What's On

We are delighted to announce that the 17th Japanese Speech Contest for University Students is open for applications!

This contest gives students the chance to make their voices heard in Japanese, and win some fantastic prizes! Finals Day will be held online, on Saturday 5th March 2022.

:: Contest Aims

The main purpose of the event is to improve the speaking and presentation skills of students studying Japanese as a foreign language. Through this event, we hope to promote Japanese language learning at higher education level in the UK and Ireland.

:: Who can apply?

The contest is aimed at undergraduate students who are currently studying Japanese as a foreign language at a university in the UK or Ireland.

There are three different categories:

1. Speech Category:  For those studying a Japanese course aiming for the equivalent of JF standard C1 or C2 at a university the UK or Ireland including as an elective, optional or other university-based language course. Five finalists will be selected.

Application Deadline: 8th November 2021 (15:00 GMT)

2. Individual Presentation Category: For those studying a Japanese course aiming for the equivalent of JF standard B1 or B2. Participants will give a PowerPoint presentation using Japanese. The aim of the presentation is to introduce a particular theme to the audience, for example a region, event, custom, etc. from the UK or another country outside Japan. Five finalists will be selected.

Application Deadline: 6th December 2021 (15:00 GMT)

3. Group Presentation Category: For those studying a Japanese course aiming for the equivalent of JF standard A1 or A2. Participants will take part in groups of two to four students and give a PowerPoint presentation using Japanese. The aim of the presentation is to introduce a particular theme to the audience, for example a region, event, custom, etc. from the UK or another country outside Japan. Five groups which are selected to present during the finals day will be given a special award.

Application Deadline: 13th December 2021 (15:00 GMT)

*Details of JF Standard can be found here: https://jfstandard.jp/pdf/jfs2015_pamphlet_eng.pdf

Videos from the 16^th Contest Finals Day can be viewed here

Please see the files below for the contest poster, FAQ, and application forms for each category:

• Frequently Asked Questions
• Contest Poster
• Speech Category Application Form
• Speech Category Rules and Guidance
• Individual Presentation Category Application Form
• Group Presentation Category Application Form

Date:	28 September 2021 - 13 December 2021
Download 017 ApplicationForm-GroupPresentationCategory
Download 017 ApplicationForm-IndividualPresentationCategor
Download 017 ApplicationForm-SpeechCategory
Download 17 FAQ
Download 17 RulesGuidance_SpeechCategory
Download speech_students2022_A3poster

We are delighted to announce that the 2022 Japan Foundation and British Association for Japanese Studies (BAJS) Postgraduate Workshop will be held at University of East Anglia. This will be an in person event!

This annual workshop aims to assist the development of the next generation of Japanese Studies researchers and to provide networking opportunities to strengthen Japanese Studies in the UK.

The workshop provides opportunity for participants to present their current research projects and receive feedback from peers and senior colleagues. This year’s key note theme is ‘The Bigger Picture – Funding and Beyond’. The afternoon will be dedicated to learning about larger-scale funding applications, projects and interdisciplinary collaborations. 

In addition, there will also be an opportunity to hear presentations from various organisations regarding funding for current and future research, both in the UK and Japan.

Travel Bursaries:

For all participants, a travel bursary of up to £70 is available after students have covered the first £20.

A hotel bursary of £50 is also available.

Eligibility: This workshop is open to postgraduate students in Japanese Studies and those undertaking Japan related research in any discipline within humanities and social sciences.

Priority registration will be giving to Ph.D. candidates From Tuesday 18th January 2022 registration will be extended to Master’s students who are thinking about doing a Ph.D.

The deadline for all workshop registrations is Tuesday 25th January 2022.

*The Japan Foundation is offering partial travel grants to student participants. Please get in touch for more details.*

Booking: Please fill in the form at this link to book your place!

Calling all secondary school teachers of Japanese! We will be holding a fourth Online Get-Together. This is a great opportunity to talk with your colleagues about your work in a relaxed, casual setting. We hope you can use this as a chance to talk about any issues you are facing in the classroom, exchange information on exams, and more.

