Third Window Films has kindly given the Japan Society 5 pairs of tickets  to attend their special gala screening of Kakera (A Piece of Our Life), the atmospheric and idiosyncratic new Japanese feature film from first-time director Momoko Ando on Saturday 27th March at the ICA. The film opens for general release on 2nd April 2010.

Click here to view the trailer.

5 lucky runners up will each receive a copy of Turtles Are Surprisingly Fast Swimmers on DVD!To enter – simply send your name, email address and daytime telephone number to john.toppon@japansociety.org.uk by 11.30am on Monday 22nd March 2010 with “Kakera Competition” in the subject line. If you do not have email, please telephone the Japan Society office on 020 7828 6330.

The winner will be chosen at random and notified accordingly. Tickets will be available to pick up from the box office on the day.

*This competition is only open to members of the Japan Society. Both individual and corporate members may enter.

The Third Window Films brand was born in 2005 when its film-loving founders grew bored of the stream of worn-out shock horror vehicles from the Far East. Third Window Films works hard to bring you the wonderful world beyond long-haired ghost films and mindless Hollywood action copies, sourcing the finest works in new Far Eastern cinema. We strive to represent a rich variety of film genres, be they dramas, comedies, political satires, action or anything else in between. Expect everything from the unknown and cult to the off-beat and even the occasional mainstream masterpiece… or expect nothing but quality Asian cinema!

Turtles Are Surprisingly Fast Swimmers
In Turtles Are Surprisingly Fast Swimmers (Kame wa Igai to Hayaku Oyogu), a housewife named Suzume (Ueno Juri) is getting fed up with her dull, ordinary existance. When she finds a tiny advertisement for employment as a spy she jumps at the opportunity for a little excitement in her life. Her first mission? To act as dull and ordinary as possible in order to blend in, but she finds that acting like usual has become a lot harder to do!

The Japan Society Awards for 2009 were presented to Professor David Cope and the Reverend Professor Kemmyo Taira Sato. The Reverend Sato’s award was accepted by his wife Hiroko Sato on his behalf.

 The 2009 recipients have worked in very different fields, but each has helped to strengthen ties between the Uk and Japan.

Marie Conte-Helm, chair of the Awards Committee read citations for both recipients, after which the Awards were presented by Christopher Purvis, chairman of the Japan Society, to David Cope and to Hiroko Sato representing Kemmyo Taira Sato.

David Cope has over many years made important contributions to knowledge and analysis of various aspects of Japan in both the scientific and social studies areas, including, for example, his Chatham House talk on natural disasters in Japan and their influence on Japanese society. It is relevant that prior to his appointment as Director of the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology in 1998, David was Professor of Energy and Resource Economics at Doshisha University in Kyoto, moving there from Cambridge where he was Director of the UK Centre for Economic and Environmental Development (UK CEED).

While at UK CEED, David Cope was responsible for the first ever Anglo-Japanese conference on environmental issues, was adviser on environmental matters to the UK Japan 2000 Group  and also participated in several Anglo-Japanese research projects on subjects as varied as the use of information technologies for regional development, coastal environmental protection and the implications of nanotechnology.

David Cope has been an advisor to the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation and Japan Society on their joint lecture series and an active participant on occasions. He is an international assessor for MEXT, the Japanese science ministry, on its 21st Century Centres of Excellence research programme and to several Japanese university research programmes. He is currently a Trustee of the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, where his knowledge of socio-economic factors in science and technology is helping to extend links. He does not seek to put himself forward, but is a true enthusiast and a friend to Japan and his enthusiasm for and intellectual engagement with Japan has made him a valuable member of the Anglo-Japanese community.

The Reverend Professor Kemmyo Taira Sato in 1994 established and since that time has run Three Wheels, a Shin Buddhist centre in West London that is also a branch of Shogyoji Temple in Japan. His master, the Venerable Chimyo Takehara, intended that he should ‘work to foster mutual understanding and spiritual exchange in the context of Anglo-Japanese relationships, and at the same time seek to help Japanese people resident here on the path towards inner peace through encounter with people from other traditions’. As well as regular bi-monthly Eza meetings and other ceremonies, Three Wheels performs many special and outreach functions for the London and wider British community, including the Annual Ceremony of Peace and Reconciliation held in August, with British and Japanese participants including war veterans, reconciliation groups and different Buddhist sects. The Reverend Sato has a truly international and ecumenical mind and Three Wheels is visited not only by many Japanese and British people but many different believers from many different religious backgrounds.

Beyond his work at Three Wheels, the Reverend Sato has served as a committee member of the Burma Campaign Society, always bringing wisdom and tolerance to its reconciliation activities and discussion. He has been a Professorial Research Associate at SOAS; Guest Professor at UCL, Lecturer at Birkbeck College, and frequent speaker at the Buddhist Society. The Reverend Sato is also one of the directors of the Buddhist Society in London and, as the last disciple of D. T. Suzuki, has recently been helping the Society proceed with the republication of D. T. Suzuki’s books.  

