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
The Bizen Osafune Japanese Swords: Centuries of Tradition and Art - Click here to learn more
Upcoming JSNW Events
Our 2018 programme of events is supported by the The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation.
Kintsugi
Saturday 8 December 2018 2:30 pm
- 4:00 pm
Kintsugi (金継ぎ, "golden joinery") is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold.
Learn all about kintsugi in this talk by artist and sculptor Chris Fittock. Chris has professionally restored Japanese Meiji Period 1868 - 1912 antiques and works of art for the past 24 years. His venturing into authentic Japanese lacquer Kintsugi ceramic repairs stems from that background, so he has much to talk about and a rare in-depth knowledge of Japanese craft skills. He has given a number of public talks in the past, at Haworth Gallery in Accrington and Towneley Hall in Burnley as well as Uclan in Preston. He has also had radio and television appearances.
This event is FREE for JSNW members, and £5 for non-members. Tea and cake is included.
If you would like to attend this event please email
Venue: The Tim Parry Community Centre, Cromdale Way, Warrington WA5 3NY
Shinenkai
Saturday 12 January 2019 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Join us in welcoming the arrival of the new year with a delicious buffet dinner prepared by Taka of Sushi Craft.
Menu:
1) Sushi platter a) Boiled prawn nigiri b) Torched seabream nigiri c) California rolls d) Salmon rolls e) Fresh tuna rolls f) Salmon nigiri
2) Fried chicken in Teiryaki sauce
3) Tofu gyoza dumpling (V)
4) Miso mustard dressing potato salad (V)
5) Breaded lotus with curry (V)
6) Vegetarian pine nuts Okonomiyaki (V)
7) Vegetarian Yakisoba noodle (V)
8) Oden (Hot pot with Beef, Daikon (radish), Chikuwa (fish cake), Kon-nyaku (yam cake), boiled egg, etc. in kelp base soup)
9) Green tea crepe with Azuki beans
The cost is £5 for JSNW members and £16 for non-members. If you would like to attend this event please contact our Events Co-ordinator.
Venue: The Tim Parry Community Centre, Cromdale Way, Warrington WA5 3NY
Taiko Drumming Workshop
Saturday
23 March 2019 2.30 to 4.30 pm
Learn the basics of taiko drumming in this workshop led by Jared Hardwick of the Tengu School of Taiko.
Jared is a founding member of Kaminari UK Taiko Drummers. His passion for Taiko led Jared to start the school with an aim to provide access to this exciting Japanese performing art to adults and children alike, to experience something different, fun and enriching.
Since starting Taiko in 2007, Jared has gained substantial experience in performing, as well as teaching and leading classes and workshops both in schools and with adults. During his training, he has traveled to Japan to train with Yoshikazu Fujimoto of world renowned Japanese Taiko group 'Kodo'.
Details to be confirmed. If you would like to join this workshop please contact our Events Co-ordinator.
Venue: Whittle Hall Community Centre, Lonsdale Close, Great Sankey, Warrington WA5 3UA
What's On
Kaminari UK Taiko Drummers - Journey
On Saturday 1st December Kaminari Taiko Drummers are bringing 'Journey'
to the Wirral. A show of thundering Japanese drums combined with dynamic
movement and theatrical flair! Don't miss out on this musical tour of Japan
and beyond. A blend of traditional and contemporary pieces to stir the
imagination and excite the senses! Michael Graham will be joining us on
Japanese string instruments 'koto' and 'shamisen', providing magical
melodies to add to the show.
Saturday 1st December 2018 Claremount Rd Methodist Church, Wallasey, Wirral, Cheshire, CH45 6UE Doors 7pm, 7.30pm start (lasts approx., 2 hours) Adults £8.00* / Children 15 and under £5.00* Family (2 adults, 2 children) £24.00* (*plus booking fee for online bookings) Book your tickets now, online at: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/date/564477 Visit www.kaminari-uk.com for more info.
Have a go at playing the Taiko Drums! There will also be a workshop the following day at the same venue, for those who would like to try their hand at this exciting drumming style!
Sir Peter Parker Awards for Spoken Business Japanese
Date
of contest: Wednesday 13th February 2019 at SOAS, University of London.
Applications are now being accepted for entry to the Sir Peter Parker Awards for Spoken Business Japanese.
The fantastic first prize comprises a premium economy ticket to Japan plus a Japan Rail Pass plus £1500 cash!
Open the flyer to learn more.
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
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.
