| 6th Jan. |
Talk by The British Ambassador in Tokyo, Mr Graham Fry, at the East India Club. An informal review from the Tokyo Embassy of the scene in Japan. |
| 12th Jan. |
Business Group Lunchtime Lecture at the City of London Club by Mr Yutaka Goto, Director General of Shiseido Europe. "How Shiseido succeeded in Europe: History and International Strategy". |
| 13th Jan. |
Japanese Conversation Group at the Mason's Arms, 38 Maddox Street, W1 |
| 18th Jan. |
Lecture at The Japan Foundation, and in association with the Foundation, by Sir Hugh Cortazzi on "The Japan Society's Contribution to Studies on Japan." The lecture marked the launch of the Society's new publication "Biographical Portraits Vol. V." |
| 19th Jan. |
Seminar in conjunction with the Daiwa Foundation. This was the first in our new joint series on the Arts, Culture and Society in the UK and Japan. "British Crafts and Japan". Speakers were Barbara Jones, Crafts Council, and Kenji Toki, lacquer artist. |
| 20th Jan. |
Visit to the Exhibition of Japanese Swords at the British Museum. Special Gallery Talk by Victor Harris, recently retired Keeper of the Department of Japanese Antiquities. |
| 28th Jan. |
Younger Members attended a Burns Night Ceilidh at Ealing Town Hall. |
| 31st Jan. |
Visit to the Studio of Nana Shiomi, a Woodblock print artist who uses Japanese artistic sources for her works. |
| 2nd Feb. |
Lecture with Asia House by Marie Therese Barrett - "Ink and Gold, Mist and Clouds: The Art of Japanese Screens" |
| 3rd Feb. |
Japanese Conversation Group at the Mason's Arms, 38 Maddox Street, W1 |
| 7th Feb. |
Combined lunch with JCCI at Painters Hall. Guest of Honour was Mr Stephen O'Brien, MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Industry. |
| 8th Feb. |
The Cortazzi Lecture, at Chatham House, and in partnership with The Royal Institute of International Affairs, by Mr William Horsley: "Japan and Europe, Parallel Lives". |
| 16th Feb. |
Seminar in conjunction with the Daiwa Foundation. This was the second in the joint series on the Arts, Culture and Society in the UK and Japan. "Europe in Asia: Cultural Policy and National Identity". Speakers were Jenny White, British Council, Dr Takaji Suzuki, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Economics, Chukyo University, Mr Matthias Klause, Culture and Education Attaché at the German Embassy in London, Mr Olivier Chambard, Cultural Counsellor and Director of the French Institute in London. |
| 21st Feb. |
Informal Pub Supper at the Penderal's Oak, Holborn, with focus on Younger Members, in association with JETAA. His Excellency The Ambassador attended and spoke. |
| 23rd Feb. |
Lecture in Association with SOAS in the Khalili Lecture Theatre, College Buildings in SOAS. The "Ainu Twist in Japan: Barbarian Studies". Speaker was Mr. James Ketalaar of The University of Chicago. |
| 1st March |
Visit to the Studio of Tsugumi Ota whose prints and sculptures are inspired by masters of Western literature, Homer, Ovid and Dante. |
| 2nd March |
Performance of "The Feast of Ants" by the Mugensha Theatre Company from Tokyo. There was a special Question & Answer session with the cast afterwards for the Japan Society Members. |
| 3rd March |
Japanese Conversation Group at the Mason's Arms, 38 Maddox Street, W1 |
| 8th March |
Lecture at the Oriental Club by Mr. Graham Healey of the School of East Asian Studies, University of Sheffield, on "Benshi"(Japanese Commentators on Silent Movies). |
| 10th March |
Japan Societies Forum, hosted by The Japan Foundation and chaired by The Japan Society. An annual gathering of all UK Japan Societies. |
| 14th March |
Reception at the British Antique Dealers Association Annual Fair at the Duke of York Headquarter's Chelsea. Gallery tour of the Special Exhibition, "Nelson - The National Hero". |
| 22nd March |
