Why not get into the festive spirit with this special concert celebrating the 150th anniversary of the UK and Japan’s good relations? There will be performances from the UK-Japan Choir plus instrumentalists and soloists from both countries.

The UK-Japan 150 Christmas Concert is presented by UK-Japan Music Society and is taking place at St John’s Wood Church. Christmas carols will be sung in English and Japanese, and directed by Jonathan Gregory.

The programme will include Bach's Magnificat as well as a new commission to celebrate UK-Japan relations called UK-Japan Motet.

Tickets are £10 - £15 (£7 concessions). For more information call the UK-Japan Music Society at 0116 259 3891, the Nippon Club at 020 7930 2004, or email ygregory@ukjapanms.freeserve.co.uk .

Enjoy a simple buffet supper and the opportunity for discussion with Ambassador Ebihara. The Ambassador will also speak to the group regarding a wide range of topics following the supper, but the emphasis is on informality.

Held in the Penderel's Oak on High Holborn, this is a great chance to chat and exchange views. There will be a pay bar; the evening costs £10 for members of the Japan Society and JETaa.

Register by calling the Japan Society on 020 7828 6330 or email events@japansociety.org.uk.

The Annual General Meeting of the JETAA London chapter will include elections for the positions of Chairperson, Vice Chair, Treasurer, Communications and Events. The meeting will be held at the Japan Local Government Centre offices near Trafalgar Square on Wednesday 3rd of December from 7-8pm.

Get involved with the world’s largest JETAA chapter (2000+ members) – show support by volunteering to support UK–Japan relations! Attend the meeting to vote for your committee. After, everyone will head to Zipangu restaurant for something to eat.

JETAA organises events such as JET Connect, Careers Information Day, Questions & Answers Day (for new JETs), Speed Dating, the JET Ball, restaurant nights and the regular ‘Fluid’ pub night. This is all made possible by funding from the Japan Local Government Centre.

Celebrate the festive season with a knees-up at the Embassy with the Japan Society!

His Excellency The Ambassador, the President of the Japan Society, and Mrs. Ebihara will also be attending the party.

There will be entertainment, such as a demonstration of traditional amezaiku (sugared sweet sculpture) by Mie Ito as well as traditional Japanese music from Naoko Fujita.

Tickets are £17 for members and £27 for non-members, including wine and Japanese food. To register contact the Japan Society on: 020 7828 6330 or email: events@japansociety.org.uk

Resident DJ Tomoki Tamura, a native of Osaka, Japan - resident in London, will be at AKA on Thursday 11th December 2008.

The evening kicks off at 9pm with Guest DJs Rocky and Steve Bicknell.

Tickets are £6 on the door at AKA, 18 West Central Street London.

Tomoki plays all kinds of house music. See his MySpace page for more info, or go to the Holic Party page.

Dokudami Komachi is a performance unit of two women who together demonstrate the traditional Japanese arts of Amezaiku and Kamishibai in their own, contemporary way!

Amezaiku involves sculpting candy into the shapes of animals and characters. A folk art hundreds of years old, Dokudami Komachi keep alive this craft practised only by a handful of people worldwide. Sugar syrup is heated to 80°, before being pulled and then shaped using tiny scissors.

Kamishibai is a form of story-telling with pictures, accompanied by music played on a traditional Japanese instrument, the sanshin. The ‘paper-drama’ of the Dokudami Komachi will be accompanied by also by dancing, by Fujita Naoko.

There will be performances at Daiwa Japan House on the 9th, 13th, 14th of December, at the Kitchen studio in West London on 12th December and at the The Japanese School in Acton on 13th December.

Check the Dokudami Komachi website or emaildokukoma@yahoo.co.jp for more information.

Yoji Yamada's samurai trilogy culminates in this beautiful film. Shinnojo, the court food taster (played by Japanese superstar Takuya Kimura) goes blind. His wife tries to support him but is seduced by a feudal boss. Shinnojo wants revenge for this betrayal and plenty of stunning swordplay ensues…

Released in Japan in 2007, the film is subtitled. Playing evenings at this ICA, tickets are £8 / £7 Concessions / £6 ICA Members. At the ICA, it’s £5 for everyone all day Monday!

Ever fancied learning more about saké?

This workshop with a qualified saké lecturer and saké enthusiast in Fulham is a fine opportunity to find out about how it is made, and of course, sample many types.

To be held at Yumenoki Restaurant on Fulham Road, on Sunday 30th November 2008, the event starts at 6pm.

The tickets are £35 and include the saké guide, a tasting of 5 premium sakés, a Japanese dinner and a saké tasting cup to keep.

See the Saké Sommelier Association website for more information.To book call Anna 079888 99465 or Kumiko 079057 11457, or email anna@sakesommelierassociation.com or kumiko@sakesommelierassociation.com.

Visiting members of the Adachi Institute of Woodcut Prints in Tokyo will demonstrate the printing of Katsushita Hokusai's most famous design, Under the Wave off Kanagawa (known as The Great Wave), from the series Thirty-Six Views of Mt Fuji.

On 14th December from 2-4pm at the V&A, and on 15th and 17th December from 2.30-4.30pm at the British Museum, the demonstrations will feature Japanese commentary consecutively translated into English.

The original print designed by Hokusai in 1830 is now on display in the Mitsubishi Corporation Japanese Galleries at the British Museum until mid February 2009. The special exhibition, Masterpieces of Ukiyo-e, will be shown at the Victoria and Albert Museum from 12th December 2008 to 15th March 2009.

Academics from both the UK and Japan with an interest in the science of intense laser interaction with matter will meet for a one and a half day seminar in December.

Advanced laser technology has made great progress in both countries and the many potential applications of intense lasers will be discussed.

The event will be held at The Royal Society – the UK’s national academy of science. Email peter.norreys@stfc.ac.uk for more information.

The exhibition Yose-moji and the Shaping of 'Wa’ featuring Japanese calligraphy by Tachibana Umon is now on at the Japanese Embassy.

Yose-moji is a distinctive style of Japanese lettering designed to promote Yose - a Japanese vaudeville theatre with various acts often complementing star comic monologue performers. Highly influential in Japanese culture since the 12th century, Yose is still performed today.

The thick lines on Yose-moji lettering developed to reflect the the lack of space in Yose performances - the full house the performers were hoping for! Yose-moji continues to grab attention on signs, posters, flyers, banners, tickets, programmes, books and even CD covers today.

You can view the exhibition for free, Monday - Friday 9.30am - 5.30pm, photo ID is required for admission. The Embassy is closed from 25th Decemeber to 4th January.

The Manga and Anime art exhibition at St. John's Wood Library will continue through December and January!

The popular exhibition features work by talented manga and anima artists. Read more on main organiser Akemi's website here.

Presented by Muswell Hill's Sushi 101, this is a cultural event to introduce people to Japanese culture through sushi, along with art, fashion and individual talent displays.

The event with take place at Sushi 101 in The Raglan Hotel, Muswell Hill on the 10th and 11th of January 2009.

For more information, email info@sushi101.co.uk or go the website www.sushi101.co.uk. If you can't wait until January for a sushi fix, Sushi 101 is also offfering 50% off all sushi in December.

Hope you are having a wonderful festive season. I am currently on holiday in Peru, enjoying the sun, sea and cebiche, but I am still keeping my eye on all the fantastic events coming up in 2009 in Japanese London!

明けましておめでとう!

All the Best for 2009!