The Reverend Sato has dedicated a Buddhist Stupa of Namu-Amida-butsu as a burial place for all Buddhists in this country, and annually holds a ceremony at Brookwood Cemetery to remember the four Japanese students who were buried there 140 years ago, one of the oldest Japanese graves in the West, and the British people who cared for them. He also regularly conducts ceremonies at the Japanese cemetery in Hendon, founded before the Second World War and still used by the Japanese community today.

The Japan Society Awards are presented each year to mark significant work in the field of UK Japan relations which has not otherwise been recognized. All members are encouraged to nominate those who they feel are deserving of such an Award.

Awards are usually granted each year to two recipients, with one being British and the other Japanese. However, there is no hard and fast rule on this; it depends on the circumstances in a particular year. The nominee does not need to be a member of the Society.

The Japan Society Annual Dinner for 2010 was held on Monday, 25th January 2010 at the Grosvenor House, Park Lane. The night was a huge success with over 250 guests seated in the ballroom treated to a wonderful meal and a fashion extravaganza!

This year’s Dinner featured a fashion show that was curated for the Society by the internationally award-winning young composer, creative director and producer Phillip Neil Martin to celebrate the best in Japanese fashion design and its influence in the UK.

The show referenced famed Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake and his influence on younger Japanese designers and the influence of Japanese aesthetics and design on non-Japanese designers in the UK.

With pieces from Issey Miyake’s collection showing alongside work by younger established designers such as Jen Kao, Alyssia Burridge, Bao Ta, Olga Papadopolus and Derek Lawlor, connecting to Darren Cabon (former Miyake apprentice and Course Director for MA Fashion Design and Technology at London College of Fashion) and former students from the London College of Fashion Natsumi Zama, Julia Kroner and Keiko Kida.

The show featured a team of professional stylists, hair and make up artists, photographers and a DJ which added to the occasion greatly.

The themes running through the collections were eclectic but fascinating, from Julia’ Kroner’s collection inspired by ‘The Romance of a Japanese-Bavarian Geisha and her Napoleonic Lover’ to more traditional Japanese themes such as origami and Kimono.

The show was followed by toasts and speeches and the presentation of the Japan Society Awards for 2009. This year Awards were presented to Professor David Cope and the Reverend Professor Kemmyo Taira Sato, accepted on his behalf by his wife Hiroko Sato. Further details of the awards and full citations can be found here.

We are very grateful to JTI and Think London for their support of the Annual Dinner which enabled us to offer discounted tickets to all members and a further discount to members under 30, ensuring that the event was enjoyed by everyone.

After the success of last year’s Knowing Me, Knowing You?, the Japan Society Members’ art competition and Exhibition is back!

Members young and old are invited to submit a piece of artwork which in some way represents the theme of Asobi – Play.

As in 2009, all artworks submitted will be included in the exhibition and we look forward to receiving entries as diverse as those received in 2009. Full details will be available in the new year, but provisional dates for your diaries are:

Deadline for entries: Monday 29th March 2010 (send to the Japan Society)

Provisional Exhibition dates: from 19th April 2010 (at the Embassy of Japan)

Full details to follow shortly.

To win a trip to Japan for two and special prizes for schools

Theme: SCHOOL

Applicants should be under 15 years of age

Closing Date for entries: 31st March 2010

Haiku originated in Japan and is the world’s shortest form of poetry. Haiku captures a particular moment in the writer’s life or encapsulates a natural image.

The first Haiku Contest was organised by the JAL Foundation in 1990 and one has been held every two years since then. Japan Airlines, with support and assistance from the Japan Society, is pleased to announce the 2010 Contest.

Compose your own Haiku on the theme of SCHOOL and submit it with an accompanying illustration, for the chance to win a trip to Japan for two!

All winning entries will be published in a Haiku book and winners will each receive a copy.

First Prize:Two return Economy Class flights to Japan with Japan Airlines plus two nights accommodation at the Imperial Hotel Tokyo

Runners up:Runner up prizes including a certificate of achievement and a chance of publication in the 2010 edition of ‘Haiku by World Children’.

Bonus Prize: £100 of Book Tokens awarded to the school with the most outstanding entries.

Entries should be submitted to the Japan Society by 31st March 2010. Judging will take place during April and winners then notified.

Haiku Contest Rules and Entry Guidelines

1  The haiku must be 3 lines long. There is no need for it to rhyme.

2  The haiku must be on the theme of school – any thought or feeling related to school.

3  Applicants must be primary or secondary school children under the age of 15 years.

4  An entry consists of one haiku entry per person, which must be the entrant’s original unpublished work and accompanied by artwork created by the entrant on the same A4 (or larger) sheet of paper.

5  Entries should be labelled on the reverse with the age, name, school and address of the entrant.

6  Entries from the same school may be parcelled together for submission. Pupils’ names and ages must be clearly marked on the reverse of their entry, together with the school name. The parcel must include the name of the contact teacher and full school address.

