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 years starting from 2020.

A list of Past Events from 2009 can be downloaded in pdf:
20242023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009

15/02/2026ARCHIVED Half-Term Japanese Sweets (Wagashi) Making Workshop for Children and Young People

15/02/2026

Join The Japan Society this half-term and learn how to make delicious traditional Japanese sweets, known as wagashi, in this workshop for for children and young people!

13/02/2026ARCHIVED Special Film Club: Tea & Screening with Director Kasho Iizuka co-organised with the Japan Foundation

13/02/2026

The Japan Society is delighted to offer a small group of members a unique opportunity to join director Kasho Iizuka for a conversation over cream tea ahead of the screening of his film Blue Boy Trial (2025) at the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme in London.

12/02/2026ARCHIVED Lecture by Julia Longbottom CMG, British Ambassador to Japan

12/02/2026

We are delighted to welcome the British Ambassador to Japan, Julia Longbottom CMG, to address The Japan Society members once again.

09/02/2026ARCHIVED IN-PERSON EVENT - The Japan Society Book Club: The Essential Akutagawa

09/02/2026

This new anthology offers the most comprehensive collection of Ryunosuke Akutagawa's work ever published in English. It features fresh translations of his most celebrated stories alongside many lesser-known and never-before-translated pieces.

03/02/2026ARCHIVED Japanese Conversation Group

03/02/2026

The Japanese Conversation Group provides a friendly and informal atmosphere for Japanese speakers of all nationalities to come together and speak Japanese. Meetings are held on the first Tuesday of every month.

31/01/2026ARCHIVED New Year’s Calligraphy Workshop: Celebrating the Year of the Horse

31/01/2026

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.

19/01/2026ARCHIVED Japan, Britain, and the Globalisation of the Samurai - with Oleg Benesch

19/01/2026

In this lecture Oleg Benesch will explore how Britain and Japan became close allies in the early twentieth century, celebrating one another’s Middle Ages and leading to the globalisation of the idealised samurai image that has such an iconic status today.

14/01/2026ARCHIVED Japan Macro Salon with Jesper and Bill

14/01/2026

For the first Macro Salon of 2026, Jesper and Bill will be joined by Japanese business leader Takeshi Niinami.

13/01/2026ARCHIVED Japanese Conversation Group

13/01/2026

The Japanese Conversation Group provides a friendly and informal atmosphere for Japanese speakers of all nationalities to come together and speak Japanese. Meetings are held on the first Tuesday of every month.

12/01/2026ARCHIVED ONLINE EVENT - The Japan Society Book Club: Strange Pictures by Uketsu

12/01/2026

Strange Pictures is a suspense-horror novel built around nine eerie drawings that serve as cryptic clues. It opens with a psychologist analysing a haunting child’s sketch, setting a framework for the book’s visual‑psychological puzzles.