The latest, coolest Japanese films crowd into London every autumn for your viewing pleasure. And catching London's Japanese film season is perhaps even better than seeing films in Japan! Why? Here, the Japanese films are subtitled in English!

Here's 5 steps to all knowing you need to know:

1. BAFTA'S PREMIERE JAPAN 09: 9TH - 11TH OCT 2009

Premiere Japan 09 will, for the fifth consecutive year, screen the best and most recent films to come out of Japan selected by the world-renowned East Asian film critic, Tony Rayns, and film scholar and critic, Alexander Jacoby. It will be held at BAFTA, 195 Piccadilly, London W1J 9LN on 9, 10 and 11 October 2009.

This year there will be screenings of six films yet to be released in the UK. Tickets are £5 - £7.50.

In addition to the Japanese film screenings on Saturday and Sunday, in between films, there will be the opportunity for all the family to try their hands at Japanese games, origami, calligraphy as well as dress up in Japanese yukata.

Activities start at 2 pm and run all afternoon until 5 pm on both Saturday and Sunday in the David Lean Room. Everyone is welcome to join in!

2. JAPANESE FILMS AT THE 53rd LONDON BFI: 14TH - 29TH OCT 2009

The new Astro boy, Bare Essence of Life Ultra-Miracle Love Story, Kamui, and City of Life and Death are amongst the BFI's offerings this year!

Book online before tickets sell out!

3. JAPANESE FILMS AT THE 17th RAINDANCE FESTIVAL: 30TH SEPT - 11TH OCT 2009

There is a Japanese film screening every day of the film festival!

Since 1998, Raindance Film Festival has continued in its strong support for
Japanese filmmaking, with its Way Out East section the largest annual
showcase for new Japanese cinema in the United Kingdom, screening at least
ten recent features and documentaries annually.

The 17th Raindance Festival, held between 30 September - 11 October 2009, this year turns its spotlight on the rising number of women filmmakers in Japan, with a special selection of five features and one shorts program from some of the country's most exciting talent.

TICKET INFORMATION:

Individual tickets

Apollo Cinema (Piccadilly Circus)
19 Lower Regent Street 
London 
SW1Y 4LR
£12.00 / £8.00 concession from Main Box Office at apollocinemas.com
or call 0871 220 6000

4. BARBICAN'S JAPANIMATION: UNTIL NOV 2009

On the 26th of October, the Barbican is screening Sword of the Stranger, with director Masahiro Ando and producer Mashiko Minami both in attendance for a discussion after the screening. The event will be hosted by Helen McCarthy, co-author of The Anime Encyclopedia.

On 26th November there are two whimsical anime films: Ponyo on the Cliff By The Sea (by Hayao Miyazaki), and Mai Mai Miracle.

5. MIDNIGHT EYE - THE LATEST AND BEST IN JAPANESE CINEMA

Last but not least... if you are a fan of Japanese cinema you should visit the Midnight Eye website. Subscribe to the newsletter to stay on top of what's happening. The editor at Midnight Eye is Jasper Sharp, who is also The Raindance Festival's Japanese programmer. This is the site to find out about the latest and best in Japanese Cinema!

'Hooray for the Nagasaki Tramcar'

Exhibition of prints and drawings at the Daiwa Foundation Japan House, and a talk by Chris Orr RA. (14 September -11 December 2009). The talk is on 4th November, 2009.

'Chris Orr RA was Professor of Printmaking at the Royal College of Art (1998-2008) and is now Professor Emeritus. He has exhibited at the Whitechapel, Serpentine Galleries, Victoria and Albert Museum, British Museum and the Tate, as well as at the Jill George Gallery London, and the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. In 2008 he was awarded an MBE for services to the Arts.'

The exhibition is free to view. Visit the Daiwa Ango-Japanese Foundation's website for more details.

An exhibition on 'Josiah Conder and Japan' will be held at the Embassy of Japan in London from 1-29 October 2009.

This exhibition outlines the life and works of British architect Josiah Conder (1852 - 1920) in Japan and the renovation of the Conder-designed Mitsubishi Ichigokan Building and Museum in Tokyo, which is due to open in April 2010.

Known as a 'Father of Japanese Modern Architecture' - Josiah Conder was a British architect who, after first stepping onto Japanese soil in 1877 at the young age of 24, became one of the most influential figures in the history of modern Japanese architecture.

