If you’ve had your fill of fireworks and are looking for something a little more… well, divine… you might like to catch the Euodia Ensemble Chapel Concert on Wednesday evening. Held at St. George’s Bloomsbury Church, this concert by the critically acclaimed Japanese Christian ensemble is entirely free of charge. (You can't miss 'Mr. Bary Tone' in London!)
Their website is at http://euodia.jp/
Everyone knows Hokusai’s iconic ‘Under the Wave off Kanagawa’ woodblock print – a motif which swept over the world in 1830. Known as ‘The Great Wave’ this ocean view was symbolic of Japan’s growing concern about the foreign worlds that lay across the seas.
The Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures presents a series of three lectures called ‘Hokusai’s Great Wave – The Making of a Global Icon’. Presented by Christine M.E. Guth, these lectures coincide with the British Museum’s recent acquisition of an excellent example of the print.
For more information about these free lectures on Japanese Art in London see the Sainsbury Institute's website.
A fun, family-friendly day, Akemi’s Japanese Cultural Workshop is also FREE! You can learn how to tie a kimono and an obi (kimono sash), about the chanoyu tea ceremony, and how to write your name in Japanese calligraphy.
A lecturer in Japanese Culture, Akemi is the eldest daughter of a Samurai family. She currently lives in England but often takes cultural visits to Japan.
Read more about the event at the Orbital website, and more about Akemi at her website.
Works by twenty Japanese designers who have studied, and practise, architecture in London will be on show in ‘Japan Junction’. The exhibition is at trendy Dalston venue Café OTO from Saturday the 8th to Sunday 16th November.
By viewing the various works you can see how the architects have been influenced by their environment, and their Japanese background.
Café OTO’s website is here. If you’d like more information, contact londonarchitects@hotmail.co.jp.
Presented by Tanaka Mineko, President of Tondaya, a kimono wholesaler in Kyoto, this exhibit is accompanied by a talk and demonstration about the tradition and art of wearing kimono, and is followed by a champagne reception!
You can also take a tour of The Freemason's Hall, a beautiful art-deco building in which The Japan Room is located. The Freemason’s Hall is not normally open to the public.
The Kimono Fashion Show costs £15 for members of the Japan Society and £28 for non-members. To register call the Japan Society on 020 7828 6330 or email them at events@japansociety.org.uk with 'Kimono Fashion Show & Demonstration ' in the subject, giving your name, email address and telephone number.
The Sounds of Water Sculpture Exhibit features massive ceramic and bamboo installations by Japanese artist, Shiraishi Masako.
Her award-winning sculpture was last seen in the UK at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2008.
The exhibition is at the Embassy of Japan, open from 9.30am-5.30pm Monday to Friday.
Admission is FREE, don’t forget your passport or driving licence as photographic identification is needed.
The intricate 3D ‘machine drawings’ of Japanese artist Tetsuo Fujimoto are at the Daiwa Foundation Japan House from 12th November to 17th December 2008.
Fujimoto’s work is comprised of layer upon layer of stitches, an effect that changes depending on your closeness to each piece. He explains his art as ‘encompassing both the macro and the micro’… the overlapping lines lead us further inside.
Tetsuo Fujimoto, trained as a weaver, is now Professor at Division of Contemporary Art and Theory, Faculty of Art, Hiroshima City University.
The Private view of the exhibition is between 6-8pm on 12th November. Fujimoto also talks to Lesley Millar, Professor of Textile Culture, University for the Creative Arts on 14th November, at 2pm.
Viewing is free; the Daiwa House is open from 9.30am-5pm Monday-Friday. You can read more about the Private view conversation with Lesley Millar and book online here.
Fine, Totally Fine (Zen Zen Daijobu) will be screened at the ICA for six days only. Proving popular at the Raindance festival earlier this autumn, you’ve got another welcome second chance to catch this light-hearted comedy directed by Yosuke Fujita.
Click here to read more about the film.
Looking for something different to do this weekend? If you are around Dalston this evening or tomorrow why don’t you check out the two-day festival presented by the Tokyo-based Music Label 'Noble' at Café OTO?
Catch Midori Hirano, who works with computers and samplers to create piano-based music. Now We've Got Members is an eclectic mix of world music, jazz, rock and disco played by between eight and fifteen members. Kenichi Iwasa is a multi-instrumentalist and will play with special guests.
Starting at 8pm on Friday and Saturday nights, you can pay £6 for one night or £10 for two.
Jazz on the Road continues: live Japanese Jazz at The Old Queen’s Head in Islington featuring: Drugstore Cowboy (Live Band), Maki and Kola and the Jazzcotech Dancers. With guest DJs Patrick Forge, as well as London-based Japanese DJs Koichi Sakai and Kay Suzuki.
From 7pm to 2am, £5, nearest tube Angel.
Email jazzontheroad66@gmail.com for more information about the night.
This is a FREE one-day course for sixth formers keen to know more about Japan, its traditional culture and role in the modern world. If you are studying Japanese at school or are considering doing Japanese studies at university, this day will offer insights through workshops and lectures.