Art Circle at the Nippon Club - Workshop with Yoko Takenami. "The Simple Art of Japanese Calligraphy". |
| 4th April |
Business Group Dinner for Sir Alan Jones, Chairman and Managing Director of Toyota Manufacturing, UK and Executive Vice President of Toyota Europe. |
| 6th April |
Lecture at the Oriental Club by Dr. Catharina Blomberg on "The Botanist in the Police State - Carl Peter Thurnberg in Tokugawa Japan 1775-1776" |
| 7th April |
Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Mr. Lew Radbourne, former Joint Chairman of the Japan Society, at St. Paul's Cathedral. |
| 7th April |
Japanese Conversation Group at the Mason's Arms, 38 Maddox Street, W1 |
| 7th April |
The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation/Japan Society 2005 Joint Seminar Series: The Arts, Culture, and Society in the UK and Japan, Daiwa Seminar on "UK-Japan Overtures: Developments and Collaborations in Music". In the Chair was Dr. David Hughes, Senior Lecturer in Ethno Musicology at SOAS. Speakers were Noriko Ogawa (pianist) and Michael Spencer (Creative Arts Net) |
| 12th April |
The Japan Society Annual Dinner at Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane. The Guest of Honour was The Lord Hannay of Chiswick, former UK Representative at the U.N. His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester was present, as were His Excellency The Japanese Ambassador, and Mrs. Nogami. Two Japan Society Awards for 2005 were presented. |
| 13th April |
Japan Society Golf Tournament at Brocket Hall Golf Club, For the Asprey and Garrard Trophy. |
| 20th April - 4th May |
Visit to Japan by members of the Society, to attend UK National Day at the Aichi Expo (22nd April). |
| 21st April |
Lecture at The Oriental Club by Mr. Rick Strauss (US Consul General, Okinawa 1978 - 82) on "The Anguish of Surrender". |
| 23rd April |
Japanese Conversation Group Annual Picnic in Hyde Park. |
| 25th April |
Working Lunch/Discussion Group, supported by UK Trade and Investment, at the London Capital Club, Abchurch Lane. A session chaired by Sir Peter Bonfield and John Naish on "How Companies Improve by Working with Japanese Opposite Numbers". The discussant at this workshop was Peter Bacon (Electronics Asia Ltd.) and UKTI staff played an active part in the event. |
| 5th May |
Japanese Conversation Group at the Mason's Arms, 38 Maddox Street, W1 |
| 7th May |
Younger Members and JET AA Annual Treasure Hunt. A series of questions were answered by a swift move around London inside Zone 3. Mr. Taro Aso attended the finish. |
| 9th May |
Lecture by Pauline Chakmakjian on "Japan and The Royal Art" at Free Mason's Hall. There was a chance to tour the Hall at 6.15 p.m. |
| 13th May |
Visit to Oxford. Gallery Lectures at The Ashmolean and Pitt Rivers Museums. Lunch with the Oxford University Japan Society. |
| 16th May |
Business Group Dinner for Sir Stephen Gomersall (Ambassador in Tokyo 1999-2004 and Chief Executive for Europe, Hitachi). |
| 18th May |
The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation/Japan Society 2005 Joint Seminar Series: The Arts, Culture, and Society in the UK and Japan, on "Crossing Boundaries: Art, Design and the Creative Industries). Speakers were Shin Azumi (Industrial Designer) and Michael Johnson (Graphic Designer). |
| 19th May |
Business Group Lunchtime Lecture by Professor Akiko Yamanaka, past member of the Diet and Visiting Professor at the United Nations University in Tokyo. |
| 1st June |
Chairman's Lunch at Grosvesor House. Guest of Honour was Sir Jeremy Greenstock. |
| 2nd June |
Japanese Conversation Group at the Mason's Arms, 38 Maddox Street, W1 |
| 5th June |
Younger Members Tennis Tournament.Society Barbeque*, Cricket and Softball Matches at Trail Finders Sports Club. Entertainment was provided for children. Cricket Match for the Isherwood Cup - Ambassador's XI vs Chairman's XI |
