Submissions welcome! Japan-related event in London to add? Just click the green ‘+ Post Your Event’ button. It’s free, & easy to do.
Kimono x Komono
きもの x こもの
by MIYABI & PETIT KIMONO
7-13 June 2018
The history of kimono, the national costume of Japan, dates back to ancient times, and techniques such as spinning a cocoon, dyeing and weaving have been passed on from time immemorial. Unfortunately nowadays kimonos are used only during special events.
MIYABI and PETIT KIMONO transformed, stitch by stitch, the kimonos that belonged to their ancestors generation after generation into small cute objects and mini-kimono, inspired by Japanese seasons, Japanese food and Japanese traditions.
They have successfully exhibited in Japan and in Paris, and this is their first solo exhibition in the UK.
ABOUT MIYABI (Masako Ishihara・mother)
She has been teaching for 35 years, as a ‘kimono coordinator’, kimono-making techniques, kimono tailoring and classes on how to put a kimono on.
MIYABI decided to use the kimono and Japanese fabrics that she had in a drawer, in order to introduce a piece of Japanese tradition to the world.
ABOUT PETIT KIMONO (Tazuko Ishihara・daughter)
Since she was little, she has always been surrounded by kimono and silk fabrics. She can combine different colours to make miniature ‘kawaii’ (cute) Japanese objects.
FREE ENTRY
OPENING RECEPTION: Thursday 7th June 6pm – 8pm
Opening hours: Monday – Friday 11am – 7pm
Saturday (9 June only) 12pm – 6pm
Sunday closed
Image by Ken Adlard c Tatsuo Miyajima Courtesy Lisson Gallery
16 June to 23 September 2018
Open Wednesday to Sunday, 10am – 5pm; free
Tatsuo Miyajima is one of Japan’s foremost contemporary artists. Through his work he explores the concept of time, incorporating original material made around the establishment of Greenwich Mean Time in 1884 with his trademark “Miyajima numbers”. For his latest work, Miyajima has collaborated with William Morris, using his iconic Bird fabric from 1878 to create a new work in the series.
An exhibition on the Story Lounge (first floor landing).
Supported by the Japan Foundation
“Creating architecture is like planting seeds of the future” ‒ Sou Fujimoto
‘SOU FUJIMOTO: FUTURES OF THE FUTURE’, is an exhibition held in collaboration with Tokyo’s TOTO GALLERY・MA. Seen for the first time in the UK, the exhibition explores the innovative works of one of Japan’s most influential contemporary architects. Fujimoto’s vision of the future is not a fully imagined set of assumptions but is to plant the seeds of inspiration and potential. This exhibition looks at not only current projects but also Fujimoto’s architectural experiments for the future asking the visitor to share in imagining a variety of futures of the future.
Accompanying the exhibition is a lecture by Sou Fujimoto on 12 June, at the Design Museum, entitled ‘Sou Fujimoto: Futures of the Future’, followed by a session in conversation with The Guardian’s architecture and design critic Oliver Wainwright.
In addition, Fujimoto also presents ‘Architecture is Everywhere’ which illustrates the concept of discovering architecture within the forms of everyday objects: the serendipity of finding numerous possibilities for new architecture.
Sou Fujimoto
Born in Hokkaido in 1971 and a graduate of the University of Tokyo, Department of Architecture, Sou Fujimoto established Sou Fujimoto Architects in 2000. Some of his most notable works include Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2013, House NA (2011), Musashino Art University Museum & Library (2010), Final Wooden House (2008) and House N (2008).
In collaboration with TOTO GALLERY·MA, Tokyo and a part of the London Festival of Architecture
London Okinawa Sanshinkai is back at Spitalfields this summer for Okinawa Day!
This year we are celebrating the 10th anniversary of Okinawa Day with special guests from Japan xx
Join us to celebrate Okinawan classical & folk music, Eisa dancing, karate, food, drinks & much more!
