Monthly Archives: May 2011

13 Assassins

Takashi Miike, the director responsible for such uncompromising and unforgettable movies as Audition andIchi The Killer indelibly stamps his trademark style on the Samurai genre with the ultra-violent, all-action, blood-spattered epic, 13 Assassins.

One of the most prolific, wildly unpredictable and controversial directors in cinema, here Miike reinvents himself once more “in top, slash-tastic form” (Variety), throwing in several obvious nods to the works of Akira Kurosawa and enough grotesquery to satisfy his loyal legions of fans, with a movie that has been described as a “handsomely mounted samurai adventure” (Cinematical) that is “too damn magnificent to ignore” (Twitch). With special previews from 5 May

SHOWING AT:

Japan Society Golf Tournament

I’m not interested in playing golf but you might….

Thursday, 2nd June 2011

Old Thorns Golf & Country Estate
Griggs Green
Liphook
Hampshire
GU30 7PE

£65 for Japan Society members
Please make cheques payable to “The Japan Society”

8.30am – Registration. Hot drinks and bacon rolls.
9.30am – Tee off. 1st & 10th tees are reserved until 10.30am
(half way house refreshments provided)
2.15pm – Two course lunch in private room.

The Japan Society Annual Golf Tournament, for the Asprey and Garrard Plate, will be held this year at The Old Thorns Golf & Country Estate, Hampshire. Set amidst the rolling hills of the North Hampshire countryside the par 72 championship course has an illustrious history with names such as Seve Ballesteros, Jack Nicklaus, Isao Aoki and Bill Rogers having played a competitive four ball there.

The society’s annual tournament is a popular event, with 24 members participating last year at Donnington Grove. A maximum of 32 players will be accepted on a first come first serve basis and members are welcome to bring friends and colleagues. Tee off will be from the 1st and 10th Tees commencing 9.30am.

A light breakfast will be provided from 8.30am and the package includes 18-holes of golf and a two course lunch in a private room on completion. The all-in price for the day is £65.

We are very grateful to our sponsors Intralink for their kind support.
Intralink develops and implements market strategies for companies targeting Japan, China, Taiwan and Korea.

More detailed instructions, including directions and timings will be sent nearer the date.

To enter, please complete the form below providing details of your handicap. Cheques should be made payable to “The Japan Society” and enclosed with your entry form.

Please contact The Japan Society on tel: 020 7828 6330 or email:events@japansociety.org.uk for further information

Brick Lane

Fine settimana abbastanza positivo, almeno fino adesso. Venerdi’ sera sono andato in zona Brick Lane a mangiare, con la ragazza Giapponese, in uno dei tanti ristoranti Indiani. Brick Lane e’ una zona che conosco poco ma che mi ha colpito in modo positivo. Al ristorante Indiano il cibo e’ stato ottimo, ho presso i classici Samosa come starter e come piatto principale Chiken Pasanda piu’ una delle mie birre favorite, la Cobra. Dopo il ristorante siamo andati a fare un giro nella zona e siamo entrati in uno dei tanti bar/locali pienissimi di giovani di varie nazionalita’.

Tra le altre cose positive di questo fine settimana e’ che sono riuscito ad affittare la stanza ad una ragazza Giapponese. E’ qui da me da due giorni e tutto procede bene. Ora vi devo lasciare vado a lavorare, si ogni tanto faccio extra il fine settimana.

So far, a good weekend. Friday evening I went to Brick Lane, with the Japanese girl I met few weeks ago, to one of the many Indian restaurants in the area. I don’t know Brick Lane well and I was very impressed by what I had seen. In the restaurant I had as starter Samosa and as main dish Chicken Pasanda with Cobra beer, one of my favourite. After the restaurant we went for a walk and to a very crowded bar. Excellent evening!

Amongst the positive thing of this weekend I have to mention that I finally found a new flatmate for the room I wanted to rent, a Japanese girl, who had moved in few days ago and seems very nice. That’s all for now, I have to go to work to do a bit of extra hours.