As well as group discussion sessions, Ms Anne Rajakumar will be giving a talk on the theme of: “How to make your lesson effective - Integrating the use of online resources into your teaching (Flipped Learning) -".

About the speaker

Anne Rajakumar has been teaching Japanese for over thirty years, in both Australia and the UK. She is the author of the successful Australian primary-level workbooks, Yonde Kaite, and has a website and Youtube channel which hosts a wealth of material to support the GCSE and International Baccalaureate Japanese programmes. Until giving up classroom teaching last year, Anne was the Head of Japanese at Hockerill Anglo-European College and since then she has focussed on teaching online. For the past seven years making online resources to support 'Flipped Learning' in the classroom has been a major focus of her work, and she has integrated the use of online resources into her teaching (Flipped Learning) to great effect. 

Date:

-          5th February 2022 (Saturday), 10:00-11:30 (BST) (main event), 11:30-12:00 (optional post-event discussion session)  

Schedule:

-          First half: Presentation by Ms Anne Rajakumar

-          Second half: Group discussion

To apply, please click here:

https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/QQ70RN/

Participation fee: Free (Registration in advance is required.)

Registration Deadline: 25^th January 2022

Languages used: English will be used in the main presentation, but some parts of the event will be in Japanese.

You can read some comments from participants of the previous Online Get-Togethers below:

·           It was really good to join in with fellow Japanese colleagues from around the country (and world!) and listen and see in Japanese how these colleagues created and use these resources.

·           I spent a hugely worthwhile time getting to talk with other teachers that I do not often get a chance to meet and exchange new information.

·           I have gotten a lot of ideas and tips from the speaker’s presentation. Thanks to the presentation I think I can improve my teaching skills to encourage my pupils to learn more!

We are proud to partner with the British Film Institute’s most anticipated and ambitious

Japan season. The first of two parts at BFI Southbank focus on the Golden Age of the studio system which includes KUROSAWA’s Throne of Blood and Yojimbo. Some of the screenings are already sold out. Enjoy the selection of Japanese masterpieces on the big screen!

Special online talk event will be announced soon.

In collaboration with this year’s London International Animation Festival, two Japanese animation creators, Atsushi WADA and Sarina NIHEI, whose works will be shown as part of the festival, will come and talk about their creative processes as well as the ideas and inspirations behind their productions. As award-winning artists, both WADA and NIHEI have been recognised internationally for their work. During this talk, you will be able to hear directly from these talented creators as to how they have continued to flutter their wings of imagination and crystalise it into the fascinating motion pictures.

The talk will be moderated by Alex Dudok de Wit.

About the speakers

(Moderator) Alex Dudok de Wit is a journalist who writes chiefly about the art and business of animation. He is the Deputy Editor at Cartoon Brew, the most widely read animation news site, and an animation correspondent for Sight & Sound, the magazine of the British Film Institute. His writing has also appeared on the BBC and in Vulture, Little White Lies, The Telegraph, The i, The Independent, Time Out, and Index on Censorship. His first book, Grave of the Fireflies (BFI Film Classics), was published by Bloomsbury on May 6.

Sarina NIHEI is a freelance animation director from Japan. Being obsessed with Estonian animation, she decided to pursue a career in the field. She is a graduate of London's Royal College of Art. Her graduation film from the RCA, Small People with Hats, won prizes at festivals around the world including the Grand Prize at the 2015 Ottawa International Animation Festival, HAFF, and Best post-graduate film at the British Animation Awards 2016. More recently, her work has gathered the Special Distinction Prize at BIAF 2020 South Korea and Best International Short Film at Bit Bang Fest 2020 Argentina, among many others. Specialising in hand-drawn animation, she loves to make surreal stories.