| 7th June |
Visit to The English Gardening School (Chelsea). Lecture by Maureen Busby, of the Japanese Garden Society, "Using Nature as Inspiration for Designing Japanese Gardens". After a light lunch, a guided tour of the Chelsea Physic Garden. |
| 8th June |
Lecture at JETRO, Holborn by Professor Takashi Omori, Vice President, Economic and Social Research Institute, and Director General for Quantitative Analysis in the Cabinet Office "Japanese Economy - Present and Future." |
| 10th June |
Combined Lunch with JCCI at Painter's Hall. Guest of Honour was Lord George, Governor of the Bank of England until 2004. |
| 16th June |
Art Circle - Visit to the Noh Stage (rare in Europe), Royal Holloway College,. Presentation and Demonstration of Noh Drama by Dr Poh Sim Plowright. Also very special visit to the Holloway College of Victorian Paintings Collection, guided by curator Dr. Cowling |
| 29th June |
Lecture at The Oriental Club by Mr. Angus Lockyer "From London to Aichi. Japan at the Exhibition 1862 - 2005". |
| 7th July |
Japanese Conversation Group at the Mason's Arms, 38 Maddox Street, W1 |
| 12th July |
Lecture at The Oriental Club by Mr. Greg Irvine, Senior Curator of Japanese Art, Victoria & Albert Museum. "Collecting Japanese Art in the UK". Informal supper at Carluccio`s |
| 14th July |
Art Circle - Private Viewing of the Exhibition of Woodblock Prints "Kabuki Heroes on the Osaka Stage", The British Museum. Talk given, especially for our members, by Tim Clark, Head of the Japanese Dept. of the British Museum. |
| 16th/17th July |
Art Circle - A demonstration of traditional Japanese Stencil Dying at the Victoria and Albert Museum by Vivien Prideaux, a textile artist and teacher specializing in traditional Japanese dying techniques. |
| 18th July |
Annual General Meeting at the Japanese Embassy |
| 4th August |
Japanese Conversation Group at the Mason's Arms, 38 Maddox Street |
| 5th August |
YM Group attended Great British Beer Festival at Kensington Olympia. Tutorial on British Beers. |
| 21st August |
Younger Members' Walk in the English Countryside with JET AA. Members of the Society and JETAA walked in the English Countryside, including a stop off to a countryside pub for lunch. |
| 1st Sept |
Japanese Conversation Group at the Mason's Arms, 38 Maddox Street |
| 3rd Sept |
Tea Ceremony at the Three Wheels Buddhist Temple,West London. |
| 8th Sept. |
Business Group Seminar in Association with UKTI, led by Mr. Ian de Stains, Director of the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan. "The Importance of Japan to UK Business and Commerce." Panel will included Mr. Masatoshi Kuratomi, Development Bank of Japan, Mr. Peter Bacon (Electronics Link Asia Ltd) Mr. Harada (Jetro) and Mr. Maurice Potts (UKJI). At No. 1 Victoria Street (UK Trade and Investment), Lunch was provided. This event was supported by Japan Airlines(JAL) |
| 10th Sept. |
Special One-day course on Sushi Preparation at the United International College, Woodstock House, 10-12 St. James Street, W1 |
| 12th Sept. |
Lecture at the Oriental Club by Dr. Hans Brinckman "Magatama Doodle: One Man's Affair with Japan". ANA sponsored this lecture. |
| 13th Sept. |
Combined Lunch with JCCI at Painters' Hall. Guest of Honour was Alderman David Brewer, Lord Mayor of London from Nov. 2005. |
| 20th Sept. |
Lecture at The Oriental Club by Dr Elizabeth Horner on "Frank Brangwyn". This lecture was sponsored by ANA. |
| 21st Sept |
The Arts, Culture and Society in the UK and Japan Seminar Series, in association with The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, "Does Heritage Matter?" The discussion examined the significance of heritage and the role it played in the culture and society of Japan and Europe. |
| 27th Sept |
