kiriko
Wednesday 12 August: Manga Techniques: Applying Screen-tones with Kubo Kiriko
Booking links will be available soon.

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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）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.
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To keep up with goings-on at CJS, follow us on social media:

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

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