Hare With Amber Eyes courtesy of Edmund de Waal
Photo: Ken Adlard  © International Netsuke Society

Tuesday 21 May 2013                     Tour timings: 2.00 – 3.30pm / 4.00 – 5.30pm

Embassy of Japan
101-104 Piccadilly
London W1J 7JT

Free – booking essential
Booking deadline – Friday 17 May

Light refreshments will be available after each tour

The Embassy of Japan is hosting a stunning collection of over two hundred netsuke gathered from a number of private collections in Europe and the World Museum, Liverpool until 31 May. Most of the pieces have never been on public display before, including Edmund de Waal’s Hare with Amber Eyes (pictured above), made famous in his family memoir of the same name.

Japan Society members are being offered a chance to visit this one-off collection in the company of curator, and netsuke expert, Rosemary Bandini. Tours will last approximately 30 – 40 mins with a chance to revisit the displays afterwards and ask questions related to the individual exhibits.

For further details of the exhibition please visit the Embassy website

Rosemary Bandini started her career in the Japanese Department of Sotheby’s from 1977, before marrying Luigi Bandini of Eskenazi. With him she worked on the preparation of exhibition catalogues until 1996. Independently she organized two successful exhibitions at Eskenazi. She has been a private dealer since 1998 and has made a reputation publishing netsuke collections, including Shishi and Other Netsuke, the Collection of Harriet Szechenyi and Tiny Titans, as well as being on the editorial board of the Association Franco-Japonaise. She has published several articles and gives regular lectures on the subject of netsuke. Since 2010, Bandini has been co-director of Rutherston and Bandini Ltd, specialists in Japanese art.

Special offer

A beautifully illustrated book, with accompanying commentary on the exhibition, is being offered to those attending the tour at a discounted price of £30 (RRP £40). If you would like to purchase a copy prior to the tour, please include this request when booking. Payment will only be accepted in advance. It is not possible to purchase the book at the Embassy but pre-paid orders can be collected on the day of the tour.

To reserve your place, please call the Japan Society office on 020 7828 6330 or email events@japansociety.org.uk or submit the online booking form. When booking please state a preference for one of the two available tour times (2.00 – 3.30pm & 4.00 – 5.30pm). Allocation will be on a first-come, first-serve basis.

In association with:

Wednesday 22 May 2013                                  6.45pm

The Swedenborg Society
20-21 Bloomsbury Way (Hall entrance on Barter St)
London WC1A 2TH

For a PDF map of the venue please click here

Free – booking recommended

Nearest underground station: Holborn
Light refreshments will be provided

The people who lived in the Japanese archipelago in the millennia before the arrival of rice farming, long before the first historical records that refer to Japan were written, were among the first to experiment with a number of innovations that had a profound impact on the subsequent history of humanity. These include creating some of the earliest ceramic containers in the world; fostering close relationships with plants and plant products, in particular lacquer; and creating some of the first village communities.

This talk examines recent discoveries that illustrate the contribution of the prehistoric Japanese to world history and presents evidence that the Jomon archipelago was not as cut off from its surroundings as is often thought. Drawing on examples from fieldwork in the Shinano and Chikuma River system, central Honshu and elsewhere, we will also see how these Jomon foragers were remarkably resilient in the face of regular natural catastrophes, incorporating coping with very active environments and their unpredictability into Jomon cultural perceptions of the world.

The talk will conclude with a consideration of the ways in which the ancient Jomon past is now presented to contemporary audiences in Japan, especially in the light of the bid to have 19 Jomon sites inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage, with an overview of some new museum displays and ways in which archaeology appears in the Japanese media.

Dr Simon Kaner is Director of the Centre for Japanese Studies at the University of East Anglia, Norwich and Head of the Centre for Archaeology and Heritage at the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures. A Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London, he is directing the Shinano River Project, investigating the development of historic environments along the Shinano and Chikuma rivers, the longest drainage in the Japanese archipelago. He is also currently involved in research into the archaeology of the sacred island of Okinoshima, the collection of kofun period archaeological materials collected by William Gowland at the British Museum, and the interface between cultural tourism and archaeology. As well as several academic publications, he is also working on a new English-language online resource about Japanese archaeology and cultural heritage for use in schools. His recent publications include The Power of Dogu: ceramic figures from ancient Japan (British Museum Press, 2009).

To reserve your place, please call the Japan Society office on 020 7828 6330 or email events@japansociety.org.uk or submit the online booking form.