Atsushi WADA graduated from the Osaka Kyoiku University, Image Forum Institute of Moving Image and Tokyo University of the Arts. He likes to portray comfortable movements and is always thinking about the Japanese traditional concept of ‘Ma’, the tension produced between movements. In a Pig's Eye (2010) won the Best of the Festival at London International Animation Festival, and the Best Film at Fantoche International Animation Film Festival. The Mechanism of Spring (2010) premiered at the Venice Film Festival and The Great Rabbit (2012) won the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. His solo exhibition My Marsh was held in Yokohama Museum of Art in 2017 and in Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art in 2018. A new game animated by WADA, My Exercise, was released in 2020 and a new short film Bird in the Peninsula is in production.

In this special online talk event, acclaimed artists Mohri Yuko, Takano Ryudai and Yamaguchi Akira will introduce their work and talk about Tokyo. Despite using different artistic media, ranging from woodblock printing to photography and installation, their art has similarly been inspired by the metropolis. How is Tokyo shown in their works? How has living in Tokyo impacted their practise? What does Tokyo mean to them? The artists are joined by curator Lena Fritsch, who recently included their works of art in the Ashmolean Museum's exhibition Tokyo: Art & Photography (running until 3 January 2022) which is supported by the Japan Foundation.

The exhibition is a celebration of one of the world’s most creative, dynamic and fascinating cities. Including works on loan from Japan and new commissions by contemporary artists, the show spans the exquisite arts of the Edo period and the iconic woodblock images of Hiroshige to photographic installations.

About the speakers

(Moderator) Dr Lena Fritsch is the Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford. She has researched Japanese art for over fifteen years with publications including Tokyo: Art & Photography (2021), Ravens & Red Lipstick: Japanese Photography since 1945 (2018), an English-language version of Moriyama Daido’s Tales of Tono (2012), The Body as a Screen: Japanese Art Photography of the 1990s (2011), and Yasumasa Morimura’s Self-Portrait as Actress (2008). Fritsch holds a PhD in art history from Bonn University, and also studied at Keio University, Tokyo.

MOHRI Yuko lives and works in Tokyo. She works on installations that detect invisible and intangible energies such as gravity, magnetic and wind. Her major solo exhibitions include: “SP.” (Ginza Sony Park, Tokyo, Japan, 2020); “Voluta” (Camden Arts Centre, London, UK, 2018); “Assume That There Is Friction and Resistance” (Towada Arts Center, Aomori, Japan, 2018). She has also participated in numerous group exhibitions such as: “34th Bienal de São Paulo” (São Paulo, Brazil, 2021); “Glasgow International 2021” (Glasgow, UK, 2021); “The 9th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art” (Brisbane, Australia, 2018); “14th Biennale de Lyon” (Lyon, France, 2017); “Yokohama Triennale” (Kanagawa, Japan, 2014). She is also the grantee of the Asian Cultural Council for a 6-month residency in New York (2015) and the recipient of the Grand Prix, Nissan Art Award (2015); The 67th Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s Art Encouragement Prize for New Artists (2017). In 2018, Mohri, as East Asian Cultural Exchange Envoy, visited 4 cities in China.

TAKANO Ryudai is a photographer born in 1963 in Fukui. He has been engaged in his artistic practice on the theme of sexuality since 1994, in 2005 winning the Kimura Ihei Award for In My Room. Since then he has produced a number of works viewing the “down there” matter of sexual desire in the context of its relationship to the likes of identity and social norms, including How to contact a man, which explores the theme of sexuality in pornographic format; and With me, whose unguarded expressions of sexuality led to trouble with the police. In addition, Takano has produced series that question the notion of a hierarchy of value in visual representation, including the Reclining Woo-Man series of “unmarketable” body images; and Kasubaba, which captures very familiar yet neglected parts of the distinctively Japanese urban landscape. Since the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami of 2011, Takano has been engaged in various projects on the theme of shadows.

YAMAGUCHI Akira (b. 1969, Tokyo) grew up in the Gunma prefecture and graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts with a MA in Oil Painting in 1996. His work is characterized by a style of painting which uses the technique of oil painting within the traditional Japanese painting style. Known for painting bird’s-eye views of cities and battlefields, he traverses a variety of methods of expression including sculpture, manga, and installation. He has exhibited many shows both internationally and domestically. He has contributed public artworks in several locations including Narita International Airport and Nihonbashi Station (Tokyo Metro). He has also produced the official art poster for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

Image credits:

Yamaguchi Akira, New Sights of Tokyo: Tokaido Nihonbashi Revisited, 2012. © Yamaguchi Akira. Courtesy Mizuma Art Gallery.