When: Saturday 23th June 2018
Time: 10am-6pm
Where: Spitalfields, London E1 6AA
Admission Free
Website: https://sites.google.com/site/londonsanshin/okinawa-day
Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/okinawadayinlondon
Programme:
10:00~ Stalls Opening
10:50~ Opening Speech: Mr. Hironobu Nara (JNTO)
11:00~ Opening Ceremony: Ryukyuan Classical “Kajadifu Bushi”
11:07~ Amami Music feat. Tamukai Miharu
11:30~ Okinawan Folk Music: “Champuru” Set
12:05~ Traditional Tea Ceremony & Ryukyuan Classical Music
12:25~ Tsugaru Shamisen feat. Ichikawa Hibiki
12:40~ Okinawan Music feat. Horiuchi Kanako
13:15~ Traditional “Eisa” Dancing
13:45~ Okinawan Karate & Kobudo
14:20~ Yaeyama Folk Music
14:45~ Miyako Folk Music feat. Yogi Masaki
15:10~ Ukulele Music
15:25~ Okinawan Karate & Kobudo
16:00~ Okinawan Folk Music: “Mo Ashibi” Set
16:30~ Amami Music feat. Tamukai Miharu
16:53~ Okinawan Music feat. Horiuchi Kanako
17:28~ Traditional “Eisa” Dancing & Grand Finale!
Thu.28th /June – Mon.16th /July 2018
Private view Thursday 28th / June 18:00 – 20:00 Please rsvp: https://bit.ly/2IvUPTo
*Stencil Workshop on Saturday 30th / June from 11:00 till 14:00
70-72 Old Street, London, EC1V 9AN
Tel: +44 (0)20 7637 1700
Opening hours: Mon – Fri. 11:00 – 19:00
Weekends by appointment only
sway-gallery.com instagram: swaygallerylondon
Printmaker Yoko Kataoka presents her textile work inspired by rural life in the Catalan woods, Spain. ”Uraraka” is a Japanese word with a dual meaning: a fine and peaceful day in Spring, or the clear state of a cloudless mind. Yoko hopes that her “Uraraka” works will brighten up your daily life with cheerful colours and feelings, and that her exhibition will be an opportunity for everyone to discover the Uraraka way of living.
Yuko Mohri at Camden Arts Centre
Following her residency at Camden Arts Centre in 2016, Yuko Mohri returns with a new installation that orchestrates relations between electromagnetic force-fields, patterns of light moving through water and a reconfigured Yamaha reed organ from 1934. Developed responsively to the architecture and surrounding environment of the galleries, Mohri’s audio-spatial composition reveals the interconnectedness of man-made and natural processes, inviting non-human agents and chance factors to determine the score.
In this new commission, error, improvisation and feedback figure in an acoustic environment that maps shifting relationships between material things and conceptual propositions. Music and sound are central to Mohri’s practice. Her involvement with the experimental music scene in Japan has included collaborations with Otomo Yoshihide and the internationally acclaimed composer, pianist and electronic musician Ryuichi Sakamoto. As part of Voluta, sound art pioneer Akio Suzuki will perform live in the gallery.
Please note Camden Arts Centre is closed on Mondays.
Supported by Arts Council Tokyo, the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, Terumo Foundation for Life Sciences and Arts and the Yuko Mohri Exhibition Circle
Yuko Mohri (b. 1980, Kanagawa, Japan) is an artist whose installations detect invisible and intangible forces such as magnetism, gravity and light. In 2015, Mohri received a grant from the Asian Cultural Council for a residency in New York. She has participated in a number of exhibitions both in Japan and abroad, including the 14th Biennale de Lyon 2017 (France), Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2016 (India) and the Yokohama Triennale 2014. Mohri is the Grand Prix winner of the Nissan Art Award 2015 and is also the recipient of Culture and Future Prize at the 65th Kanagawa Cultural Award in 2016 and the New Artist Award at the 67th Japanese Ministry of Education Award for Fine Arts in 2017.
From anime to 70’s horror, drama to eye-opening documentaries, discover something for everyone with our brand new season of free Japanese cinema screenings.
NHK WORLD-JAPAN Double Bill (Part 1) 5.15pm (English Subtitles)
A Tale of Love & Honour: Life in Gion Dir. Maki Kubochi, 2017, 49min | Image: © NHK
Take a peek into the distinct district of Gion in Kyoto and witness the proud and wistful stories of people belonging to this secret world in this fascinating documentary from NHK WORLD-JAPAN.
Living Ninja Legend Masaaki Hatsumi 2016, 49 min | Image: © NHK
Masaaki Hatsumi, 84 years old, is a living ninja in modern times. What is the essence of his astonishing art? This documentary investigates the hidden power of this ninja master.
