IN-PERSON EVENT - The Japan Society Book Club: Grave of the Fireflies by Akiyuki Nosaka

Date
Monday 10 August 2026
Time
7.00pm

Venue
The Japan Society
13 / 14 Cornwall Terrace
London NW1 4QP

Booking Details
Free for members of The Japan Society

Book available from Bookshop.org, Amazon and Waterstones (translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori)
Japanese version available here

Please help us to keep this event free and open to all! The Japan Society is a charity and its activities are made possible thanks to the support of its members. If you are planning to attend this event and are not a member (as an individual or through your employer), please consider becoming a member or making a donation if you can - the recommended donation is £5. Thank you!

Grave of the Fireflies is a stark and devastating account of two siblings struggling to survive in Japan during the final months of the Second World War. As society collapses around them, hunger, illness, and social indifference deepen their suffering. Told with restraint and emotional clarity, the book exposes the human cost of war, particularly for civilians and children. It was later adapted into an animated film by Studio Ghibli, directed by Isao Takahata.

Akiyuki Nosaka (1930–2015) was a Japanese writer, songwriter, and public intellectual whose work is deeply shaped by his experiences of the Second World War. He is best known for Grave of the Fireflies, a searing portrayal of civilian suffering during wartime. His writing often combines dark humour, autobiography, and social critique, addressing themes of memory, loss, and the moral consequences of war in modern Japan.

If you have any questions, please call The Japan Society office on 020 3075 1996 or email events@japansociety.org.uk.

Booking Info

• You should receive an automated email from The Japan Society to let you know that your booking is confirmed.
  
  
• If you don't receive any confirmation emails or links, please check your spam folder or email events@japansociety.org.uk.
  
  
• If you are not a member of The Japan Society (as an individual or through your employer), please consider becoming a member or making a donation if you can - the recommended donation is £5.