Mohri Yuko, Moré Moré Tokyo fieldwork, since 2009. © Mohri Yuko. Courtesy the artist.

Takano Ryudai, Tokyo Tower (2011.03.11) from Daily Snapshots, 2011. © Takano Ryudai. Courtesy the artist and Yumiko Chiba Associates, Tokyo.

Japanese Language Local Project Support Programme 2021-2022

September 2021 Applications

Institutions can apply for up to £3000 for non-profit-making projects or activities which promote Japanese language education in the UK. We prioritise projects that fit into one of the five following categories:

• Category 1 - Newly Introducing Japanese into the curriculum

Up to £3,000 for projects that promote the introduction of Japanese into the curriculum (or onto the main school timetable) at primary and secondary schools. This grant covers staff costs and the cost of Japanese language books. Projects may take place online or offline.

• Category 2 - Supporting GCSE or A-level courses

Up to £3,000 for projects that support GCSE or A-level courses. Particularly, if schools/organisations require support to ensure a large number of candidates are able to take formal qualifications in Japanese, they will be able to maintain their project by re-applying the following year. This means organisations will be able to apply for up to a total of £6,000 over two years. (Please note that we do not supplement the salary of teacher(s) already hired by the applying organisation.) Covers staff costs and costs of Japanese language books. Projects may take place online or offline.

• Category 3 - Japanese clubs

Up to £2,000 for organisations that newly introduce Japanese as an extracurricular activity or enrichment subject. In the case of schools, this is even if this is not within the school timetable. Covers staff cost, Japanese language book cost, origami cost and calligraphy cost. Clubs may take place online or offline.

• Category 4 - Projects that enable links between primary/secondary institutions and institutions of higher education

Up to £3,000 for projects that strengthen connections between secondary institutions and institutions of higher education and create and/or strengthen networks among pupils, students, and teachers for the purpose of helping to promote Japanese language education in the UK. These projects can be aimed at both potential learners of Japanese and people who already are learning Japanese. This is a recently added category, so please contact us if you have any questions or would like to apply but are unsure as to whether your project is suitable. These projects may take place online or offline.

• Category 5- Purchasing Japanese language teaching materials and/or books related to Japan

New/Special Category for This Application Period

Up to £2000 for the purchase of Japanese language teaching materials and/or books, DVDs etc. that serve the purpose of teaching about Japan, Japanese language and/or Japanese culture. Please note that this Category is for applicants who ONLY wish to apply for these materials. If you are applying for teaching materials as part of a larger project (such as a club, or curriculum teaching), please select the relevant category 1-4.

Applicants who successfully applied for funding for the 28th May 2021 deadline are able to reapply to this category. Applicants are able to apply to this category in addition to categories 1 to 4, with the maximum total amount eligible for both categories combined being £5000. 

Materials purchased as part of projects in this category must not be given to students, however loans are permissible. Ideally, we would like these materials to be placed in the library of the organisation.

Please note that to apply for this category you must fill out “Grant Application Form (September 2021) – Category 5”.

For this September 2021 application period, please note that there are two different deadlines depending on project category:

• The application deadline for Categories 1-4/Other of the September 2021-22 programme is 30^th September 2021.
• The application deadline for Category 5 of the September 2021-22 programme is 31^st October 2021.

Download general information about the programme

Download the Grant Application Form (September 2021) – Categories 1-4/Other

Download the Grant Application Form (September 2021) – Category 5

You can also download the LPSP 2021-2022 Grant Flowchart below:

 LPSP 2021-2022 Grant Flowchart.

Date:	1 September 2021 - 31 October 2021
Download 2021-22 General Information (Sept)
Download 2021-22 Application Form Categories 1-4
Download 2021-22 Application Form Category 5
Download 2021-22 Flowchart (Sept)