In association with:

Sake kindly provided by the Sake Samurai Association and International Wine Challenge

Saturday 1 June 2013                                         10.00am

Horse Guards Parade
Whitehall
London SW1A 2NS

£5 – Japan Society members

Booking deadline – Friday 24 May 2013

One of the great annual sights in London is the Trooping the Colour ceremony on Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall on Her Majesty’s Official Birthday. All available Foot Guards, Household Cavalry and King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery march past Her Majesty starting at 11.00am. The event will close at approximately noon.

The Society has arranged tickets for 30 good seats for the dress rehearsal, held two weeks before the real parade.

The Household Troops, made up of the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, are the personal soldiers of The Queen. It is important to remember that these are also fighting troops; many of those on parade will be veterans of various campaigns including Afghanistan and Iraq. About 1,000 men in bearskins, tunics and full uniform will be on parade; there will be Massed Bands, Mounted Band, and a large number of cavalry. The troops will be reviewed and then will march past twice. The Queen will not be present on the 1st June, but the Dress Rehearsal parade will be taken by the General in command of all Household Troops.

Members should be seated by 10.00am, but we are arranging to meet at 9.15am for coffee and a short talk (optional). This will cover the conduct of the parade, its history and tradition. Full details will be sent to those who book.

This is always a popular event and priority will be given to Japanese members. There will be a ballot for tickets and you will be informed if you have been successful on Friday 24 May. To enter the ballot please call the Japan Society office on 020 7828 6330 or email events@japansociety.org.uk or submit the online booking form.

Tuesday 4 June 2013                                 6.30pm
(and every first Tuesday of the month)

The Old Explorer (Lower Ground Floor)
23 Great Castle Street
Oxford Circus
London, W1G 0HY

Standard Admission ￡5.50 (£1 Discount for: Japan Society members/Students/Regulars)

The Japanese Conversation Group provides a friendly and informal atmosphere for Japanese speakers of all nationalities to come together and speak Japanese. Meetings are held on the first Tuesday of every month at The Old Explorer, a central London pub. They begin at 6.30pm with a pay-as-you-go bar, and finish around 10.30pm.

You will receive all discounts for which you qualify. The Regular Attendee Discount will apply if you attended at least 50% of meetings during the previous calendar year, or once you attend six meetings in the current year.

Please visit the Japanese Conversation Group website http://jcg.org.uk for further details on their programme, which may be subject to change.

Wednesday 5 June 2013                                                    12.00 for 12.30pm

JETRO London
MidCity Place
71 High Holborn
London WC1V 6AL

Cost – £12 for members of the Japan Society, JCCI and those introduced by JETRO
£18 for non-members

Booking deadline – Monday 3 June 2013

A short time before the G8 summit in the UK, an overview of the global economy by a highly respected economist will be useful to all members. Dr Gerard Lyons will focus on the UK and Europe and also on  Japan and its regions but he will take a broad look at the global economy as a whole, assessing the large strategic shifts in business, trade and economic movement and predicting how these trends will develop.

Dr Gerard Lyons is an expert on the world economy, international financial system, macroeconomic policy and global markets. Dr. Lyons has 25 years experience in senior roles with some of the world’s leading financial institutions and as a highly regarded City and international economist with an excellent forecasting record. Previous positions include Chief Economist at DKB International and consultant to the Dai-Ichi Kangyo, and until December 2012 he was Chief Economist and Head of Research at Standard Chartered. He is Chief Economic Advisor to Boris Johnson, Mayor of London.

Programme

12.00pm – assemble (light lunch)
12.30pm – seminar
2.00pm – close

To reserve your place, please call the Japan Society office on 020 7828 6330 or email events@japansociety.org.uk or submit the online booking form.

In association with:

Monday 10 June 2013                                                  7.00pm

The Old Star (basement alcove)
66 Broadway
London SW1H 0DB

For a map of the venue please follow this link

Free for Japan Society Members

Tsukiko, thirty-eight, works in an office and lives alone. One night, she happens to meet one of her former high school teachers, ‘Sensei’ in a local bar. He is thirty years her senior, retired, and presumably a widower. Their relationship, traced by Kawakami’s gentle hints at the changing seasons, develops from a perfunctory acknowledgment of each other as they eat and drink alone at the bar, to an enjoyable sense of companionship, and finally into a deeply sentimental love affair. From warm sake to chilled beer, from the buds on the trees to the blooming of the cherry blossoms, the reader is enveloped by a keen sense of pathos and both characters’ shared loneliness.

