World Figure Skating Championships in Moscow

La Giapponese Miki Ando ha vinto i Campionati Mondiali di pattinaggio figura in Russia  davanti alla campionessa Coreana Yu Na Kim e all’Italiana Carolina Kostner. La Giapponese Ando dedica la medaglia ed il successo al popolo Giapponese  che ha tanto sofferto per i recenti terremoti.

Moscow, Russia – Miki Ando of Japan claimed the women’s title at the 2011 World Figure Skating Championships. Second place for the Olympic Champion Kim Yu Na from South Korea and third place for Italian Carolina Kostner. Miki Ando states “This time I was skating for Japan, it was a tribute to the Japanese people who suffered in the disaster,” said Ando. “Maybe I was able to bring back a little smile to the people of Japan.”

Nihon Kizuna

Worldwide artists contribute to Nihon Kizuna music compilation in aid of Japan disaster relief effort

Over 40 international artists have donated music for the Nihon Kizuna compilation in aid of the Japan disaster relief effort. Nihon Kizuna, or 日本絆 in Japanese roughly translates as ‘bond of friendship with Japan’.

Following the earthquake and tsunami which devastated the northern coast and prefectures of Japan on Friday March 11th 2011, a small group of Tokyo-based artists (from Japan, Ukraine and France) and one visiting London-based journalist (from Italy) decided to pull their efforts and contacts together to do the only thing they could to help the country and its people – sell music to raise awareness of the devastation that hit the area and raise money for its people and the relief effort.

www.nihonkizuna.com

Udine Far East Film Festival

Far East Film 13

L’edizione 2011 si aprirà venerdì 29 aprile presentando una sessantina di nuovissimi titoli dall’Estremo Oriente e due sezioni speciali: L’ASIA RIDE! (Asia Laughs!), una pioneristica retrospettiva sulla commedia pan-asiatica, e un piccante excursus nella storia del PINK EIGA dagli anni Sessanta ai giorni nostri.

Far East Film Festival, in 9 giornate di programmazione presenterà oltre 60 nuovissime pellicole in arrivo da Cina, Hong Kong, Corea del Sud, Giappone, Thailandia, Indonesia, Malesia, Filippine, Singapore, Vietnam, Taiwan e, new entry,Mongolia.

Una panoramica a 360 gradi, curata dal Centro Espressioni Cinematografiche, sulla produzione popolare e di genere che incontra i gusti del grande pubblico dell’altra parte del globo indagando, ancora una volta, un universo produttivo tra i più originali, artisticamente frizzanti e economicamente più esplosivi dell’intero pianeta.

For more information: http://www.fareastfilm.com

Daiwa Foundation Tohoku Scholarships

The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation announces the launch of a £250,000 scholarship fund to support Japanese students whose lives and studies have been affected by the 11 March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in the north east of Japan. Scholarships will be made available to undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral and postdoctoral students from the Tohoku region for study at universities in the UK. In the aftermath of this terrible disaster in Japan and in keeping with the educational objects of the Foundation, we hope that these new scholarships will contribute to the future of young people in the region. The Daiwa Foundation Tohoku Scholarships are being organised in partnership with the British Council in Tokyo. Further details and application procedures will be available shortly.

Korean Film Night

Sakwa (2008)

Kang Yi-kwan

7:00pm, April 28 2011
Genre: Drama

Cast: Moon So-ri, Kim Tae-woo, Lee Sun-kyun
*Sakwa is homonym of apple and apology in Korean.

Hyun-jung’s first love of seven years, Min-suk, has coldly left her. A man named Sang-hoon appears with a business card and a bouquet of flowers. Hyun-jung breaks down into tears and decides to marry Sang-hoon with the belief that no one in this world con love her as much. After their marriage, two conflicting views of love collide. During this division, Min-suk reappears unable to erase her memories and confesses his love for her. Hyun-jung is left a state of confusion. (KOFIC)

Multi Purpose Hall, KCCUK

BOOKING

29-04-2011

Che palle! Qui a Londra non si fa altro che parlare del ‘matrimonio del secolo’, non c’e via di scampo. Settimana prossima ci sara’ un gran casino tra feste e celebrazioni varie piu’ il numero di turisti giunti apposta per l’evento. Come mi piacerebbe fosse gia’ Maggio.

I’m bored and annoyed! There isn’t escape from the Royal Wedding. Everybody, in London, is talking about it and I don’t want to think about next week when parties and various celebrations start. I wish I could speed up time, I wish we were in May.

Countermeasures for the Great East Japan Earthquake

This event seems to be very relevant for those worried about the situation in Japan.


Detailed information and registration form here.

Thursday, 21st April 2011 13.30-15.00

Venue Address:
JETRO London
MidCity Place 71, High Holborn London WC1V 6AL
Tel: 020-7421-8300, FAX : 020-7421-0009
Website: http://www.jetro.go.jp/uk/contact/

To apply, please fax a registration form to JETRO London by 19th April.
Capacity is 100 people, and places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

In further detail, an explanation will be made on the current situation in Japan regarding nuclear reactors, radiation levels in and around the major cities, regulations surrounding food products and tap water, regulation on exports, and the conditions of Japanese harbours and airports. The speakers will in turn explain the countermeasures that are being, and will be taken in response to the damages caused by the disaster.

