Welcome
Are you interested in Japan? Its people? Its culture? Its language?
If so, come and join us!
Japan Society North West holds regular Japan-related events in the Manchester / Liverpool / Cheshire / Lancashire region.
Cherry Blossoms for Tohohu
On March 11th 2012 a tree was planted at Walkden Gardens in Sale to commemorate the rebuilding of Tohoku after the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami.
The Japan Garden Society (JGS) and the Japan Society North West (JSNW) wanted to commemorate the strength, courage and determination of the Japanese people in overcoming this natural disaster and encourage them to ‘win through’. Gambatte! 頑張って！ More
Upcoming JSNW Events
AGM and talk by Dr Gordon Daniels
Saturday 26 May 2012 2:00 pm
The guest speaker at this year's AGM will be Dr. Gordon Daniels, who will be giving a talk entitled: "Compassion from the East - Japanese Nurses in England, 1915-1916"
Dr Gordon Daniels recently retired from his position as Reader in History at Sheffield University.
After the talk we'll have tea and cake, followed by our Annual General Meeting. The Society needs your support at this important meeting. JSNW members only.
Venue: Padgate Community Centre, Station Road, Padgate, Warrington WA2 0QS
JSNW Social and Japanese Conversation Evening in Manchester
Saturday 19 May 2012 7:00 to 9:00 pm
Let’s have a drink, enjoy food, and meet someone new. Our former Newsletter Editor, Yuko Howes, who is also a Japanese tutor, will host this fun event. You don't need to be able to speak Japanese, so you can just relax. It might be a good idea to bring your photos or memorable things that you want to talk about.
If you would like to attend this event please email 
Venue: New Samsi (downstairs in Izakaya), 36-38 Whitworth Street, Manchester M1 3NR
A Japanese Conversation Evening in Liverpool
TBA June 2012 7:00 - 9:00 pm
Angela Davies, a very experienced instructor of Japanese, will host an evening of Japanese conversation, over delicious food at Etsu restaurant.
If you would like to attend this event please contact Angela.
Venue: Etsu Japanese Restaurant, 25 The Strand, (off Brunswick Street) Liverpool, L2 0XJ
Koto Performance by Fuyuki Enokido
Saturday 18 August 2012 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Famous koto player Fuyuki Enokido is visiting the UK in August, and she's agreed to visit Manchester and play for us. This is a unique opportunity to see a top class koto player. Admission is free. For more details see our poster. You can also visit Fuyuki Enokido's web site (Japanese only).
She will be perfoming at the brand new Manchester Metropolitan University Business School building:
"Like a giant piece of contemporary art, the highly original jewel shaped building features three individual towers under a stunning glass atrium which will reach 8 storeys at its highest point. Its glazed façade is designed to let in the maximum amount of natural daylight and at the same time refract colours that react to the changing patterns of the sun and daylight."
Venue: Room G.36 (ground floor), MMU Business School, Oxford Road, Manchester M15 6BH
All Saints campus map (The Business School is building 3)
What's On
Reflections on Debussy with Noriko Ogawa
Noriko Ogawa plays in a 2012 festival celebrating the music of Claude Debussy in his 150th anniversary year. Debussy was strongly influenced by Japanese and other Eastern cultures, and in her fascinating concert series, traditional Japanese arts and crafts will be placed alongside concerts of Debussy and those Japanese composers influenced by him. 2012 coincidentally marks the 150th anniversary of the first diplomatic corps to visit Europe from Japan, so the series will also celebrate the continuing cultural dialogue between East and West.
Reflections on Debussy is a partnership between the Bridgewater Hall and the BBC Philharmonic and takes place between January and June 2012. See Brochure for more details.
Venue: Bridgewater Hall, Manchester
Shamisen
Friday 25 May 2012 12.30 pm – 1.30 pm
Japanese Music, Old and New.
A recital by legendary shamisen-performer,
Mojibei Tokiwazu V, with discussion and
explanation led by composer Yoshihiro
Kanno and Noriko Ogawa. The shamisen
is a three-stringed guitar-like instrument
often played to accompany Kabuki theatre.