Although Conder's achievements are little known to the people of Britain, he has left an indelible imprint on the consciousness of many in Japan where he is the subject of enormous respect and his work is cherished and loved by all.

Visit the Embassy's website for more information on how to visit this exhibition.

A captivating display of 'Ukiyo-e' prints, literally meaning pictures of the floating world. Created by masters such as Hokusai, Hiroshige, Utamaro and Kuniyoshi this selection of enchanting prints encompasses the beautiful women, dramatic landscapes and Kabuki actors of the Edo (1603-1868) and Meji (1868-1912) periods.

Prints and postcards of images from the exhibition will be available to purchase from artsdepot's box office.

Date: Until Thursday 22nd October
Time: Open daily 12pm 4pm (6 - 8pm on selected performance evenings)
Cost: FREE EXHIBITION
Where: Apthorp Gallery, artsdepot, 5 Nether Street, Tally Ho Corner, North Finchley, N12 0GA

The President of Tondaya kimonos, Mrs. Tanaka Mineko returns to London this year to present a talk on kimono throughout the ages and will conclude the evening by performing a lovely fan dance. The talk will be in Japanese with English translation, and will be accompanied by a Powerpoint presentation.

Date: Tuesday, 10th November 2009
Time: 6.30pm, with an optional tour at 5.30pm
Cost: £10 for members of the Japan Society, £15 for non-members
Place: The Japan Room
Lodge Room No. 11
The Freemasons' Hall
60 Great Queen Street
London WC2B 5AZ

There will also be souvenirs from Tondaya for sale, so please bring cash. There is an optional tour of the The Freemasons' Hall so please assemble at 5.15pm if you plan to attend. The Japan Society will handle registration and no tickets will be issued.

To register your attendance, please contact the Japan Society on tel: 020 7828 6330 or email events@japansociety.org.uk with 'Kyoto Kimono Talk & Fan Dance ' in the subject, giving your name, email address and telephone number within the body of the message. Please state whether you wish to join the free tour of the hall.

Interested in brushing up your Japanese?

What about teaching Japanese?

The Language Show will take place over three days from 30th October to 1st November 2009, at Olympia 2, near Hammersmith.

For free tickets to attend, visit The Language Show's website.

'The Language Show is the UK's biggest event for language learners, teachers, linguists and anyone with a love for languages. The show offers language enthusiasts all the help, advice and resources needed to learn or teach languages all under one roof. Plus, there's a dedicated Language Careers Fair for job seekers.'

The Japan Foundation will also be running a stand together with JP-Books at The Language Show 2009. Talk to them about Japanese language education in the UK and to browse an assortment of Japanese books. There will also be Japanese language tasters running over the course of the three days.

The Sir Peter Parker Awards is a well-established speech contest in Spoken Business Japanese. Visit the SOAS website to view videos of previous finalists and winners.

Date: 17 February 2010
Place: At the School of Oriental and African Studies, London

Fabulous prizes to be won, including a return air ticket to Japan and Japan rail pass, a laptop PC, 2 digital cameras, 2 vacuum cleaners, gift vouchers for Japanese books and gift ware, etc.

For more information visit the SOAS website: http://www.soas.ac.uk/languagecentre/awards/sppa/ or email ef@soas.ac.uk.

The event Music Beyond Labels - Exploring New Music from Japan is organised by the Japan Foundation in association with the London International Festival of Exploratory Music (LIFEM), takes place at 6.30pm on the 6th November. Contact The Japan Foundation for further info.

'In recent years, a growing number of Japanese musicians have appeared on the UK music scene. This recent popularity has been attributed to the uniqueness and versatility of Japanese music and musicians, appealing to the desire of music fans to experience something new and original. For this event, the Japan Foundation has invited UK-based Japanese artist, DJ Scotch Egg, who has gained a reputation for mixing music from techno-related genres, including gabber and chiptunes, to talk about his musical career and artistic philosophy.

He will be accompanied by Franck Stofer, of the artist agency, Sonore. Franck has been a passionate advocate of the creativity of contemporary Japanese music, and will share his views on the state and nature of the music scene in Japan. The evening's proceedings will be chaired by Alan Cummings, Freelance Writer for music magazine The Wire.'

DJ Scotch Egg will be part of this year's LIFEM lineup, together with two other Japanese musicians, Oorutaichi and Midori Hirano, on 7 November at Kings Place.