Latest News

Congratulations to Nick Packer for his victory in the annual Japan Society Golf Tournament for the Asprey and Garrard Plate. This year's tournament was held on 28 June at Essendon Country Club.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida really spoke for all of us when he said he was "at a loss for words" about the assassination today of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. I imagine all of us felt just like that when we woke up to read the news of the shooting at the campaign event in beautiful Nara and then a short while later learned that he had died.

We are thrilled to announce the winners of the 17th World Children's Haiku Contest 2022. The Japan Society would like to thank everyone for their support of this year’s contest and for their patience in waiting for the results.

We are looking for a Communications & Events Officer and a Membership & Development Intern to work with us developing Japan-related events and activities for members and audiences in the UK.

Given how demanding was the application process for my visa to visit Japan last month – sponsors’ certificates, financial guarantees, itinerary – as were the rather more relevant health protocols on arrival in Tokyo, my biggest worry was of testing positive for covid just before departure from London or, even worse, on arrival, and then losing the whole trip after all that effort.

Many thanks to everyone attending our wonderful day trip at Dojima Sake Brewery on Sunday 29 May 2022 and special thanks to our host Dojima Sake Brewery and workshop leader Megumi Takeyama for fantastic and informative visit with delicious food and sake.

We’re delighted to announce the release of our latest education resources, which can be used to teach about religion in Japan. Our brand new video Let’s Visit a Shrine and a Temple allows students to take a tour of both a Shinto shrine and a Buddhist temple, without leaving their classroom! 

On Monday 23 May, the Japan Society visited Stanley Primary School in Teddington for a special day of soroban workshops and filming with soroban teacher Tomoko Hoult. 

Long ago, I remember being on a visit to Moscow when a kind local resident advised me that if I wanted to understand something of Russia’s history, culture and even the Russian mentality I should be sure to fit in a visit to the Tretyakov Gallery and take a look at its remarkable collection of Russian art.

On Wednesday 20 April 2022, we were delighted to hold the second in our exciting new series of careers events in collaboration with the Japan Club of London Business School, where we were joined by gaming industry experts for an in-person panel discussion, followed by an audience Q&A and networking session.