Hiromi Kawakami (1958-) was born in Tokyo and graduated from Ochanomizu Women’s College in 1980. She made her first debut as Yamada Hiromi in NW-SF #16, edited by Yamano Koichi and Yamada Kazuko, in 1980 with the story So-shimoku (‘Diptera’), and also helped edit some early issues of NW-SF in the 1970s. She reinvented herself as a writer and made her second debut in mainstream literature with her first book, a collection of short stories entitled God (Kamisama) published in 1994. She is also known as a literary critic and a provocative essayist.

The book club is held on the second Monday of the month. There is no restriction on the nationality of the authors read, but books should be available in translation in both Japanese and English. The discussion is conducted mainly in English, but you can choose the language in which you read the book. The intention is simple: to explore the themes of the book, express personal opinions on the style and content, discuss how the book has changed (or not) in translation and to have a relaxed discussion with others who have similar interests.

Click here for an English edition
Click here for a Japanese edition

To reserve your place, please call the Japan Society office on 020 7828 6330 or email events@japansociety.org.uk or submit the online booking form.

Tuesday 11 June 2013                       12.00 – 2.00pm

JETRO London
MidCity Place
71 High Holborn
London WC1V 6AL

Free for members of the Japan Society and those introduced by JETRO
£12 for non-members

Booking deadline – Thursday 6 June

How was the British business community in Japan affected by the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami and ensuing nuclear incident? How did it respond to developments in Tohoku? And, how did the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan (BCCJ) become a conduit for relief and reconstruction activities throughout the stricken region?

Lori Henderson, Executive Director of the BCCJ will give a first-hand account of how, following the triple disasters, companies began navigating a ‘new normal’ in Japan, becoming actively engaged in a variety of activities to support socio-economic recovery. Having spearheaded the BCCJ’s Back to Business initiative, Lori has helped a number of small firms in the region reestablish operations and generate economic returns. She has also demonstrated how corporate social responsibility programmes can be delivered successfully in a crisis. As an active leader in the Tohoku Planning Forum – which continues to connect Japanese and international practitioners across the private, public and civil sectors – Lori will outline for the Japan Society relevant opportunities for further engagement between the UK and Japan.

Programme

12.00pm – assemble (light lunch)
12.30pm – talk
1.00pm – Q & A, discussion
2.00pm  - close

Lori Henderson, MBE, as Executive Director of the BCCJ, is responsible for the general management and editorial policy of the organisation. On behalf of the BCCJ membership, she liaises with the British Embassy, British Council, Visit Britain, European Business Council (EBC) and the Council of British Chambers of Commerce in Europe (COBCOE). In addition, Lori sits on the Executive Committee of the Japan Market Entry Competition, the Foreign Commonwealth Office’s Japan Prosperity Fund, The Entrepreneur Awards Japan, and the Royal British Legion, Tokyo.

Lori has a background in communications and digital media, and has lived and worked in Japan since 2003. Before joining the BCCJ, she wrote and produced video content for a Japanese media organisation, BBT (Business Breakthrough) – firstly at the Kenichi Ohmae Graduate School of Business (MBA in Globalisation Programme), and then Business Breakthrough University, where she held the role of Programme Manager and Senior Professor. Lori gained her Master’s degree in Mediaeval English from the University of St. Andrews and was awarded an MBE in The Queen’s 2013 New Years Honours List for services to post-earthquake reconstruction and to the British business community in Japan.

To reserve your place, please call the Japan Society office on 020 7828 6330 or email events@japansociety.org.uk or submit the online booking form.

Supported by:

Tuesday 11 June 2013                                               6.30pm (doors open)

All Saints Church Fulham
Pryors Bank
Bishops Park
Putney Bridge Approach
London SW6 3LA

Free – booking required
Seating – first come, first served

Join us in celebrating the arrival, 400 years ago to the day, of the first British ship to Japan with an evening of music and words drawn from the traditions of the two countries.

Musical programme arranged by: Jason James, David Hughes, Michael Spencer, Meg Hamilton and David Fawcett

Programme (more details to follow)

Doors Open: 6.30pm (A pay bar with sake, wine and soft drinks available)

Starts: 7.30pm

Programme Ends: 9.45pm

To reserve your place, please call the Japan Society office on 020 7828 6330 or email events@japansociety.org.uk or submit the online booking form.

