Past Events

With the ethereal tone and aesthetic styling characteristic of Kawabata’s prose, The Old Capital tells the story of Chieko, the adopted daughter of a Kyoto kimono designer, Takichiro, and his wife, Shige.

For our first Film Club of the autumn we will return to the classical Japanese cinema to discuss When a Woman Ascends the Stairs directed by Mikio Naruse in 1960. A film which offers a subtle, devastating study of the life of a woman in postwar Japan played by film star Hideko Takamine.

Inspired from the classic Noh play ‘Motomezuka’, The Frolic of the Beast follows the university student Koji after having been discharged from prison. The plot gradually develops into a strange love story.

In partnership with Modern Films, the Film Club in September will discuss Family Romance, LLC, the latest film by Werner Herzog, which explores themes about loneliness and connection. Based on a real-life Japanese Company where family and friends can be made available to hire.

In this online workshop, led by Rob Jones, the participants will learn basic shibori stitching and binding techniques. This workshop is suitable for complete beginners.

Placed in the post-World War 2 setting of a Japanese-American student, Ichiro Yamada. Returning home from University he faces social unacceptance and marginalisation for his non-participation in the war.

Do you love Japanese cinema? Do you miss Japan and want to see it at least on screen? Join us for the Japan Society Film Club. For this summer session, we invite you to watch in advance 'Kwaidan' (Masaki Kobayashi,1964) and then join us to chat online about the film and Japan in an informal atmosphere.

In this online workshop, led by Rob Jones, participants will learn a brief history and origins of Boro, and they will learn how to repair a garment using scraps, both modern and vintage, how to use sashiko stitching to enhance your work; practice using visible repair to enhance and strengthen textiles; applique and reverse applique techniques will be shown.

The Naoki prize winning novel The Little House is introduced from the perspective of Taki, written as a memoire as the protagonist reflects on her nostalgic memories of a house she once served as a maid at.

Do you love Japanese cinema? Do you miss Japan and want to see it at least on screen? Join us for the Japan Society Film Club. For this session, we invite you to watch in advance 'After Life' (Hirokazu Koreeda,1998) and then join us to chat online about the film and Japan in an informal atmosphere.