7  Copyright to the haiku will be forfeited to the organiser – the JAL Foundation.

8  The prize consists of two economy class return air tickets from London to Japan and two nights accommodation at the Imperial Hotel, Tokyo. Additional hotel expenses, ground arrangements, travel insurance, meals, transfers etc are not included. The prize must be taken by 31st March 2011 and is non transferrable. No cash alternative can be offered.

Entries should be submitted to the Japan Society by 31st March 2010. Judging will take place during April and winners then notified.

If you have any questions regarding the competition please contact Heidi Potter at the Japan Society on tel: 020 7592 7036 or email: heidi.potter@japansociety.org.uk.

Please send entries to: Haiku Contest, Japan Society, Swire House, 59 Buckingham Gate, London SW1E 6AJ Telephone: 020 7592 7039.

Organised by:

Sabro Takahashi, Jim Parton, London Japanese captain Kentaro Koga and Reg Clark.

The Oku Memorial Trophy was played at the Richmond Athletic Ground for the fifth time in late November between London Japanese and the Kew Occasionals.

The game was played almost 6 years to the date and hour since Ambassador Katsuhiko Oku, a member of both of those clubs, was tragically killed whilst working for the international reconstruction programme in Iraq whilst on secondment from the Japanese Embassy in London. Two days before the game Ambassador Ebihara had invited both sides to a reception at the Embassy to thank them for their continued efforts to honour Oku’s memory.

Rugby Football Union Vice President Richard Appleby attended the reception at which Oku’s long contribution as a member of the international committee of the JRFU to Japan’s eventually successful bid to host the Rugby World Cup was recognised. For the game itself the London Japanese side was boosted by players from Paris, Dusseldorf and Budapest and having taken a 31-15 lead just after half time, they eventually went down 44-31 largely due to a desire to give every player in a very large squad a game. The Kew side was captained by Club President and former London Japanese member Jim Parton, who again had travelled from Poland for the game. He received the trophy afterwards from Oku’s close friend, match organiser and referee Reg Clark.

East Meets East was a regional community heritage project set up to explore 150 years of grassroots connections between East Anglia and Japan. Although the project has now ended, you can still view a selection of materials (photos, audio visual, etc) on the East meets East website (please click here).

The impressive exhibition was shown in Norwich, Great Yarmouth and Peterborough and involved over 100 individuals from diverse backgrounds: artists, academics, school children, writers, Japanese residents, families of war veterans, and business people each made their own unique contribution to the project through research, oral history, art work and film projects. The exhibition did not seek to avoid difficult topics but emphasised the overriding importance of reconciliation, celebrating friendships today and building strong relationships for the future. Highlights included:

• Personal accounts, including one Japanese lady who came to the UK with her British husband over 70 years ago and who died recently at the age of 102.
• Manga displays made by local students.

The website will be available to view until December 8 2010.

Sixth formers from Langley Park School for Boys and year six children from Pickhurst Junior School in Bromley enjoyed getting creative in a special workshop with Tobe pottery artists.

The four visiting artists worked alongside interpreters to introduce the the unique history of Tobe pottery and the various techniques and painting patterns.  Students were then able to release their creative energy as they painted their own ready-made plate or mug with a design based on one of the patterns shown or an idea of their own, some even incorporating katakana or kanji.  By the end of the sessions, each students had produced an original work ready for firing.   The students’  finished products will then be exhibitied at Te, Tobe Yaki: Tobe Japanese Pottery Exhibition, sitting alongside over 200 works, from sake cups to large art pieces, specially selected and transported from Japan .  The exhbition runs from 18-30 November at 3 Bedfordbury Gallery, Covent Garden – one for the diary!

The workshops were made all the more exciting by the presence of NHK, who will be creating a feature on the artists’ visit to the UK.  Through interviews, students shared their impressions of Japanese arts and culture and practiced some of their Japanese languge skills too.  Students at Langley Park School for Boys are learning Japanese and have a link with a senior high school in Tokyo.  The Japan Society is pleased to see their interest in Japan continue to flourish.

In our September-November 2009 Events brochure, we offered 3 Japan Society members (and their guests) the chance to be on location and meet Mrs Harumi Kurihara at NHK World TV’s exclusive central London filming of ‘Your Japanese Kitchen’.

After an overwhelming response, the lucky winners were:

• Mrs Joanna Lawson
• Mrs Kaori Kumagai
• Mrs Kyoko Delaforce

Please click here to view a gallery of photos from the event.

In addition to attending the filming on 14th September, members and their guests each received a signed copy of Mrs Kurihara’s latest book’ Everyday Harumi’. ‘Everyday Harumi’ is Mrs Kurihara’s third English language cookbook and is published by Conran Octopus. The book presents more than 60 new home-style recipes, demonstrating just how easy it is to cook Japanese food for everyday occasions without needing to shop at specialist food stores.

We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our winners and to extend our thanks to NHK World TV and of course Mrs Kurihara.