Wednesday 12 June 2013                              9.15am

Essendon Country Club
Bedwell Park
Essendon
Hatfield
Hertfordshire AL9 6HN

£70.00 all-in price for the day (includes breakfast, lunch and 18 holes of golf)

Booking – Friday 7 June

The Japan Society’s Annual Golf Tournament, for the Asprey and Garrard Plate, is due to take place at Essendon Country Club on Wednesday 12 June, with a shotgun start at 9.45 am. The format will be Stableford and players have to be ready by 9.15 am for transport to their allocated tee-offs.  The all in price is £70, including breakfast, 18 holes of golf and a Japanese lunch on completion (they do have a Japanese Chef).  BDO, a leading member, is once again providing the prizes and there will be competitions for ‘Nearest the Pin’ and ‘Longest Drive’; a mobile halfway house will be on hand to provide refreshments.  Any number of players can be accepted and so please bring friends, colleagues and clients.

Designed by Fred Hawtree the old Course was opened about 40 years ago and is a testament to parkland courses. Undulating in nature the course provides a real test for golfers of all abilities whilst they can enjoy the spectacular views. Probably the most demanding par 5 is the 12th, with tee shots halted by a sloping, narrow, tree lined fairway. The final hole, whilst being a long par-3, has a green well below the tees and will hopefully ensure a good end to a most enjoyable round.

To reserve your place, please call the Japan Society office on 020 7828 6330 or email events@japansociety.org.uk or submit the online booking form. Further details will be sent to all those registering to play.

Supported by:

Monday 17 June 2013                                                    6.45pm

The Swedenborg Society
20-21 Bloomsbury Way (Hall entrance on Barter St)
London WC1A 2TH

Free – booking recommended

Nearest underground station: Holborn
Light refreshments will be provided

This illustrated lecture will outline the historical facts, but also bring to life the gripping story of human interaction, bravery and mutual attempts at comprehension, that surround the first trade interactions between Britain and Japan in 1613, 400 years ago this September.

The Clove left England together with two other vessels of the East India Company in spring 1611. The Company, in existence for already over a decade, had sent many sailings East, but this was the first intended for as far away as Japan. The Clove left its fellows at Java and proceeded to Japan alone, where is arrived in June 1613. On board were letters from King James and presents for the Shogun and his father, Tokugawa Ieyasu, as well as letters of friendship from the King and a request to trade. The presents included  a telescope and a burning glass – the latest piece of scientific equipment for the time – and the telescope (invented only in 1608) was the first ever sent from Europe to Asia. These gifts were reciprocate with armour and paintings and permission to reside and trade in one of Ieyasu’s famous ‘vermillion seal letters’ (shûinjo) which were duly received back in London on late 1614. Both King James’s and Ieyasu’s letters are extant, as are some of the presents exchanged.

This history has long been known only to specialists, but this being the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the English in Japan , the tale deserves to be more made more widely known.

Timon Screech received his BA from Oxford and his PhD from Harvard, and since 1991 has taught at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in the University of London, since 2006 as professor and since 2012 as head of the School of Arts. He is author of some dozen books on Edo visual culture, including The Lens Within the Heart (CUP 1996, 2^nd ed, Curzon, 2000) and Sex and the Floating World (Reaktion, & Hawaii UP, 1999, 2^nd ed, 2009). His major work, Obtaining Images: Art, Production and Display in Edo-Period Japan, was published by Reaktion and Hawaii UP in early 2012.

To reserve your place, please call the Japan Society office on 020 7828 6330 or email events@japansociety.org.uk or submit the online booking form.

In association with:

Sake kindly provided by the Sake Samurai Association and International Wine Challenge

Thursday 27 June 2013          6.00pm

Embassy of Japan
101-104 Piccadilly
London  W1J 7JT

Registration essential
Registration deadline – Tuesday 25 June

The Japan Society Annual General Meeting 2013 will be held on Thursday 27 June 2013 at 6.00pm at the Embassy of Japan, London.

We hope to see many members at this year’s AGM. Please remember that the Embassy of Japan’s security policy means that you need to let us know in advance if you are planning to attend - please call the Japan Society office on 020 7828 6330 or email events@japansociety.org.uk or submit the online booking form.

Please also bring with you to the meeting a form of photographic ID.

All documentation concerning the AGM, including the formal  Notice of AGM and Proxy Voting Form,  and the Trustees Report / Japan Society Accounts (ending 31 December 2012), will be available to download from this web page in due course.