The Japan Society

Past Events

The Japan Society runs more than 80 events per year providing opportunities for members and others interested in Japan to meet, learn and exchange ideas and experiences. Our archive of Past Events below shows events we have offered in previous months starting from 2020.

A list of events from previous years can be downloaded in pdf:
2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009

22/07/2023ARCHIVED Calligraphy Workshop: Summer Greetings

22/07/2023

Following our popular kakizome workshop in January, Japan Society is pleased to host a shochu mimai (summer greeting cards) workshop with calligrapher Yoko Takenami.

03/03/2023ARCHIVED Enso: Coming Full Circle - Private View with Elena Gileva

03/03/2023

We are delighted to invite members and friends to a special private view of Elena Gileva’s exhibition Enso: Coming Full Circle at White Conduit Project.

08/01/2023ARCHIVED New Year’s Calligraphy Workshop

08/01/2023

Suitable even for complete beginners, in this workshop you will learn how Japanese characters were developed, discover different styles of writing, and be guided in the techniques for writing Japanese with a brush. You will come away with your own piece of calligraphy – a positive word encapsulating hopes for 2023. This is a wonderful opportunity to try this quintessential Japanese art led by a professional calligrapher.

24/11/2022ARCHIVED Making tradition relatable: Kutani Ware in the Modern Era

24/11/2022

Japan has had an exceptionally long and successful history of ceramic production and kutani ware, which originates from Ishikawa in the north-western region of Hokuriku, is one of the oldest forms of Japanese porcelain. In the second of our talks by artists from Ishikawa Prefecture, we welcome Keigo Kamide, a sixth-generation ceramicist of Kutani Choemon, a kiln that has been producing Kutani ware for over 130 years.

16/11/2022ARCHIVED Tradition and Modernity in Kaga Yuzen Dyeing

16/11/2022

Kaga yūzen is a traditional dyeing technique that is used in the creation of fabrics for kimono. Join us for a special talk with master of kaga yuzen, Hitoshi Maida. This in-person event will not only allow us to engage with the speaker directly, it will also give us the opportunity to see and touch examples of work he will bring in to display.

04/11/2022ARCHIVED Tuning the Singing Bowl: Tradition and Innovation in Toyama Prefecture

04/11/2022

The Japan Society is pleased to welcome Yoshinori Shimatani, a fourth-generation master blacksmith from Takaoka, Japan’s centre of forged copperware since the 17th century for a special talk and demonstration, organised in conjunction with Toyama prefecture. Yoshinori will introduce the history and contemporary production practices and discuss how he re-invented the family business of making singing bowls (keisu) and now uses the ancient techniques in the creation of suzugami pewter ware. Attendees will have the opportunity to experience the sound of singing bowls, watch a demonstration of contemporary pewter work and learn more about the culture of Toyama prefecture in which they are rooted.

29/10/2022ARCHIVED YOBITSUGI - Beyond Repair: Private View

29/10/2022

The Japan Society is delighted to invite members and friends to a private view of the exhibition YOBITSUGI - Beyond Repair with co-curators Paul Carey-Kent and Yuki Miyake at White Conduit Projects.

19/10/2022ARCHIVED Talk and Exhibition Tour - Kimono: The Making of a Cultural Icon (19 October)

19/10/2022

Join us as David Wertheim guides us through the exhibition Kimono: The Making of a Cultural Icon, as it traces the changes in style and wear of the kimono as it responds to social, political, and cultural shifts throughout the centuries.

12/10/2022ARCHIVED Talk and Exhibition Tour - Kimono: The Making of a Cultural Icon (12 October)

12/10/2022

Join us as David Wertheim guides us through the exhibition Kimono: The Making of a Cultural Icon, as it traces the changes in style and wear of the kimono as it responds to social, political, and cultural shifts throughout the centuries.

20/07/2022ARCHIVED Minoru Nomata – Private Guided Tour with Curator at De La Warr Pavilion

20/07/2022

This summer, the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill On Sea presents a series of work by painter Minoru Nomata in his first exhibition outside Asia. We are pleased to invite a small group of Japan Society members and guests to join us for a private tour of the exhibition guided by curator, Joseph Constable, followed by a tour of the venue, an iconic modernist building on England’s south coast!