Multi-talented artists Yuri Suzuki and Kouichi Okamoto, whose work spans product design, music and sound, join art critic and editor Alex Coles in conversation to discuss the trend of designers pursuing artistic expression.

Date: 22 September, 2014, 6:30pm

Venue: The Japan Foundation, London

:: Click here for more information

ICN Gallery and the Japan Foundation will present Kouichi Okamoto’swork Magnetic Field Record, a suspended device recording and visualising the earth’s magnetic and gravitational forces into drawings, at the London Design Festival at the V&A.

Date: 20-21 September, 2014

Venue: V&A Museum, London

:: Click here for more information

Out of Step: Artist Talk & Mini Performance by Contact Gonzo

Contact Gonzo, an improvisational performance group from Osaka who disregard the framework of the prevailing definition and code of dance, drops in to the Japan Foundation to talk about their unique performance method and demonstrate their skills.

Date: 5 September, 2014, 6:30pm

Venue: The Japan Foundation, London

:: Click here for more information

*Contact Gonzo will be giving additional performances on 6 September at Russell Square Garden and Cafe Oto

The Japan Foundation & SOAS Language and Culture Course (Beginner Level)

Our popular Japanese language & culture course returns for 2014-15!

The Japan Foundation & SOAS Language and Culture Course (Beginner Level) is a new kind of course for absolute beginners. The aim of the course will be to use Japanese language skills to get to know people, visit restaurants and take part in many other Japan-related events. At the end of every lesson, participants will be able to perform specific, practical tasks in Japanese. The course will not focus on language alone; learning Japanese culture will also be an important element in the lessons.

Term 1 Dates: 9th October 2014 – 11th December 2014 (every Thursday) 19:00 – 21:00
Venue: SOAS, University of London

Two New Teaching Resources Released by the Japan Foundation London

We are delighted to announce that we have released two new resources for teaching Japanese – the Japanese Taster Lesson Sample Activity Pack, and the JFL Scheme of Work for Primary Schools. These resources are absolutely free to download and use straight away!

:: Click here to view the Japanese Taster Lesson Sample Activity Pack

:: Click here to view the JFL Scheme of Work for Primary Schools

 

You can read about our recent event in which we introduced these resources here.

 

Japanese Language Teachers’ Seminar: Self-Expressing Activities and Elementary Japanese Language Education

Up to now, language educators have focused on functional language activities. But it is through social communication that speakers are able to convey and understand a sense of “self.” If we adopt self-expressing activities as the basis for elementary Japanese language curricula, students can acquire proficiency in practical Japanese language use as well as basic language knowledge. 

 In this JGap seminar, we will explore “Self-expression-based elementary Japanese language education” with Prof. Koichi Nishiguchi, Osaka University.

Date: Saturday 20th September 2014
Venue: The Japan Foundation London

:: Click here for more information and to book your place

Japan Foundation at Alcon and Japan Matsuri

Japan Foundation will be exhibiting at two Japan-related events this September: 

• 6th & 7th September: Alcon – Leicester’s convention for anime, gaming and cosplay
• 27th September: Japan Matsuri – The annual Japan-themed festival in Trafalgar Square, London

Visit our stand for information about studying Japanese, freebies and the chance to enter our quiz and win some great prizes!

Event and Deadline Reminders

Don’t forget the following upcoming events and deadlines:

September 12th 2014
Japanese Taster for Schools (JTS) Volunteer Training Day

September 21st 2014
J-Basic Online for Teachers final term begins

September 26th 2014
Japanese Language Local Project Support Programme deadline

October 2nd 2014
Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) Application Deadline

January 12th 2015
Japan Webpage Contest for Schools deadline

Recent activity reports

Take a look at the reports of some of our most recent activities at the Japan Foundation:

2014 Japanese Refresher Course for Teachers

The Ishinomaki Children’s Newspaper – English translations now online

Japan Foundation at Hyper Japan 2014

Japanese Plus July 2014 – Japanese for Jobs