Hello! How are you? I’m back, or better, I should be back from the beginning of next year.
I’ve been so busy with my job and private life that I nearly forgotten about this Blog but I should have more free time from next year and I’d like to update you all on the topics we all love.
PS – few changes are planned for this Blog in 2019, stay tuned.
Single, jobless and broke, 30-something Hee-soo is miserable. To get back on her feet she comes up with a plan to track down her ex, Byoung-woon, and re-claim the 3 ½ million won he owes her.
Byoung-woon is also penniless but surprisingly happy for he knows the girls who are willing to give him money. Afraid Byoung-woon may run off before clearing his debt, Hee-soo follows him as he visits many girls to borrow money, so the two ex-love birds set out on a one day journey to collect money, and memory.
KCC Multi-purpose Hall
18 April 2013
6:00 – 7:30pm, followed by a drinks reception to 8:30pm
13/14 Cornwall Terrace, London, NW1 4QP
Organised by The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation
Japan has struggled with chronic deflation since its financial and real estate bubble burst 20 years ago, triggering a severe financial crisis in 1997-1998. Since then, the Japanese economy has in fact grown in real terms, albeit sluggishly, as a result of extraordinary fiscal and monetary stimuli implemented in response to this crisis. Nonetheless, most Japanese now feel less well-off (unless they travel abroad to take advantage of the strong Yen) and Japanese industrial pre-eminence, especially in electronics, is being challenged by Korean competition. Against this backdrop, the LDP won the general election last December in a landslide, ushering into the limelight again Shinzo Abe (Prime Minister in 2006-7), who has since embarked on a new economic initiative, nicknamed “Abenomics, ” which has pushed equity markets up by more than 30%. In this seminar the speakers address the question: ‘What is “Abenomics”, and can it achieve its goal of lifting Japan out of deflation?’ They also consider what its side-effects might be domestically, and what the implications could be for other advanced economies, especially the UK and Eurozone, which are experiencing their own prolonged period of economic troubles.
Yosuke Kawakami
Yosuke Kawakami was appointed Minister for Financial Affairs at the Embassy of Japan in July 2010, where he follows developments in UK fiscal, monetary and financial policies as well as in the London financial markets and represents Japanese interests in these areas. He is on secondment from the Japanese Ministry of Finance where he served as Director in the Financial Bureau, the Customs Bureau and the Minister’s Secretariat, as well as Deputy in the International Finance and Banking Bureaus. He also has extensive overseas experience, having previously served at the IMF, OECD, and at the Embassy of Japan in Moscow in his 30 year career in public service. Since arriving in London, he has kept close watch on the near implosion of the Euro as well as the slow financial recovery and rising tensions in Europe, which has caused him to question the wisdom of the economics and finance professions, and thier ability to learn from past mistakes.
Andrew Smithers
Andrew Smithers started Smithers & Co. Ltd. in 1989 and now the firm provides advice on international asset allocation to more than 100 clients worldwide, covering the economies, stock, bond and currency markets of Japan, the US and major European countries. It is particularly well known for its work on the Japanese economy. Prior to starting his own firm, Andrew was at S.G.Warburg & Co. Ltd. where he ran the investment management business for some years.He read Economics at Cambridge, first visiting Japan in 1968 and living there from 1986 to 1989. He has been a regular contributor to the Nikkei Veritas Market Eye column (until Sept 2011) and to theLondon Evening Standard and Japan’s Sentaku magazine. His publications include: Valuing Wall Street with Stephen Wright, (McGraw-Hill, 2000) and Japan’s Key Challenges for the 21st Centurywith David Asher, published in Japanese by Diamond Press in 1999. He is a member of the Advisory Board for the Centre for International Macroeconomics and Finance (CIMF) at Cambridge and a Fellow of CFA (UK).
Edward Carr (Chair)
Edward Carr joined The Economist as a Science Correspondent in 1987. After a series of jobs covering electronics, trade, energy and the environment, he moved to Paris to write about European business. In 2000, after a period as Business Editor, he left for the Financial Times, where he worked most recently as News Editor. He returned to The Economist in 2005 as Britain Editor, and was Business Affairs Editor for several years before taking up his appointment as Foreign Editor in June 2009.