Business Group Combined Lecture with BJLA on " The Legislative Process in Japan and the UK Compared", at Herbert Smith, Primrose Street, EC2. Speakers were Dominic Grieve MP (Shadow Attorney - General) and Hideki Takada (HM Treasury) with a contribution by Sakita Yoshida of The Japanese Embassy. |
| 1st Oct. |
Collar Cup Golf match versus the JCCI at the Buckinghamshire Golf Club. |
5th Oct. |
Younger members Party at the Nippon Club and in conjunction with the Club, for Japanese involved in Martial Arts. Supported by Asahi Beer. |
| 6th Oct. |
Japanese Conversation Group at the Mason's Arms, 38 Maddox Street |
| 11th Oct. |
Business Group Lunchtime Lecture at JETRO, Holborn. Mr. Bill Emmott, Editor of the Economist: "A Japan Survey". This lecture, which was supported by JAL and was being arranged very shortly after a major survey on Japan was published by The Economist. |
| 11th Oct. |
Manga. Lectures about Manga as a contemporary phenomenon in Japanese Art and Culture were given by Dr Sharon Kinsella and Dr Roger Sabin at the Brunei Theatre, SOAS. This lecture was sponsored by All Nippon Airways. |
| 17th Oct. |
Workshop with Takumasa Ono. "The Simple Art of Japanese Ink Painting - Sumi-e" at The Nippon Club. |
| 19th Oct. |
The Arts, Culture and Society in the UK and Japan Seminar Series, in association with The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, "International Dimensions in Funding for the Arts: the UK and Japan", with Timothy Clark, British Museum, Hidetoshi Sotooka, Asahi Shimbun and David Barrie, National Art Collections Fund. |
| 27th Oct. |
Younger Members Halloween Ghost Walk in London, "Ghosts, Gaslights and Guinness." |
| 28th Oct. |
Business Group Lunchtime Lecture at the City of London Club, by Dr. Tidu Maini, Pro Rector of Imperial College London, "The Commercialisation of Research in the UK". This lecture was sponsored by Japan Airlines. |
| 3rd Nov. |
Japanese Conversation Group at the Mason's Arms, 38 Maddox Street |
| 7th Nov. |
Lecture by Dr. John Carpenter, "Text, Image and Interaction in Paintings and Prints in Ukioe by Hokusai" at Sotheby's, Bond Street. This lecture was part of Asian Art Week and was sponsored by ANA. Afterwards there were reception and a chance to view the Sotheby's Asian sale. |
| 11th & 15th Nov. |
Toshiba Lecture on "Japanese Tea Merchants in the Edo Period", in conjunction with the Sainsbury Institute at the BP Lecture Theatre, The British Museum. "2nd Toshiba Lecture", in conjunction with the Sainsbury Institute at the Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre, SOAS, on the Japanese Tea Merchants in the Edo Period. |
| 23rd. Nov. |
Handel House |
| 26th Nov. |
The Japan Society Younger Members and JETAA Caledonian Ball at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. |
| 1st Dec |
Japanese Conversation Group held at the Mason's Arms, 38 Maddox Street |
| 5th Dec |
The Arts, Culture and Society in the UK and Japan Seminar Series, in association with The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, "Still Moving: A Sculptor's Response to Working in Japan - A lecture and discussion by Antony Gormley". This lecture will be held at the BP Lecture Theatre, The British Museum, and is supported by Arts and Humanity Research Council. |
| 7th Dec |
Art Circle - A special private viewing has been arranged at the V&A of its Permanent Collection of Kimono and Guided Tour of Special Exhibition of 1920's Kimono. |
| 12th Dec |
Annual Christmas Party at The Japanese Embassy, by courtesy of His Excellency The Ambassador. Younger Members Group proceeds en masse to the Havana Club in Hanover Square. |
| 14th Dec |
Lecture at The Oriental Club by Mr. Toshiyuki Iwama, Director of JICA in London "50 years of Japanese Aid Giving - Past and Future." This lecture is sponsored by All Nippon Airways. |