Booking: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/nhk-world-japan-double-bill-part-1-tickets-48029483478
House 7:20pm (English subtitles, suitable for ages 15+) Dir. Nobuhiko Obayashi, 1977, 88min
Nicknamed Oshare, meaning gorgeous, Miyuki (Kimiko Ikegami) was excited to spend the summer with her father, until she found out his new young wife would be joining them. Looking to escape this awkward situation, she decides to take six of her school friends to her aunt’s house in the countryside, and one by one, strange things start happening to them. This monumental horror comedy pushed the director Obayashi to the world of fame.
Booking: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/house-tickets-48027877675
Tickets are free, but must be booked via Eventbrite.
From anime to 70’s horror, drama to eye-opening documentaries, discover something for everyone with our brand new season of free Japanese cinema screenings.
Summer Wars 2.15pm (suitable for ages 12+) Dir. Mamoru Hosoda, 2009, 114min
Kenji Koiso is a 17-year-old maths genius and part-time OZ moderator who is invited by his crush Natsuki on a summer trip. Shortly after arriving at Natsuki’s family’s estate, which is preparing for her great-grandmother’s 90th birthday, he receives a strange, coded message on his cell phone from an unknown sender who challenges him to solve it. Would Kenji be able to crack the code and save the world from danger?
Booking: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/summer-wars-tickets-48028039158
NHK WORLD-JAPAN Double Bill (Part 2) 4.30pm (English subtitles)
My Small Steps to Hiroshima 2016, 50min
Kaoru Ogura dedicated his life to telling the world about Hiroshima, where the first atomic bomb was dropped. This documentary recounts the life and work of Ogura and his fellow anti-nuclear activists.
The Phone of the Wind 2016, 49 mins
On a hill overlooking the sea in northern Japan is a phone booth known as the “Phone of the Wind”. It is connected to nowhere, but many people come here to “call” their loved ones lost in the 2011 tsunami…
Booking: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/nhk-world-japan-double-bill-part-2-tickets-48028201644
Kikujiro 6.40pm (English subtitles, suitable for ages 12+) Dir. Takeshi Kitano, 1999, 122min
Young Masao decides to embark on a journey from Tokyo to Toyohashi, in Aichi, to find his long-lost mother. Keeping it a secret from the grandmother he lives with, his elderly neighbour Kikujiro (Takeshi Kitano) decides to accompany him on his trip. This is a timeless human drama by legendary director Takeshi Kitano.
Booking: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/kikujiro-tickets-48028520598
Tickets are free but booking is essential through Eventbrite.
From anime to 70’s horror, drama to eye-opening documentaries, discover something for everyone with our brand new season of free Japanese cinema screenings.
Only Yesterday 2.15pm (English subtitles, PG) Dir. Isao Takahata, 1991, 118min
Office worker Taeko decides to take a break from Tokyo during the summer to spend time in the countryside, somewhere she hasn’t been for nearly two decades. Along the way, her childhood memories come pouring back to her. This is early work by Studio Ghibli directed by the late Isao Takahata.
Booking: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/only-yesterday-tickets-48028849582
Napping Princess 4.40pm (English subtitles, PG) Dir. Kenji Kamiyama, 1991, 111min
Kokone should be studying for her university entrance exams, but she’s finding it harder and harder to stay awake because when she sleeps, her daily life has been swapped for the fantastic world of Heartland. However, when events in the dream world start mirroring those in the real world, she finds herself drawn into battles in both.
Booking: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/napping-princess-tickets-48029260812
Mitsuko Delivers 7.00pm (English subtitles) Dir. Yuya Ishii, 2011, 109min
Mitsuko (Riisa Naka) is down on her luck. Despite being dumped by the boyfriend whose baby she’s carrying, jobless, and penniless, she’s sunnily optimistic and decides to go back to her hometown to help those around her. She sets out to solve their problems one by one, delivering her positivity wherever she goes.
Booking: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mitsuko-delivers-tickets-48029370139
Short Japanese Language Taster Sessions on 11th August!
3.30pm-6.30pm, Screen 2 @ Soho Hotel Cinema
Have you ever wanted to introduce yourself like a Japanese film character? We will be running short language taster sessions for beginners focusing on Japanese in Anime/Manga. Anyone can drop by and take part, so please come along to get involved!
Tickets are free, but booking through Eventbrite is essential