7pm February 28, 2013
Multi Purpose Hall
Sa-kwa
After seven years, Hyeon-jeong is dumped by Min-Seok. Broken and teetering on the brink of and emotional collapse she dedicates herself to finding a new suitor and to get married as soon as possible. She meets Sang-hoo, an awkward man, who Hyeon-jeong is attracted by his shy demeanour, and makes the conscious decision to marry him-until Min-Seok decides he’s made a mistake and wants to get back together with her.
Wednesday 30th Jan 2013, 5PM
Multi-purpose Hall, KCCUK
The Korean Cultural Centre UK is pleased to host a Forum on Korean Culturefeaturing four cultural experts. Each speaker will talk on their specialised cultural sector, the present and future of Korean culture’s presence in the UK and of course the possible future direction of the KCCUK itself.
*Guest Speakers and Abstract
The KCCUK – A look back at the first five years
Philip Gowman (Founder and Editor of London Korean Links)
Korean culture in London did not start with the opening of the Korean Cultural Centre (KCCUK) in 2008. But the establishment of a cultural venue at a high profile location with a regular government-funded budget has undoubtedly helped take the presentation of Korean culture in the UK to a new level. Full-time staff can obviously deliver projects that are beyond the reach of voluntary organisations. But going beyond the organisation of events – stressful enough in itself – the KCCUK has been able to build relationships with premier arts organisations in London such as the South Bank Centre and the Institute of Contemporary Arts which has enabled Korean cultural events to be presented at mainstream venues and thus reach a more generalist audience; and a flourishing relationship with London City Hall has enabled the Korean Village to become a central attraction of The Mayor’s Thames Festival. What is surprising though is that, contrary to some expectations, the entry of the Korean government into the promotion of Korean culture has not squeezed out private sector and individual initiatives. This talk will look back at the KCCUK’s achievements in its first five years and consider them alongside some of the complementary private sector projects during that period.
The Korean Wave in the British Context
Dr. Hyunsun Yoon (Ph.D. Cardiff University, Senior Lecturer in Advertising, School of Arts and Digital Industries, University of East London)
The flood of the Korean popular culture – films, pop music and especially TV dramas – into the rest of Asia around since the late 1990s became to be known as the Korean wave, and this has also been swiftly making its presence felt in other parts of the world such as Europe. This paper examines the ways in which the Korean wave has been, and is discussed in the mainstream media in the UK for the last decade. Considering the wide range of examples from Old Boy to Gangnam Style,this paper poses a question of whether or not the Korean wave found its way in seemingly impermeable British culture.
Korean Art: A Self Portrait
Jeremy Akerman (Artist and Curator, Co-director of Akermandaly.com)
Adopting the position of an observer I’d like to talk about my experience of art school and how I see art school in the UK working for a Korean art student. I will refer to the visits I’ve made to Korea as a tourist, curator and artist and why I find Korean people’s attitudes to Korea paradoxical and stimulating. Especially here I’d like to mention some Korean artists and an art collection that changed my mind about how I understood the country. A further point is to express the metaphor of self-portraiture within young Korean art and to suggest ways in which KCC can support and engage this vital new work.
Connecting UK & Korean Performing Arts
Sioned Hughes (Director, SRH Arts Management, specialises in international professional development of people across the arts and creative industries).
I will share the experience of a 2-year research exchange programme for Korean and UK performing arts managers that promoted and supported collaborative exchange between Korean and UK arts producers; developed performing arts professional networks between Korea and the UK and encouraged the development of artistic collaboration.
6.30 PM, December 20, 2012
Apollo Cinema Piccadilly
Formerly known as “How to Travel with a Cow”
A bachelor poet lives in a remote area of Kang-won province. He goes to sell a cow but the price is too low. He gets a call from his former lover, who married his friend seven years ago. His friend has died, and she asks him to come to the funeral. He goes to the funeral with the cow. The man, the girl, and the cow leave on a journey.
Walking by the Thames…
6 October 2012 from 11.00am
Trafalgar Square, London
The Japan Foundation will be holding a stall at the Japan Matsuri, London’s annual celebration of Japanese culture.
Come and visit us to learn more about what we can offer to learners and teachers of Japanese language, take part in a Japan Quiz and maybe even grab some Japanese goodies!
You can view more details about Japan Matsuri here.
