What's On

Oita Prefecture's Kunisaki Peninsula and its Usa area are deemed a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in recognition of their sustainable agricultural traditions, and are home to various local plants, including shiitake mushrooms and shichitoi (a type of tatami grass/soft rush). Shichitoi in particular is unique to the region and is revered for its superior sturdiness and durability; as such, this special plant is widely used for tatami-making, as well as other craftworks.

In this very special event, HAYASHI Hiroaki, President of the Kunisaki Peninsula Usa Area GIAHS Promotion Association, will begin by giving an overview of the importance of agriculture in the region, introducing some of the materials harvested there.

This will be followed by expert craftsperson IWAKIRI Chika demonstrating the making of enza (small, round cushions) using shichitoi, after which workshop ticketholders will have the unique opportunity to get hands-on with this special material as they make their very own miniature shimenawa (a type of traditional rope) and, time permitting, misanga (a type of good luck charm).

This event has limited availability – book now at the link below to secure your place.

Click here to book on the Panorama Journal website.
Please note that this event has a recommended minimum age of 10 years.

Japan is renowned for its tea ceremonies. While the more well-known chado uses matcha tea powder, gatherings involving sencha use tea leaves. The origins of sencha, and the way in which the sencha is appreciated, are also unique in that they take place against a backdrop of intellectual gatherings known as "salons", occasions originating in the mid-Edo period that are used primarily to discuss arts and culture.

In this very special event, Sencha Master TSUKUDA Shio, successor to the Issa-an sencha tea school in Osaka, will give an illustrated talk about the history of sencha and the salon culture in which sencha played a key role, while also demonstrating the exquisite manner in which sencha is prepared and how it can be appreciated in daily life.

Participants will even be able to enjoy sencha prepared by TSUKUDA himself!

TSUKUDA Shio

Successor of the Issa-an sencha tea school, which inherits the salon culture of the bunjin (literary figures) of the Edo period.
At the G20 Osaka Summit 2019, he was in charge of the sencha tea gathering held as part of the Partners' Program.
He is also a member of the international research project ‘Creative collaborations: salons and networks in Kyoto and Osaka 1780–1880’ (led jointly by the British Museum and Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto), as well as a part-time lecturer at Kansai University.

This event has limited availability - book now to avoid disappointment.
Click here to book on the Panorama Journal website.

Applications for the next Japanese Speech Contest for University Students will open in September. Please watch this space for more details, including application information and guidelines.

Godzilla is an enormous fictional monster created in Japan but hugely popular worldwide. Originating from a scenario by KAYAMA Shigeru (who would later pen a pair of novelisations reinforcing his original vision), the creature evolved as it took cinematic form, reflecting the socio-political fragility and fear of scientific and technological progress of its time.

With this year marking the 70^th anniversary of the first Godzilla film’s release in 1954, and the Barbican Centre's All Kaiju Attack! film season taking place throughout August, this spectacular series of film productions is once again the centre of attention. In this special talk, experts from the worlds of both film and literature will look back on the works that make up the Godzilla series as they explore the creature’s significance and the ways in which the fantasies and messages within the franchise are relevant to real life.

Speakers

Dr. Jeffrey Angles, Professor at Western Michigan University and translator of Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again, the novels by franchise-spawning screenplay writer KAYAMA Shigeru
Steven Sloss, film critic, writer, and lifelong kaiju fan
Alex Davidson (moderator), Cinema Curator at the Barbican Centre

This event is free to attend, but booking is essential.
To book your place, please click here to open our booking form.

The Japan Foundation (JF) conducts its “Survey on Japanese Language Education” every three years in order to confirm the current state of Japanese language education in countries and regions around the world.

The information collected is very important as the results are widely used as basic data to understand the situation of Japanese language education all around the world.

The results will be compiled into a report containing the latest information concerning the current state of Japanese language education. They will also be utilised in our "search engine for institutions offering Japanese-language education".

The 2024 survey will be conducted from September 2024, but we wish to tell you basic information about the survey below. Additionally, your cooperation would be appreciated at this stage with item “5.” (“Request for information about institutions offering Japanese education”).

1.     Survey coverage

2.     Survey items

3.     Survey method

4.     Reward for responding to survey

5.     Request for information about institutions offering Japanese education.

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1. Survey coverage:

All organisations that potentially offer Japanese language education outside Japan.

The following organisations are NOT covered by the survey:

• Groups and activities that are not associated with an actual organisation
• Overseas educational institutions that offer only ‘kokugo’ (Japanese national language) education　

*However, overseas educational institutions offering courses that are not ‘kokugo’ education (Japanese as a heritage language / foreign language) will be covered at the departmental/course level.

• Broadcasters or website operators providing Japanese-language education for an unspecified number of people
• Short-term Japanese language experience activities

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2. Survey items:

(11 questions in total. The survey takes approximately 15 minutes to complete).

Basic information on your organisation (organisation name, name of Japanese-language education department , address / URL, contact information, institution type, educational stage (level) (in formal education terms, primary / secondary (lower/upper) / higher, other education), positioning of Japanese-language learning

Number of teachers (by education stage (level), breakdown of full-time/part-time, number of teachers who are native Japanese language speakers)

Number of Japanese language learners (breakdown by education stage (level))*

Whether degree awarding, Japanese language teacher training courses, and online classes are offered

Purposes and reasons for learners’ Japanese language learning, the state of Japanese language development at your organisation

*In the case of primary and secondary education, there is a question about the number of learners studying the Japanese language as a formal subject or as an extracurricular activity. In the case of universities, there is a question about the number of learners studying the Japanese language as a major, as a non-major, or as an extracurricular activity. Preparing these figures beforehand and having them at hand will help you in completing the survey smoothly.

