イベントカテゴリー: Seminar

The Status of Japan-China relations and the United Kingdom

Whilst the EU is preoccupied with challenges posed from the eastern and southern fronts as well as from within including the Brexit, so much has been happening in East Asia; notably, amongst others, the fourth nuclear testing and missile launch by North Korea.

In the context of the recent slowdown of economic growth and the massive flight of capital, Shingo Yamagami will discuss Japan-China relations and their impact on the UK. How do the two major powers in the region, Japan and China, interact and cooperate with each other in the political and security fields? What role could the UK play in upholding the rule of law?

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Woman Who Brings the Rain: A Memoir of Hokkaido, Japan By Eluned Gramich

As precise and nuanced as Japanese calligraphy, this memoir of Eluned Gramich’s stay on the remote Hokkaido island in the far north of Japan, has at its heart the mountain, Yotei-San, the region’s iconic equivalent to Mount Fuji. Dan Bradley joins Eluned in conversation to discuss her experience of living in the shadow of the omnipresent Yotei-San, and how this time in rural Hokkaido inspired her writings of the natural world.

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Cool Japan? A Curatorial Practice after Fukushima

The Great East Japan Earthquake on 11 March 2011 had a devastating impact on the Japanese art scene. In this talk, Mizuki Takahashi, senior curator at Art Tower Mito, reflected on her experience and curatorial journey, addressing popular constructs of Japanese cultural identity in the aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.

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The Story of the Satsuma Students

In 1865, nineteen Japanese students set off by ship from the Satsuma Domain (present day Kagoshima Prefecture) to the UK, with the brief to learn about western society and technologies. This development was an important factor in the lead up to the Meiji Restoration.

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British Shipwrecks: Underwater Archaeology in Okinawa

The Okinawa islands in the south had long been independent as the Ryukyu Kingdom and played a crucial role as the conduit of trade between Japan and the outside world. Naturally, many foreign ships had passed through- in some cases were stranded in the area- and are now found as underwater archaeological sites.

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The Internationalisation of Higher Education in Japan and the UK

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s bid to internationalise Japan’s universities is part of his plan to revitalise the nation’s economy. Professor Miki Horie of Ritsumeikan University will discuss how the government hopes to solve Japan’s structural problems by transforming the higher education sector.

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Zen Calligraphy and the Art of Life

This event at the Foundation is timed to coincide with the week of a Zen master’s 80th birthday, and followed a larger exhibition of his calligrahpy at Yugagyo Dojo in south London. Daizan Rōshi introduced Zen Master Shinzan’s artworks, giving some art-historical and cultural background. This was followed by a demonstration of the art of the Zen brush.

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The Sandwich Generation: Women with Work and Double Care Responsibilities

Balancing care responsibilities and work is becoming increasingly difficult: a ‘sandwich generation’ is emerging, whose members are providing care both for their children or grandchildren, and for their elderly parents, often while continuing to earn and pursue their careers.

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Glenn Gould and Natsume Soseki

2015 marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of The Three Cornered World, Alan Turney’s award-winning translation of Kusamakura by Japan’s great literary maestro Natsume Soseki (1867-1916). Two years after it was published, the translation was read by the world’s most famous pianist Glenn Gould (1932-82). The Three Cornered World was not only to become Gould’s favourite book, but also one that would obsess Gould for the last 15 years of his life.

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Japan’s Foreign Policy: Challenges and Prospects in Japan-China Relations

Japan and China have cultivated a very close relationship. Because of this close relationship, it is inevitable that frictions and confrontations should sometimes occur. Ambassador Yamagami will present his unique perspectives on these issues, and talks about recent developments between the two countries, including the Japan-China Summit Meeting.

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