Upcoming Events

Part of The Japan Foundation London's "Exploring the World of Japanese Studies" talk series, this hybrid event will be held at Newcastle University and online via zoom. In anticipation of the English-language release of Haruki MURAKAMI’s latest novel The Tale of Kaho, this talk discusses gender, narrators and music throughout the works of Japan’s most well-known contemporary author.

This October, the Japan Foundation will welcome acclaimed Japanese mystery writer Akane Araki to the UK for the first time to celebrate the English publication of her debut novel, Murder at the End of the World. The novel won the prestigious Edogawa Rampo Prize, Japan's leading award for unpublished crime fiction. During her UK tour from 10-14 October, Araki will appear at events in Manchester, Cheltenham, Sheffield, Cambridge and London.

Keiko Uchida presents THE GREAT INHERITANCE, an exhibition of new work by the renowned Mashiko potters Tomoo Hamada and Kan Matsuzaki. Both will join Keiko Uchida in London for the launch of the exhibition, and will be taking part in a programme of events, offering the chance for collectors, guests and enthusiasts to meet the artists and share in conversations, gatherings and a talk show.

Screening at Tyneside Cinema in Newcastle as part of UK Tour October – November 2026, musician and filmmaker Hugo Max will accompany this masterpiece of silent cinema with live soundtracks on solo viola. Teinosuke Kinugasa’s silent 1926 avant-garde film employs dazzling, expressionistic visuals to explore the fractured reality inside a Japanese asylum.

Kotatsu Animation Festival returns for its 15th anniversary, offering Welsh audiences a rich selection of Japanese animation. Highlights include classics such as Akira and Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro, alongside modern favourites Children of the Sea and All You Need is Kill. The programme also features an exclusive talk by CGI animator Masaya Inaba on the use of CGI in anime. To mark puppeteer Kihachirou Kawamoto's 101st birthday, the festival will screen Dōjōji, a rarely seen stop-motion film making a rare UK appearance.

Part of The Japan Foundation London's "Exploring the World of Japanese Studies" talk series, this hybrid event will be held at The University of Cambridge and online via zoom. The lecture will introduce a range of works of Japanese literature from the early modern era to the present day, that play with script, words, and other textual features.

Award-winning Japanese author Nao-cola Yamazaki will tour the UK this October to celebrate the recent English translations of their bestselling novels Don't Laugh at Other People's Sex Lives and Beautiful Distance. Widely regarded as one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary Japanese literature, Yamazaki is known for their thoughtful exploration of identity, relationships and individuality. Yamazaki will appear at events in Cheltenham, Manchester, London, Oxford, Bristol and Sheffield.

Experience over 120 years of Japanese craftsmanship at The Optical Gallery's one-day Masunaga exhibition. Explore the complete Masunaga collection, K3 by Kenzo Takada and, subject to confirmation, the prestigious Masters of Craft collection, with complimentary private viewing sessions.

‘Kensho’, an exhibition of works by Japanese ceramicist Taizo Kuroda and calligrapher Bokujin Sousai Inada. The artists belong to a generation that emerged following the Second World War, when questions of cultural identity, modernity, and tradition occupied a central place in artistic discourse.

Organised by JUSPI – Japan-Ukraine Sakura Peace Initiative, Ukraine Support Taiko Concert will take place on Sunday 1 November 2026 at St. Mary’s Church, Putney, London SW15 1SN. The concert will feature the London Taiko Drummers, which was founded by the world-renowned taiko master Joji Hirota, and the St. Mary’s Ukrainian School Choir. JUSPI is raising money to send Japanese cherry trees and other aid to Ukraine in spring 2027.