Situated Senses 01 : Inclined Angles at Hanmi Gallery

HANMI GALLERY INTERIM EXHIBITION
20 May – 05 June 2011
Situated Senses 01 : Inclined Angles

Situated Senses introduces contemporary artists who focus on the theme of space, in particular site-specificity. They present experimental form of artwork closely related to the specific feature of a space which is differentiated from the typical form of exhibit spaces.

Situated Senses presents two prominent contemporary Korean artists, Shan Hur and Soon-Hak Kwon. Hur and Kwon have created a unique situation in a void space where its original use was far removed from the traditional meaning of exhibit spaces.

The space was built to be a design office in the 1980s and there are plans to transform it into a gallery space (HANMI GALLERY) in the near future. In the meantime, the plan is to use this space for artistic trials and experimentations by talented young artists. In this way, the empty space becomes a laboratory and the artists become practitioners.

Exhibition Dates : 20 May – 05 June 2011
Opening Hours : Monday – Friday 10AM-6PM, Saturday – Sunday 11AM – 6PM
Private View : Friday 20 May 6 – 8PM
Curated by Jay Jungin Hwang (Independent Curator)

Artists Information
Shan Hur (b.1980) graduated from Seoul National University with B.F.A in sculpture and Slade School of Fine Art with M.F.A in sculpture. He had one solo exhibition and participated in several group exhibitions in London. He won 1st prize in ‘The Open West (Gloucestershire, UK, 2011)’ and was awarded in ‘Brighton University Art faculty Prize (UK, 2007).’ He works and lives in London.

Soon-Hak Kwon (b.1979) graduated from University of Incheon College of Fine Arts with B.F.A in painting, Hongik University with M.F.A in photography and Royal College of Art with MA in photography. He had four solo exhibitions and participated in several group exhibitions in Seoul, London, and Paris. He won gold prize in ‘29th Competition of Chang-Jark Arts’ Association (Korea, 2004)’, a prize for ‘Selected Artist’ in ‘28th Joong-Ang Fine Arts Prize (Korea, 2006).’ He works and lives in London.

HANMI GALLERY
30 Maple Street,
London W1T 8HA
United Kingdom
T +44 (0)2082 864 426
F +44 (0)2082 868 976
M +44 (0)7862 283 414

Healthcare Provision and Management in the UK and Japan

Seminar details:

14 June 2011

6:00 – 7:45pm, followed by a drinks reception to 8:45pm

Daiwa Foundation Japan House

Organised by the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation

Uncertain Futures: The Individual, Society and the State in the UK and Japan, will consider the issues surrounding healthcare provision and management in the UK and Japan. This is a highly topical area for debate in the UK as spending cuts and healthcare reforms focus attention on the ways in which the NHS must adapt to changing times. The Japanese health service is facing similar difficulties as Japan’s ageing population and low birth rate impact upon healthcare needs and provision. Our speakers bring both academic and professional perspectives to bear on this comparative discussion of the economics and social dynamics of healthcare provision.

Professor Kiyoshi Morita

Kiyoshi Morita is Director of Okayama University Hospital. He has also been Head of Okayama University since December, 2010. Since graduating the University Medical School with MD in 1974 he has been specializing in anaesthesiology in many hospitals in the South part of Japan. From 1978 to1980 he was Fellow of Anaesthesiology of Albert Einstein Medical College, Montefiore Hospital and Medical Center, New York, USA. In 1984 he started teaching at Okayama University while practicing at the hospital. He is Professor at Department of Anaesthesiology and Resuscitology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences. In 2004-2009 He was a Board of Directors, The Japanese Society on Intensive Care Medicine. Since 2009 he is President of the Japanese Society of Anaesthesiologists.

Professor Gwyn Bevan

Gwyn Bevan is Professor of Management Science in Department of Management Research at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He has worked as an academic at Warwick Business School and in Medical Schools in London and Bristol. He has also worked in industry, consulting, the Treasury, and for the Commission for Health Improvement (CHI). His current research includes studies of outcomes of the natural experiment of different policies in UK countries for the NHS and schools following devolution; and the SyMPOSE (Systems Modelling for Performance Optimisation and Service Equity) project funded by the Health Foundation, which is a programme of collaborative research that aims to reduce expenditure on health care with least harm to the health of populations and without widening inequalities in health.

