Issue 95 (October 2021, Volume 16, Number 5)

Welcome to another exciting issue of The Japan Society Review bringing you five reviews of books, stage productions and films about Japan. This October issue is more eclectic than ever and we are thankful to our reviewers for their time and expertise.

The issue opens with a review of British Extraterritoriality in Korea, 1884-1910: A comparison with Japan, an academic publication discussing the British experience in Japan through the lens of extraterritorial rights and how this influenced the history of Anglo-Korean relations. The book’s author, Christopher Roberts, gave an online lecture about this topic a few months ago, so if the review piques your interest, be sure to visit our YouTube channel to watch the video recording and learn more about this fascinating period of history.

Turning our focus to the arts, this issue’s second review focuses on the catalogue of an exhibition held at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford in 2019. Plum Blossom & Green Willow, edited by curators Hanaoka Kiyoko and Clare Pollard, introduces over forty surimono prints in the collection of the museum, framing the development of surimono within the context of both 19th century Japanese literati communities and Edo period material culture.

The thought-provoking work Heaven, written by Kawakami Mieko, is at the centre of our next two reviews. The first covers Kawakami’s novel in its English translation, shedding light on the story, characters and topics discussed in the book, including the problem of teenage bullying and discrimination. The second review concentrates on the stage adaptation of the novel, recently performed as an immersive reading at the Southbank Centre in London.

We close the October issue with a review of the documentary film Queer Japan, which explores the LGBTQ+ community in Japan, offering an insightful and illustrative view of queer culture in the country.

Contents

• British Extraterritoriality in Korea, 1884-1910: A comparison with Japan by Christopher Roberts
  
  
• Plum Blossom & Green Willow: Japanese surimono prints from the Ashmolean Museum by Hanaoka Kiyoko and Clare Pollard
  
  
• Heaven by Kawakami Mieko
  
  
• Heaven by Mieko Kawakami: Live staged by Jack McNamara
  
  
• Queer Japan co-written, directed and edited by Graham Kolbeins

Contributors