12/10/2026ARCHIVED IN-PERSON EVENT - The Japan Society Book Club: The Traitor by Kobo Abe
The Traitor offers a bleak meditation on betrayal, power, and moral uncertainty, revealing how individuals are compromised by political control and pervasive fear.
09/10/2026ARCHIVED Autumn at Harcourt Arboretum: Japanese Collections and Beyond
The Japan Society is delighted to invite members and friends to a special guided visit to Harcourt Arboretum, part of the University of Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum. Led by Arboretum Curator Ben Jones, the visit will offer an opportunity to explore the Arboretum’s Japanese collections and learn more about its wider work in plant conservation.
07/10/2026ARCHIVED ONLINE EVENT - The Japan Society Film Club: Tora-San, Our Lovable Tramp directed by Yoji Yamada
For our Film Club in October, we will discuss Yoji Yamada's Tora-San, Our Lovable Tramp (1969), the first instalment of the iconic Tora-san series, a warm and humorous portrait of a free-spirited traveller.
21/09/2026ARCHIVED Silence in the Spaces: The Uniquely Japanese Subculture of Jazz Kissa - with Philip Arneill
In this lecture, Tokyo Jazz Joints creator and photographer Philip Arneill will explore the origins, history and impact of the jazz kissa in Japan over the last decade and what might be next in their continued evolution.
01/09/2026ARCHIVED Japanese Women Photographers: From 1950s to Now - Guided Tour
The Japan Society is delighted to invite members to a guided tour of Japanese Women Photographers: From 1950s to Now, a landmark exhibition at The Photographers’ Gallery reframing the history of Japanese photography through the voices and lenses of women artists.
11/08/2026ARCHIVED NIGO – Guided Tour with Curator Rachel Hajek
The Japan Society is delighted to invite members to a guided tour of NIGO: From Japan with Love the largest survey to date of the internationally renowned artist.
10/08/2026ARCHIVED IN-PERSON EVENT - The Japan Society Book Club: Grave of the Fireflies by Akiyuki Nosaka
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.
28/07/2026ARCHIVED Make Your Own Japanese Lunch: Family Workshop with Clearspring
The Japan Society is delighted to partner with Clearspring and London-based chef Izumi Nakamura for a fun family workshop filled with creative cooking, tasty treats and the joy of making onigiri together.
24/07/2026ARCHIVED RESCHEDULED - Japanese Tattooing: From Edo‑Period Traditions to Working-class Pride
In this richly illustrated talk, author and journalist Manami Okazaki will explore the world of Japanese tattooing—one of the most striking, symbolically layered, and misunderstood art traditions.
20/07/2026ARCHIVED Black Ships, Black Waters: William Adams and the Languages of Crossing - with Nandini Das
In this lecture, Nandini Das will explore the historical figure of William Adams in relation to early modern anxieties about loyalty, identity and new new forms of belonging.