Past Events

The Impact of the US Presidential Election on the International Order

The 2024 US presidential election is expected to have a significant impact on the international order. The outcome of the election may have great implications for the ongoing war in Ukraine, the conflict in the Middle East, US policy towards China, and the US’s relations with its traditional allies in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, including Japan. In this webinar, chaired by Philip Shetler-Jones, the speakers will present their views on the impact of the election on the international order, with a special focus on the Asia-Pacific region and the implications for Japan.

Music Generations in the Digital Age

Music Generations in the Digital Age is a unique work at the intersection of cultural, media and music studies. In the book, Dr Rafal Zaborowski delves into how music engagement is changing in the digital era, focusing on key themes of participation, interpretation, circulation and cultural production. In this talk, he will particularly cover the following topics:
・Why do virtual idols sometimes feel more authentic than non-virtual ones?
・How can pop groups resonate differently across generations?
・How has the Japanese music industry evolved in the digital age?
・Can you tell the difference between real Japanese pop lyrics and AI-generated poetry?

Squingle: VR Game Business and Japanese Studio Collaboration

The journey of developing and publishing Squingle, a psychedelic VR puzzle game where players guide revolving orbs through increasingly complex 3D spatial mazes on a cosmic transcendence adventure, has been a significant success story enabled by the Daiwa Scholarship. Squingle merges science, technology, innovation, and art to create a surreal, ongoing collaboration between the UK and Japan, deeply influenced by partnerships with Keio University and Enhance Games, a Japanese game studio.

Noguchi Rika in conversation with
Jonathan Watkins

In this event, Noguchi Rika will be in conversation with Jonathan Watkins, curator of her exhibition Life on Planet Earth, putting the work shown into the context of her practice overall. In particular, they will discuss the representation of alienness, a theme that has been evident in Noguchi’s work since she emerged as an artist in the 1990s. She encourages us to see the visible world as if for the first time – with a sense of wonder – while conveying a kind of melancholy derived from an understanding that human perception is strictly limited. In this vein, recent photographs and films of insects and birds exemplify a proposition that is as aesthetic as it is philosophical.

Private View:
Life on Planet Earth by Noguchi Rika

Join us for a private view of Noguchi Rika’s first solo exhibition in the UK since 2004, Life on Planet Earth at the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation. Combining video and photographs, this exhibition conveys a sense of wonder at being in the world as well as the particularity of being human.

The doors will open at 6:00 pm on Tuesday 8th October 2024. Guests are welcome to visit the gallery anytime between 6:00 pm and 7:45 pm with advanced booking.

Enjoy Homemade Sushi!

Do you like sushi? Would you like to make sushi yourself? Well, in that case, join us! We will show you how to make delicious and healthy nigiri-sushi at home. Erika Henderson from Café Yukari will give you a brief history of sushi and show you how to prepare sushi rice. Cooking proper rice and mixing it with the right amount of vinegar, sugar, and salt is the first step in making successful sushi. Then Erika and Yukari Henderson will show you some good sushi recipes with easy-to-obtain supermarket ingredients, including vegetarian varieties. You can also try some samples of their nigiri-sushi at the event.

Graphic Narratives from Early Modern Japan

Part of a formidable publishing industry, cheap yet eye-catching graphic narratives consistently charmed early modern Japanese readers for around two hundred years, from the late seventeenth to the late nineteenth century. These booklets were called kusazōshi (lit. “grass books”). Multimodal in essence, kusazōshi combine images and words asking the reader to negotiate the complex interactions of these different modes on the page. Meaning is created out of such negotiation. Graphic Narratives from Early Modern Japan: The World of Kusazōshi (Brill 2024) is the first English-language publication to investigate this textual typology in the round. In this book launch Prof. Laura Moretti selected what she views as the most thought-provoking lines of inquiry put forward by the contributors featured in the volume.

Metalworker Kathleen Reilly's design journey: From Glasgow to Tsubame-Sanjo and beyond

Scottish artist and metalworker Kathleen Reilly discussed her journey from her hometown of Glasgow to the small metalworking town of Tsubame-Sanjo and her inspiration and experiences living and training there for two years. Kathleen’s new knife design Oku will be on show as part of this year’s London Design Festival 2024. She discussed Oku in-depth, including her collaboration with Karimoku Furniture, Japan’s leading wooden furniture manufacturer and the background behind her installation and film created with Riyo Nemeth and Paz Castro featuring music by soundscape designer Hiroki Saitoh to celebrate the fusion of Eastern and Western cultures. She also touched on her new metal casting project series ‘Gran’s Plates’ and ‘Mother’s Plates’.

Japan: The Basics

Japan: The Basics is an engaging introduction to the culture, society, and global positioning of Japan. Starting by looking at the common stereotypes, clichés, and tropes associated with Japan, this accessible introduction to the country is designed to arm readers with key skills and knowledge for their study of Japan. In this talk, the author, Dr Christopher Hood, discussed some of the key features of the book, the way in which the book works alongside other books about Japan, how some of the research for the book was done, and other things related to the book – some of which are not mentioned in the book itself.

New Horizons for Japanese Traditional Crafts

Japanese traditional crafts have a rich history and utilise a wide variety of beautiful materials and techniques. But many Japanese people still perceive traditional crafts as a mere expression of the “classical” culture featured in social studies textbooks, overlooking their contemporary richness and diversity. In this talk, Dr Hideki Yoshimoto will share his perceptions of the current situation for traditional crafts in Tohoku. He will then present his Craft x Tech initiative which explores new horizons for traditional crafts by integrating them with contemporary design and technology, along with unique artworks produced through collaborations between Tohoku’s master craftsmen, artists and designers.

West meets East through the World of Noh

Akira Matsui, Kitazawa Hideta and Richard Emmert have been at the forefront of bringing noh theatre to the world through innovation and experimentation. The three Masters will join Jason James in conversation to hear about how tradition meets modernity, and West meets East, in the work of these singular figures in the noh world. At the end of this discussion Kitazawa Hideta will undertake a book signing of his newly published book Noh and Kyogen Masks: Tradition and Modernity in the Art of Kitazawa Hideta.

Social determinants of youth mental health in Tokyo & London

While Japan leads the world in terms of physical health outcomes, its mental health systems are often seen as ‘behind the curve’ compared to other economically-developed countries. This is especially true for mental health and wellbeing of children and young people. In this event, we welcomed a panel of speakers with extensive experience working in mental health policy and practice in Japan to present on contemporary issues and intervention strategies relating to young people’s mental health.