Dr Jonathan Batchelor

Jonathan Batchelor is a consultant dermatologist at Nottingham University Hospital NHS Trust and researcher at the Centre of Evidence-Based Dermatology at the University of Nottingham. His research interests include the methodology and reporting of dermatology clinical trials, and the application of the principle of evidence-based medicine to in the field of clinical dermatology. He is currently involved in developing feasibility work for clinical trial of treatments for vitiligo and is on the steering committee for the Eczema Priority Setting Partnership which, in conjunction with the James Lind Alliance, seeks to involve both clinicians and patients in the process of identifying future research priorities in the field of eczema treatments. Dr Batchelor was a Daiwa Scholar in 2001-3, spending a year at the National Centre for Child Health and Development, where he undertook research on patients’ ability to assess the reliability of health information. He was also a visiting doctor at the Showa University Department of Dermatology.

BOOKING FORM

SAPPORO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

SouthBank Centre presents: Sapporo Symphony Orchestra

BOOK TICKETS NOW

Prices:
£30 £25 £20 £15 £10 Premium seats £35

Booking Fee:
£1.75 (Members £0.00)

Concessions:
50% off (limited availability)

Toru Takemitsu: How slow the wind (orchestra)
Max Bruch: Violin Concerto No.1 in G minor
Interval
Dmitry Shostakovich: Symphony No.5 in D minor

Tadaaki Otaka conductor
Akiko Suwanai violin

Concert in aid of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami victims. All proceeds from ticket sales will go to the Japanese Red Cross Society and the Japan Society Tohoku Earthquake Relief Fund.

A beautiful and compelling programme from one of Japan’s finest orchestras. They are joined by their ever-popular Principal Conductor, Tadaaki Otaka, and the youngest ever winner of the prestigious International Tchaikovsky Competition, violinist Akiko Suwanai.

‘It was an unforeseen and terrible disaster, from which all Japanese people are working extremely hard to recover. We, the musicians, wish to turn our London appearance into a benefit concert to support the vital relief efforts in our country. Please join us and help Japan! Thank you.’ (Tadaaki Otaka)

With support from the Embassy of Japan in London, Japan Society, Askonas Holt and Southbank Centre

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23 May 2011, 7:30pm

Annual Travel Survey

Tripadvisor published the result of its survey on air travel. I agree with most of the things mentioned by the respondents but I also would like to highlight something you might find a bit controversial, I find babies and children very annoying both in short and long flights. I’d like to start a petition to have ‘adults only’  flights. 

The following are some results of the survey:

“Fee’d” Up with Airline Charges

Forty-six percent of travelers think checked baggage fees are the most annoying fee airlines now charge, followed by 24 percent for seat selection fees and 18 percent for carry-on baggage fees. Seventy-two percent of respondents expect the overall cost of airline fees to rise during the remainder of the year. Travelers expect priority seating fees (49 percent), carry-on baggage fees (46 percent) and seat selection fees (41 percent) to either be added or expanded by some airlines in 2011.

Flyers Beg for Leg Space

Uncomfortable seats and limited legroom topped the list of traveler gripes about air travel, with 26 percent of respondents saying it was their biggest complaint. This was followed by the 23 percent who said airline fees and the 17 percent who cited rising airfares. When asked what one thing airlines should do to make the in-flight experience better, the vast majority – 43 percent—cited more legroom.

Sick or Smelly, Whoa Nelly!

Twenty-eight percent of respondents said that a sick seatmate was the worst kind of seatmate to have on an airplane. This was followed by the 27 percent of travelers who said a smelly seatmate and the 13 percent who responded a “space intruder.” When it comes to socializing with their seatmate during a flight, 74 percent of travelers said that a little small talk is fine, but that they like to keep to themselves for most of the flight. Only 12 percent of respondents said they enjoy socializing with their seatmate during a flight.

Additional Air Travel Tidbits:

  • The number one carry-on essential for travelers was a book, according to 74 percent—more than an iPad/tablet, laptop, and portable music player combined.
  • 54 percent of travelers chose the aisle as their favorite seat, while 42 percent pick the window.
  • 82 percent of respondents think passengers of size should be required to purchase tickets for two seats on their flights if they infringe on the seat next to them.
  • 35 percent said they often take advantage of frequent flier points, 13 percent said they always do.
  • 77 percent of respondents said they would go on a last minute trip if they found a great deal on a flight.