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3. Survey method:

A questionnaire format to be answered online. The URL of the form will be sent to you via email.

*In some cases, we may seek your cooperation via a different method, such as over the telephone.

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4. Reward for responding to survey:

After you have submitted your response, you will be able to download supplementary Japanese language teaching materials created by the Japan Foundation. Please use them in your lessons.

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5. Request for information about institutions offering Japanese education.

Prior to the survey, we are seeking information on organisations that may teach Japanese in the UK. It does not have to be the organisation where you work . Ambiguous information is also welcome. If you know information on any organisations that may teach Japanese language, please provide information by the following ways. We appreciate your cooperation.

1.     Fill in the form.

2.     Send an email to LO_survey@jpf.go.jp

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For your information, the institute that can be searched from the website below are responded that they offer Japanese language education in the previous survey in 2021.

Search criteria | Survey Report on Japanese-Language Education Abroad 2021 (jpf.go.jp)

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If your organisation does not receive a request despite offering Japanese-language education, or you have any other inquiries, please contact us via the email above. 

We are hoping that a large number of organisations will cooperate with the survey and would like to ask for your help in this survey as without your answers your Japanese language education activities will not be reflected in the data and we will not have fully accurate figures, which would negatively affect the value of the survey.

Thank you for your support.

Step into the world of Kabuki with six stunning kimonos worn by the legendary actor BANDO Tamasaburo V, known for his renowned onnagata roles (male actor who performs female roles). Experience the intricate artistry of these garments, highlighting a diverse range of complex textile techniques, encompassing weaving, dyeing, embroidery, and hand-painting. We are delighted to collaborate with the Ashmolean Museum.

Date: 21 November 2023 - 8 December 2024

Venue: The Ashmolean Museum

Click here for details

To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the first ever Godzilla film, the Barbican Centre, in collaboration with the Japan Foundation, is screening the wildest Japanese monster movies from across seven decades with introductions from historians and experts.

In 1954, the first ever Godzilla, a dark, thrilling movie masterpiece, was released in Japan. It was a box office phenomenon, and launched a franchise that has continued to this day. While these films featuring kaiju (literally “strange beasts”) have long been beloved in Japan, until relatively recently the reception in the west has been inconsistent, where releases with crude dubbing and savage edits to running times, making the stories incoherent, have led to mockery.

Featuring Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah and even a toxic smog monster, this summer kaiju season is full of the same inventiveness and sheer joy that led Godzilla Minus One to win its Oscar.

Line-up
Mothra Vs. Godzilla (7 Aug)
Destroy All Monsters (14 Aug)
Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (18 Aug)
Shin Godzilla (20 Aug)
Godzilla Vs. Hedorah (25 Aug)
Mothra (28 Aug)

For more information and to book your tickets, click here to visit the Barbican's website.

In collaboration with William Morris Gallery, we're proudly presenting the UK's most wide-ranging exhibition dedicated to Mingei, the influential folk-craft movement originating in Japan during the 1920s and 1930s. Showcasing a diverse array of works including ceramics, woodwork, textiles, and more, this exhibition explores Mingei's cultural significance and its enduring relevance in contemporary craft and consumerism.

Date: now on, until 22 September 2024
Venue: William Morris Gallery
Click here for details

Join us on Friday 2 August at University College London (UCL) for Space and US, the UCL-Japan Youth Challenge symposium and reception.

The symposium is the culmination to the week-long summer school, attended by Japan and UK-based pre-university students. Be prepared to have your horizons expanded and your intellectual curiosity to be ignited, by the varied talks in the programme!

During the afternoon, the student participants in the UCL-Japan Youth Challenge will also present their hard work from the week.

The symposium will take place between 1pm - 5pm, with the following programme:

Symposium 1-5pm 

Opening message by Prof Shin-ichi Ohnuma, UCL Institute of Ophthalmology

Biwa performance by Mr Satoshi Takemoto, Biwa performer and UCL alumnus

Lectures 1 & 2

1: Prof Lucie Green, UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory

2: Mr Yutaro Tanaka, Mitsubishi Electric Europe

Presentations by the UCL-Japan Youth Challenge 2024 Participants

Lectures 3 & 4

3: Dr Tomoko Lisa Kate Kitagawa, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

4: Prof Anu Ojha OBE, UK Space Agency

Closing by Dr Yasu Takeuchi, UCL Division of Infection and Immunity

Reception: 6pm - 8pm

Speeches followed by food and drinks, including local specialities and sake from Fukushima Prefecture

Date:	2 August 2024 from 12.00am to 12.00am
Venue:	Symposium: 1-5pm UCL Christopher Ingold Building XLG1 Chemistry Lecture Theatre 20 Gordon Street, London WC1H 0AJ Reception: 6-8pm  UCL South Cloisters Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT
Download UCL-Japan Youth Challenge 2024 Space and Us Symposium

The Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) is a test for non-native speakers of Japanese which evaluates and certifies their Japanese-Language proficiency. The test takes place twice a year (July and December) in Japan and various locations around the world. Currently, it is the largest Japanese language test in the world, with more than 1.48 million people worldwide having registered for the JLPT in 2023.

The next December JLPT will take place on Sunday, 1^st December 2024. Registration will start at each test centre from early/ mid-August.  

Please check this page for any updates on UK test centres for the December 2024 JLPT. For application opening dates and registration details, please refer to each university’s website using the links below:

Japan Research Centre, SOAS University of London

University of Edinburgh

University of Leicester

Please note that the JLPT is very popular and registration at each test centre will close when the test centre has reached its maximum capacity.

For more information about the test, please visit JLPT website.

Ø  Let’s Try Sample Questions!

Ø  Download a Guide to the 2024 Japanese-Language Proficiency Test.

Date:	1 December 2024
Download guide_2024B