£5.00
Venue: Bridgewater Hall, Manchester
Tea Ceremony
Saturday 9 June 2012 6.10 pm – 6.30 pm & 6.40 pm – 7.00 pm
Members of Tankokai perform traditional Japanese tea ceremonies with a chance to participate and taste the tea. £3.00 for tea-drinkers, observers free. Please note that numbers are limited so please book in advance.
Venue: Barbirolli Room, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester
Exploring Edo
Venue: The John Rylands Library, 150 Deansgate, Manchester M3 3EH
MCM Expo
Study Tours to Japan
Visit Akemi's web site for more information.
Japanese Food in Lymm
Japanese Food Specialists TK Trading set up shop in Lymm High School every other Saturday - see their web site for the schedule.
Venue: Lymm High School, Oughtrington Lane, Lymm, Cheshire WA13 0RB
New Book
"Obtaining Images: Art, Production and Display in Edo Japan" by Timon Screech
The Edo period (1603-1868) witnessed one of the great flowerings of Japanese art. Towards the mid-seventeenth century the Japanese States were largely at peace, and rapid urbanization, a rise in literacy and an increase in international contact ensued. The number of those able to purchase luxury goods, or who felt their social position required them, soared. At the same time, painters and artists were flourishing and the early eighteenth century saw the rise in popularity and importance of printmaking. In Obtaining Images, Timon Screech introduces the reader not only to important artists and their work, but also to the intellectual issues and concepts surrounding the production and consumption of art in Japan at that time. Rather than looking at art in the Edo period through the lens of European art, Screech contextualizes the making and use of painting and prints, elucidating how and why works were commissioned, where they were displayed and what special properties were attributed to them. The author argues that different imperatives are at work in the art of different traditions, and firmly anchors the art of Japan of this period in its contemporary context, offering a highly engaging and comprehensive introduction to the student and general reader alike. Available from Amazon.co.uk
"Fukushima Colours" by Elin Lindqvist
On March 11th 2011, Japan was shaken by the strongest earthquake in its history. The quake was followed by a tsunami up to 120ft high that washed in over the northeastern regions and killed almost twenty thousand people. The tsunami destroyed entire communities and half a million people were at the time forced to evacuate their homes. The waves also severely damaged nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant and radioactive materials leaked out. It will take years for the full extent of the nuclear crisis’ impact on Japan to become clear. Yet, already now, it is possible to see some of the consequences that the events on March 11th 2011 have had on agriculture, the fishing industry, people’s mindset, and research about renewable energy sources.
At the height of the nuclear crisis in March 2011, Elin Lindqvist travelled to Japan to write about the catastrophe for Sweden’s largest daily newspaper, Aftonbladet. She later returned in May to write about the reconstruction process and the continuing nuclear crisis. She travelled to the devastated areas with photographer Yoshikazu Fukuda and journalist Yuko Ota, and together, they stayed in touch with people affected by the catastrophe in different ways all through 2011. In Fukushimas Colours, Lindqvist has documented the aftermath of the tsunami and the nuclear crisis, through the eyes and destinies of individuals who have been affected by the catastrophe in different ways.
Elin Lindqvist was born in Tokyo in 1982 and currently lives in Sandbach, Cheshire. She has studied at New York University in New York and Sophia University in Tokyo. She is an international writer, and has published three novels in Swedish.
Member News
JSNW member Daniel Rhodes has created the following two web resources:
Mapanese A cunning blend of Google Maps, Japanese government geodata and jiggery-pokery to power an English language enabling of the Google Maps map of Japan. This means that places on the map are labelled in English and that searches can be performed in English. You can search from as much or as little of an address as you have - including postcodes!
Japxlate Tweeting Japanese words - with readings and example sentences - every hour. You can also reply to us with [@japxlate JapaneseOrEnglishWord] to get translations of your (single) words!
Japan Photos
Explore JapanPhotos.org.uk for a high resolution tour of Japan.