Double room for rent

It is the time of the year that students move out of their accommodations as Universities and Colleges end their courses. The Japanese girl renting a room in my flat is no exception, she i going back to Japan and I need to find a new flatmate (Japanese or Korean). Today I’m back to the Japanese website to advertise the room and try to find the right person, hopefully I’ll have a new person in the flat soon. I’ll keep you inform on the progress…

The Future of Education in the UK and Japan

This fourth seminar in the 2011 series, Uncertain Futures: The Individual, Society and the State in the UK and Japan, will consider the role of education in society and the pressures of adapting education policy to changing needs. The ebb and flow of educational reforms in past decades has seen British and Japanese models held up for scrutiny or emulation. Individualism, internationalization and the information age have, at different times, informed debates on ideology and practice. Our speakers will explore such topics as ‘the tyranny of exams’ and education for employability in determining to what extent economic necessity may determine the priorities of the future. The discussion will focus upon core values in education and aspirations for children, families and schools in the UK and Japan.

Contributors

Dr Anthony Seldon

Anthony Seldon is a political historian and commentator on British political leadership as well as on education and contemporary Britain. He is also Master of Wellington College, one of Britain’s most famous and historic independent schools and was co-founder and first Director of the Institute of Contemporary British History. Dr Seldon is author or editor of some 25 books, including Brown at 10, a biography of Gordon Brown (2010), ‘Trust: How We Lost It and How to Get It Back’ (2009), ‘Blair’s Britain, 1994-2007’ and ‘Blair Unbound, 2001-2007’ (with Peter Snowdon)(2007). He has honorary doctorates from the Universities of Brighton and Richmond and in 2007 was given a Chair at the College of Teachers as Professor of Education. He is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society and the Royal Society of Arts. Dr Seldon is regarded as one of the country’s most high profile independent school headmasters and appears regularly on television and radio and in the press, and writes for several national newspapers. His views on education have regularly been sought by both government and political parties.

Professor Roger Goodman

Roger Goodman is Nissan Professor of Modern Japanese Studies at the University of Oxford where he has been Head of the Social Sciences Division since 2008. His publications include ‘Japan’s International Youth: The Emergence of a New Class of Schoolchildren’ (1990) and ‘Children of the Japanese State: The Changing Role of Child Protection Institutions in Contemporary Japan’ (2000) both of which have also been published in Japanese versions. He has also edited or co-edited a further eleven books including ‘The East Asian Welfare Model: Welfare Orientalism and the State’ (1998); ‘Family and Social Policy in Japan’ (2002); ‘Can the Japanese Change their Education System?’ (2002); ‘Global Japan: The Experience of Japan’s New Immigrant and Overseas Communities’ (2003), ‘The ‘Big Bang’ in Japanese Higher Education: The 2004 Reforms and the Dynamics of Change’ (2005), ‘Ageing in Asia: Asia’s Position in the New Global Demography’ (2007) and ‘A Sociology of Japanese Youth Problems: From Returnees to NEETs’ (forthcoming, 2011). His main research interests are in the education and social welfare systems of modern Japan.

Baroness Estelle Morris (Chair)

The Baroness Morris of Yardley started her career in education as a teacher in an inner city multi-racial comprehensive school where she taught for 18 years. In 1992 she entered Parliament and in 2001 became the Secretary of State for Education and Skills. She followed this with 2 years as a Minister at the Department of Culture Media and Sport and left Parliament in 2005. Since then she has combined a career that includes senior posts both in education and the arts as well as being a member of the House of Lords. Her roles in education have allowed her to see the education landscape from classroom teacher to senior policy maker and it is this breadth of experience that is now reflected in her comments and analysis of education. Amongst other posts she now works at the Institute of Effective Education at the University of York which aims to transform the relationship between education research and practice so that policy making and teaching can become more evidence based. She is a regular contributor to Guardian Education.