British Museum

La ragazza Giapponese con la quale sono andato al ristorante Coreano voleva visitare il British Museum e cosi` qualche giorno fa` ho deciso di accontentarla. Il British Museum e` uno dei posti piu` interessanti da visitare a Londra ed e` gratuito, cosa da non trascurare ma, a mio parere, non il posto migliore come ‘date’. La giornata comunque e` andata molto bene, ci siamo divertiti molto specialmente a fine serata nel pub. Prossimo incontro, molto presto.

The Japanese girl I recently met wanted to go to see the British Museum so few days ago we went there for a short visit, or better, second date. The British Museum is one of the best attraction in London and is free but, in my opinion, a Museum is not the an ideal place for a date with a pretty girl. However, we had good time especially in a pub after the visit. Next date, very soon.

Weekend

Dopo un periodo molto lungo in cui quasi tutti i post di questo Blog si riferivano al terremoto in Giappone, in questo breve articolo faccio un piccolo resoconto del fine settimana appena trascorso.

Weekend molto bello sotto tutti i punti di vista a partire dal clima, ottimo. Venerdi` dopo il lavoro ho trascorso la giornata, con molti amici, al pub. Ottima compagnia, molto divertimento anche se, come spesso accade con amici Inglesi, troppe birre mandate giu`nello stomaco. Sabato mattina passato a recuperare le energie per la serata da trascorrere in un ristorante Coreano con una ragazza Giapponese conosciuta di recente in uno Starbucks. Ottimo cibo e ottima compagnia. Serata conclusa con la promessa di uscire di nuovo, e` interessata a visitare il British Museum. Domenica? Beh, niente di speciale, ho riposato tutto il giorno.

After a long period in which most of the posts of this Blog had, as main topic, the situation in Japan and the earthquake I decide to write a short post on something different, the weekend just gone.

Last weekend was very good in many different ways. To start, the weather was very good. Friday, after work, I went to pub with a big group of friends. We had a very long session and, as you can imagine, many beers ended up in ours bellies. I spent too much money but I had a great afternoon/evening out. Saturday morning was spent to try to recover from hung-over in order to go to a date with a Japanese girl I had recently met in a Starbucks. Met up at a nice Korean restaurant where we had good food and excellent time together. Next meeting the British Museum, I think. Sunday? Well… not much, all day resting.

Pop Culture from a Multipolar Japan

Another interesting event organised by DAIWA.

Is there something more to the West’s fascination with Japanese anime and manga? How are anime films and manga comics cultural channeling zones, opened by the horrors of war and disaster and animated by the desire to assemble a world of new looks, feelings and identities?  Lecturer at the University of Tokyo, Sophia University and the University of the Sacred Heart Tokyo, Roland Kelts addresses the movement of Japanese culture into the West as sign and symptom of broader reanimations.  With uncertainty now the norm, style, he argues, is trumping identity, explaining, in part, the success of Japanese pop and fashion, design and cuisine in the West.

Roland Kelts is a half-Japanese American writer, editor and lecturer who divides his time between New York and Tokyo. He is the author of Japanamerica : How Japanese Pop Culture has Invaded the US and the forthcoming novel, Access. He has presented on contemporary Japanese culture worldwide and has taught courses in Japanese popular culture at numerous universities in Japan and the US, including New York University and the University of Tokyo. His fiction and nonfiction appear in such publications as Zoetrope: All Story, Psychology Today, Playboy, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue Japan, Adbusters magazine, The Millions, The Japan Times, Animation Magazine, Bookforum, and The Village Voice. He is the Editor in Chief of the Anime Masterpieces screening and discussion program, the commentator for National Public Radio’s series, Pacific Rim Diary, and the author of a weekly column for The Daily Yomiuri newspaper. Click here for his blog.

Lecture details:

14 April 2011

4:00 – 5:00pm, followed by a drinks reception to 6:00pm

Daiwa Foundation Japan House

Organised by the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation

BOOKING FORM

 

 

Wa No Wa

Wa No Wa cultural event event is held on 08/04/11 at Potters Field Park from 11 am to 6 pm.

PURPOSE

The main purpose of this Japanese cultural event is to raise money for the area of Northern Japan affected by the tsunami and earthquake. Every penny of the money raised during this event will be donated to Red Cross’s work in Japan.

According to the Japan National Police Agency (NKH World, Japan Broadcasting Corporation, 2nd of April 2011), the death toll from the March 11thquake and tsunami in north eastern Japan has risen to 11,578, with 16,451 people listed missing, bringing the total number of dead or missing over 28,000. This number is anticipated to rise still!

WHAT IS “WA NO WA”?

WanoWa means the circle of peace and harmony in terms of one’s environment and state of mind. The phrase represents all of us coming together to form one large circle of peace to reach out to Japan in this difficult time.

It also represents perseverance and stoicism of the Japanese people in the face of adversity. Wa is the most valued principle still practiced in Japanese society today.

The organisers also hope through this event to spread their passion and desire to connect people in a positive way.

THE EVENT

What:

There will be a variety of Japanese entertainment such as martial arts, calligraphy demonstrations and original art displays.

Several stalls will be selling Japanese food & crafts and top raffle prizes have been donated by The OXO Tower Brasserie, The MontCalm Hotel, Wagamama, ConcreteHair Salon and even a qualified Sports Massuese.

A book of remembrance and hope will be available to allow you to express your feelings and wishes to the Japanese people.