Learn about Japanese culture, politics and economy through lectures and then pick from a range of elective workshops on taiko drumming, Noh theatre and yosemoji calligraphy. There will also be practical advice on Japan-related study and career opportunities.
This event is put on by The Japan Society and The Embassy of Japan at Westminster Academy in London. Contact Anna Davis with questions or to reserve places at anna.davis@japansociety.org.uk or by telephone on 020 7592 7039.
A book signing and sketching session with the artists of the latest Manga Shakespeare books will be held at Orbital Manga this Saturday the 22nd November.
Taking Shakespeare into a totally different realm are Chie Kutsuwada (As You Like It), Ryuta Osada (Othello) and Mustashrik (Julius Caesar) who will all be there on the day.
Want to know more about Manga Shakespeare? You can join www.mangashakespeare.ning.com network to read the Manga Shakespeare production blogs.
The London Market Language Exchange presents a Japanese Club social evening for those interested in practising Japanese.
Held at the stylish Bincho restaurant (a specialist in yakitori), on the second floor of the OXO Tower, the £10 entrance fee will cover some tasty snacks.
For more information, email IUAJapanClub@tokiomarineglobal.com or visit the Language Club homepage.
The deadline for the 2009 JET Programme intake in the UK is fast approaching! There’s only ONE intake a year – with application accepted until 6.30pm on Friday, 28th November 2008.
(Ed's note: I vividly remember running around Nottingham University campus to find a functioning printer so I could get my application in the first-class post by 5pm the day before the deadline… not recommended!).
To read about the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme, visit the UK-based website or the main CLAIR site with loads of useful information.
A splendid event for Cosplay fans – The Grand International Cosplay Ball will be held on the 30th November 2008 at the Clapham Grand.
It will be an evening of theatre, burlesque and live music - with many different diversions ranging from CanaDark’s fire and poi spinning to a kimono fashion show presented by Japanese cultural specialist Akemi Solloway.
Set dances (Rumba, Waltz, Tango, Jive!) will also take place at the beginning of every hour; you’ll be given a dance card at the beginning of the evening to fill up!
The dress code is cosplay (any style or genre permitted), or smart/stylish dress only. Other styles of dress are also welcome, including EGL (Gothic Lolita), Visual Kei, Burlesque, Vintage, Steampunk and Glam Rock.
The Clapham Grand is a gorgeous venue - a theatre in Victorian times, since converted to a nightclub with modern facilities and original features. Tickets are £18 and can be purchased online at The Grand International Cosplay Ball website.
Japanimation: Far East anime masterclass presents a series of film events at the Barbican running until February 2009. Looking at classics of Japanese animation, the festival is hosted by Helen McCarthy – anime expert and co-author of The Anime Encyclopedia.
Including ‘Sword of the Stranger’ (25th November 2008), ‘Dororo’ (28th January 2009), ‘Phoenix: Immutable Conclusion’ (1st February 2009), ‘Akira’ (1st February 2009) and ‘Treasuretown: Tekkonkinkreet’ (24th February 2009), Japanimation is a great chance to re-visit the classics of anime and introduce them to your friends!
Visit the Barbican site for more details, and to book online.
Japanese and Western DJs come to together for the ‘Wild Life’ Club Night presented by ULJS (University of London Japan Society). Held at AKA on West Central Street, the closest tubes are Tottenham Court Road and Holborn.
DJs include DJ Harrybo, Nobuo Ittesu (Nono), Lookleft and Bearight, Naoki Shimisu and DJ DYSU. The dress code is animal print and wild casual.
Tickets are £10 on the door or £7 in advance, with a £25 VIP option. For general information, contact Shinya at 07758811004.
This smart new exhibition explores the car as a ‘mobile cell’. Unique Japanese car design is here showcased by Kenya Hara, the man behind MUJI, and Shigeru Ban, a top Japanese architect currently designing a new satellite gallery in Metz for Paris’ Pompidou Centre.
Japan Car – Mobile Cell is sponsored by seven Japanese car manufacturers, and shows how Japan’s culture and high population influence car design. Exploring three themes (size, environment and the moving urban cell) the exhibition looks ahead to the future of transport in cities.
The Science Museum suggests 60 minutes to explore the ‘designs for the crowded globe’ and tickets are £8 for adults, £6.25 for concessions.
The legendary ‘pink films’ of 1960s and 1970s Japanese film-making are celebrated in December with thirteen films selected by Matt Palmer and Jasper Sharp. The aesthetic achievements and highly erotic (sometimes lurid and extreme!) content of these films is for those who are not easily offended.
Although the first Japanese screen kiss came in 1946, by the mid-fifties taiyozoku (or ‘Sun Tribe Films’), focusing on post-war Japanese teen decadence, showed screen eroticism far beyond anything seen in American cinema the same time. A prime example of this phenomenon is Crazed Fruit/Kurutta Kajitsu (1956) by Ko Nakahira (the still above is from the film).
See BFI Southbank’s website for more information about the films and screening schedule.