24 May 2011

6:00 – 7:00pm, followed by a drinks reception to 8:00pm

Daiwa Foundation Japan House

Organised by the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation

BOOKING FORM


Blue flags

If you are planning an holiday in Italy this post might help you to identify your next destination. Blue flags certify the cleanest sea around the world. The following list includes all 125 places awarded the blue flag in Italy.

PIEMONTE (2) Cannero Riviera (Verbania); Cannobio Lido (Verbania)
LOMBARDIA (1) Gardone Riviera (Brescia)
FRIULI VENEZIA GIULIA (2) Grado (Udine); Lignano Sabbiadoro (Gorizia)
VENETO (6) San Michele al Tagliamento – Bibione, Caorle, Eraclea mare, Jesolo, Cavallino Treporti, Venezia – Lido di Venezia
LIGURIA (17) Camporosso, Bordighera (Imperia); Loano, Finale Ligure, Noli, Spotorno, Bergeggi, Savona, Albissola Marina, Albisola Superiore, Celle Ligure, Varazza (Savona); Chiavari, Lavagna, Moneglia (Genova); Lerici, Ameglia – Fiumaretta (Lerici)
EMILIA ROMAGNA (9) Comacchio-Lidi Comacchiesi (Ferrara); Lidi Ravennati, Cervia-Milano Marittima; Pinarella (Ravenna); Cesenatico, San Mauro Pascoli-San Mauro mare (Forlì-Cesena); Bellaria Igea Marina, Rimini, Cattolica, Misano Adriatico (Rimini)
TOSCANA (16) Forte dei Marmi, Pietrasanta, Camaiore, Viareggio (Lucca); Pisa-marina di Pisa-Tirrenia-Calambrone; Livorno-Antignano e Quercianella, Castiglioncello e Vada di Rosignano Marittimo, Cecina, marina di Bibbona, Castagneto Carducci, San Vincenzo, Riotorto-Piombino: parco naturale della Sterpaia (Livorno); Follonica, Castiglione della Pescaia, Marina e Principina di Grosseto, Monte Argentario (Grosseto)
MARCHE (16) Gabicce Mare, Pesaro, Fano, Mondolfo-Marotta (Pesaro-Urbino); Senigallia, Ancona Portonovo, Sirolo, Numana (Ancona); Porto Recanati, Potenza Picena – Porto, Civitanova Marche (Macerata); Porto Sant’Elpidio, Porto San Giorgio, Cupra Marittima, Grottammare, San Benedetto del Tronto (Ascoli Piceno)
LAZIO (4) Anzio (Roma); Sabaudia, San Felice Circeo, Sperlonga

ABRUZZO (14) Martinsicuro, Alba Adriatica, Tortoreto, Giulianova, Roseto degli Abruzzi, Pineto, Silvi Marina (Teramo); Ortona, San Vito Chietino, Rocca San Giovanni, Fossacesia, Vasto, San Salvo (Chieti); Scanno (L’Aquila)

MOLISE (1) Termoli (Campobasso)
CAMPANIA (12) Massa Lubrense (Napoli); Positano, Agropoli, Castellabate, Montecorice-Agnone e Capitello, Pollica-Acciaroli Pioppi, Casal Velino, Ascea, Pisciotta, Centola-Palinuro, Vibonati-Villammare, Sapri (Salerno)
BASILICATA (1) Maratea (Potenza)
PUGLIA (8) Rodi Garganico (Foggia); Polignano a Mare (Bari); Fasano, Ostuni (Brindisi); Ginosa-Marina di Ginosa (Taranto); Otranto, Melendugno, Salve (Lecce)
CALABRIA (5) Cariati, Amendolara (Cosenza); Cirò Marina (Crotone); Roccella Jonica, Marina di Gioiosa Jonica (Reggio Calabria)
SICILIA (6) Lipari (Messina); Fiumefreddo di Sicilia-Marina di Cottone (Catania), Ispica, Pozzallo, Ragusa-Marina di Ragusa (Ragusa); Menfi (Agrigento)
SARDEGNA (5) Santa Teresa di Gallura-Rena Bianca, La Maddalena-Punta Tegge Spalmatore (Olbia-Tempio)