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.
What’s On
Audio Book: Genji Monogatari (The Tale of Genji) - Click here to learn more
Upcoming JSNW Events
Our 2018 programme of events is supported by the The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation.
Kodomo-no-hi / Children's Day
Saturday 5 May 2018 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Join
us at the JSNW's FREE event, designed for families and children to
celebrate the Japanese public holiday 'Kodomo-no-hi', i.e. 'Children's
Day'.
Visit us on the 3rd floor in the Discovery Centre's Classroom to view traditional Japanese Arts and Crafts and particicpate in a variety of Children's Activities ......
On the 1st floor visit the Treasure House Theatre and watch traditional Awa Odori Dance Performances, a Japanese Children's Film and Samurai Armour Demonstrations .......
On the 5th floor, get involved and enjoy Martial Art performances by students of U.o.L. Jiu Jitsu Club.
Venue: World Museum, William Brown Street, Liverpool L3 8EN
A Talk by Steve Little: "Travelling Japan as a Foreigner"
Saturday 19 May 2018 2:30 pm to 4:15 pm
Steve
Little’s interest in Japan dates from his student subscription to ‘Japan
Architect’ magazine in the late 1960s. However, he first visited the country
in 1991 while a lecturer at Wollongong University, New South Wales. On
subsequent visits over the following quarter-century, as an academic and a
railway enthusiast, he witnessed the changes from the end of the ‘bubble
economy’ through the ‘lost decades’ to a more tourist-friendly country. His
visits were always supplemented with JR Passes allowing unlimited travel for
periods from seven days upwards. These have taken him to all four main
islands and to a variety of less frequented locations. His presentation will
explain the attraction of Japan’s railways to enthusiasts and examine the
changes he has seen in them and how these reflect some changes in the
communities served by them.
After Stephen's talk we will break for tea and biscuits, and then hold the Society's AGM. There will be ample opportunity to ask questions and make sugestions about the future of the Society, and we will be electing a new Committee, to run the Society for the next year.
This is a free event, and is for JSNW members only. Please show your support for the Society by attending this event.
Venue: Friends Meeting House, 6 Mount St, Manchester M2 5NS
JSNW Social and Japanese Conversation Evening in Manchester
TBA
May 2018 7:00
pm to 9:00 pm
Let’s have a drink, enjoy food, and meet someone new. Our former Newsletter Editor,Yuko Howes, will host this fun event. You don't need to be able to speak Japanese, so you can just relax.
If you would like to attend this event please email
Venue: TBA
JSNW Japan Day
Sunday
3 June 2018 11:00 am to 5:30 pm
Our next Japan Day promises to be better than ever.
Visit JapanDay.org.uk to learn more.
Japan Day is supported by The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation and the Japan Society.
Venue: Sugden Sports Centre, 114 Grosvenor Street, Manchester M1 7HL
A Japanese Conversation Evening in Liverpool
TBA
June 2018 7:00 pm - 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 it is essential that you contact our Events Co-ordinator. Etsu is a small restaurant - places are limited.
Venue: Etsu Japanese Restaurant, 25 The Strand, (off Brunswick Street) Liverpool, L2 0XJ
What's On
Audio Book: Genji Monogatari (The Tale of Genji)
The
Tale of Genji (Genji Monogatari) is a classic work of Japanese literature
attributed to the Japanese noblewoman Murasaki Shikibu in the early eleventh
century, around the peak of the Heian Period. It is sometimes called the
world's first novel, the first modern novel, the first romance novel, or the
first novel to still be considered a classic.
The Genji was written for the women of the aristocracy (the yokibito) and has many elements found in a modern novel: a central character and a very large number of major and minor characters, well-developed characterization of all the major players, a sequence of events happening over a period of time covering the central character's lifetime and beyond. The work does not make use of a plot; instead, much as in real life, events just happen and characters evolve simply by growing older.
NOTE: this is a highly condensed version of the text, running to just under 200 pages, whereas the original is nearly 1000 pages long! librivox.org
In Our Time: Hokusai
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849), the
Japanese artist whose views of Mt Fuji such as The Great Wave off Kanagawa
(pictured) are some of the most iconic in world art. He worked as Japan was
slowly moving towards greater contact with the outside world, trading with
China and allowing two Dutch ships to dock each year. From these ships he
picked up new synthetic colours and illustrations with Western compositions,
which he incorporated in his traditional wood block prints. The quality of
his images helped drive demand for prints among the highly literate Japanese
public, particularly those required to travel to Edo under feudal
obligations and who wanted to collect all his prints. As well as the quality
of his work, Hokusai's success stems partly from his long life and career.
He completed some of his most memorable works in his 70s and 80s and claimed
he would not reach his best until he was 110. BBC
iPlayer Radio
NHK World
Kabuki
is a world-class theater with a history of over 400 years, but is also
exciting entertainment. What is the secret of its enduring attraction?
Ichikawa Somegoro, brilliant member of the younger generation of actors,
guides us through the world of kabuki.
This is a monthly series on NHK World
You can watch NHK WORLD TV Live Streaming and
Japan Society Events
The
Japan Society in London organises a wide range of events. Visit their
web site for a full
list of upcoming events.
In Our Time: Japan's Sakoku Period
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss Japan's Sakoku period, two centuries when the country deliberately isolated itself from the outside world. Sakoku began with a series of edicts in the 1630s which restricted the rights of Japanese to leave their country and expelled Europeans living there. It was not until 1858 and the "gunboat diplomacy" of the American Commodore Matthew Perry that Japan's international isolation finally ended.
BBC iPlayer Radio
Noriko Ogawa in conversation with Melanie Spanswick
An interview with Japanese pianist, Noriko Ogawa which took place in December 2012 at Jaques Samuel Pianos in London.
Find out what kind of child Noriko was, and what kind of sound world she lives in in this biographical interview.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnm2Q5fJ-ds&feature=youtu.be
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
Japan Photos
Explore JapanPhotos.org.uk for a high resolution tour of Japan.
