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
Springwatch in Japan, Join JSNW at the Edo Pop exhibition - Click here to learn more
Upcoming JSNW Events
Discover Japan Day
Saturday
20 May 2017 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
Can you write in Japanese, make origami animals from paper or would you like to try the chopstick challenge?
Join us at the World Museum in Liverpool for a fun day of Japanese related activities.
This event celebrates the Japanese public holiday kodomo-no-hi or Children's Day.
Venue: World Museum, William Brown Street, Liverpool L3 8EN
AGM
Saturday
27 May 2017 1:15 pm to 3:30 pm
A DVD of the sumptuous Kabuki classic “Sukeroku” will be screened before the AGM and delicious sushi will also be available.
Please come, see how the Society is performing and have your say.
This is a free event, and is for JSNW members only. Please show your support for the Society by attending this event.
If you would like to attend this event please contact our Events Co-ordinator.
Venue: Tim Parry Community Centre, Great Sankey, Warrington
A Japanese Conversation Evening in Liverpool
TBA
June 2017 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
Red Dogs
Friday 14 July 2017
Red Dogs are a three-piece all-female punk band from Osaka, who formed in 2012. Their sound can best be described as a mixture of hardcore punk and garage rock, a fierce blend that marries high energy thunderous music with great tunes and spine-tingling vocal harmonies. The band consists of Haruka on vocals and bass, Kazumi on drums and Maimai on guitar.
Red Dogs will be touring the UK in July 2017, with Japan Society North West hosting their headlining date at the Star and Garter pub in Manchester. The Star and Garter is a legendary venue that has seen gigs by many Japanese bands. Please come and welcome Red Dogs when they play here.
Venue: Star and Garter, 18-20 Fairfield Street, Manchester M1 2QF
JSNW Social and Japanese Conversation Evening in Manchester
TBA
July 2017 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
Remember, it's on Friday!
Venue: Samsi, 36-38 Whitworth Street, Manchester M1 3NR
Lesley Downer
Saturday 29 July 2017 2:30
to 4:30 pm
Lesley Downer is an internationally best-selling author, translated into 30 languages. Her books include Geisha: The Secret History of a Vanishing World; Sadayakko: The Geisha who Seduced the West, the story of the geisha on whom Puccini modelled Madame Butterfly; and two novels, The Last Concubine and The Courtesan and the Samurai.
Venue: The Institute, The Quaker Meeting House in Liverpool, 22 School Lane, Liverpool L1 3BT
What's On
Springwatch in Japan: Cherry Blossom Time
Chris Packham, Michaela Strachan and James Wong join the lively cherry blossom celebrations taking place across Japan this spring. The blossom or 'sakura' is one of the world's most stunning seasonal wonders, with blankets of pink flowers sweeping across the country. Whilst James looks at the history of this famous festival, Chris and Michaela discover the wildlife that live alongside the blossom. And all three find themselves partying with the crowds of Japanese 'blossom watchers'.
Japan's Northern Wilderness
BBC iPlayerNaturalist Steve Backshall and double Olympic gold medallist Helen Glover go on an exhilarating adventure, travelling a thousand kilometres through Japan's northern highlands. Steve speaks Japanese, having trained in Japan for his black belt in judo. Helen could well face her next Olympic challenge in 2020 in Japan. Together they discover ancient pilgrimage routes, a volcanic landscape and unique wildlife in Tohoku -a region of outstanding natural beauty seemingly left behind by time.
MCM Manchester Comic Con
Like Father, Like Son
1 September 2017
Like Father, Like Son is a 2013 Japanese drama film directed by Hirokazu Koreeda, starring Masaharu Fukuyama, Machiko Ono, Keita Nonomiya, Shôgen Hwang, Yōko Maki, and Lily Franky.
Ryota Nonomiya (Fukuyama) is a businessman, driven so much by money and success that he neglects his wife, Midori (Ono), and son, Keita (Nonomiya). One day the couple learn that Keita had been accidentally switched at birth with their biological son Ryusei (Hwang). When DNA tests prove the error, they must now make a life-changing decision to either keep Keita, the boy they raised as their own, or switch him for their biological son.
Ryota and Midori meet with the other couple, Yukari Saiki (Maki) and Yudai Saiki (Franky), a family short on money and ambition, but abundant with love and a clear understanding of the importance of child and parent bonds. They share photos, and for the first time, Ryota and Midori see their biological son, Ryusei. After several meetings, they couples decide to switch children for one day, which goes well. After several further meetings, they decide to exchange their children. As all involved struggle in various ways with their new lives, including a mutually profound sense of loss, the film explores the complex dynamics of the situtation with some deeply moving, gentle and funny moments.
Venue: Hoylake Community Cinema, Hoylake Community Centre, 31 Hoyle Road, WIRRAL CH47 3AG
Edo Pop: Japanese Prints
26 May - 24 September 2017
This intriguing exhibition features a series of colourful Ukiyo-e wood block prints depicting the contemporary culture of nineteenth century Japan.
On loan from local collector Frank Milner the exhibition comprises more than 40 prints brimming with urban celebrities, actors, sports champions, fashion icons and villains.
The lively, colourful prints were ‘mass produced' by hand and eagerly sought after by fans of Edo's (now Tokyo) pop culture. The exhibition reveals the skill of leading printmakers such as Kuniyoshi, Kunisada and Kunichika, the last great master of the Kabuki actor print.
Venue: Lady Lever Art Gallery, Port Sunlight Village, Wirral CH62 5EQ
Edo Pop: See, make, do
Wednesday 31 May, 26 July, 16 August and 30 August 2017 1 - 4 pm
Join Japan Society North West and try origami, a chopstick challenge and Manga colouring. Ideal for accompanied children 10 years and under. More
Venue: Lady Lever Art Gallery, Port Sunlight Village, Wirral CH62 5EQ
Edo Pop: Tanabata
Saturday
8th July 2017 1 - 4 pm.
Join Japan Society North West for a Tanabata festival at the Lady Lever Art Gallery.
Children's Activity Room: Origami, Paper Lanterns, Paper Chains, and Tanabata wishes.
Main Gallery: ‘GO’ Demonstration, Embroidery, Storytelling & Nursery Rhymes.
Venue: Lady Lever Art Gallery, Port Sunlight Village, Wirral CH62 5EQ
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
It's Alright - Official song for Japan
This song was composed by JSNW member Adrian Summersell. Adrian asks all who enjoy hearing this song, to please make a small donation directly to Sanaburi Foundation Japan. See the song information under the video on YouTube to learn more.
Japan Photos
Explore JapanPhotos.org.uk for a high resolution tour of Japan.