25 September 2012, 7:00 – 8:15pm
Daiwa Foundation Japan House
n the Renaissance and Baroque periods, the lute and the guitar ruled as king and queen of musical instruments. The lute gained popularity in Europe during the Middle Ages and soon took on an important role in music making. In the 16th and early 17th century in Britain, the lute was much loved by nobles such as Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. The Baroque guitar came to Britain in the 17th century from France. Charles II and Samuel Pepys were great lovers of the guitar. The English guitar was invented in Britain in the middle of the 18th century and instantly became popular among citizens.
In this concert respected early guitar/lute player Taro Takeuchi will perform some of the finest pieces for those instruments from the 16th, 17th and 18th century Britain. The concert will include pieces by John Dowland, Henry Purcell, Francesco Geminiani, George Frideric Handel and others. Taro Takeuchi uses antique guitars from the 18th century as well as a faithful modern copy of an original 16th century lute.
Taro Takeuchi
Taro Takeuchi was born in Kyoto, Japan. After completing his degrees in law and music in Tokyo, he studied early music at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He now lives in London and he has been in great demand as a soloist and ensemble player. Taro has toured most European countries, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, the USA and Japan. As a continuo player he has worked with The English Concert, The Royal Opera House, The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Berlin Philharmonic, as well as Sir Simon Rattle, Rachel Podger and Nigel Kennedy. He has made numerous recordings for Deux-Elles, EMI, Hyperion Records, Harmonia Mundi, the BBC and others. His solo recordingsFolias!, The Century That Shaped the Guitar andAffectuoso: Virtuoso Guitar Music from the 18th Century were received with critical acclaim and high praise.
Taken from Japan Foundation website
Friday, September 21st 2012
The Japan Foundation, London
The next Volunteer Training Day for our Japanese Taster for Schools (JTS) Programme will take place on Friday, September 21st 2012.
Our regular Training Days at our London office are a great opportunity to meet other volunteers, get teaching ideas, and ask any questions you may have. We ask our volunteers who live within travelling distance to London to attend at least one Training Day before making a school visit, in order to get a full understanding of the JTS Programme. Those who are not yet members of JTS but are interested in joining are also welcome to sign up for the training day. You can read about our last Training Day, held in May 2012, here.
The day will begin with an induction for new attendees at 12:30 (registration starts from 12:15). Those who have been to a JTS Training Day before may attend from 13:00. You can find a provisional timetable of the event below.
How to apply
To register, please click here to use our online application form.
The registration form uses Google Documents and is subject to Google’s standard terms and conditions of use. Alternatively, you may register by downloading and printing the PDF application form below, completing it by hand and sending it to the Japan Foundation by email, fax or post. Please note that your application may take slightly longer to process via this method.
If you are not yet a member of JTS, please click here for more information about the programme and to complete a membership application form.
The deadline for applications is Wednesday, September 19th. Please note that this is event is free, but prior booking is essential. Attendees who arrive without booking, including those accompanying attendees who have booked, may be denied entry.
For more information about the JTS programme, please click here.
September 20, 2012
Multi-Purpose Hall, KCCUK
Jung-Nim, a North Korean middle class worker, defects from the North following the accusation of watching a porn video. Her husband barely gets Jung-Nim out of the country but is arrested by the North Korean security forces. Jung-Nim lives in South Korea under the surveillance of Kim Soo-Jin, who was assigned to do this by the government. Jung-Nim feels lonely, and then meets Oh Sung-Tae, a patrolman. But as time goes by, its her husband that Jung-Nim misses and worries about more and more. It is then that she hears news about her imprisoned husband through her watchdog Soo-Jin&hellip.
12 Sep 2012 to 14 Oct 2012
At the Japan House Gallery
Organised by the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation
The Sea by Night and Day is an exhibition containing a new body of work by Toru Kuwakubo. Following his VOCA awarded work, Study of Mom (2011), he explores the idea of the sea as the origin of life, in contrast to its associations with fear and destruction, especially in post-tsunami Japan. In this first solo show in London, Kuwakubo will experiment by dividing the exhibition spaces into day and night to invite viewers to navigate through his world.
Toru Kuwakubo’s work seeks to question the nature of artistic practice. In adopting the persona of fictional painter Kuwoud Bonet, a character inspired by the work of the Impressionists, Kuwakubo explores clichés of ‘Art’ and ‘The Artist’. His paintings depict everyday objects set within vibrant seascapes; their thick layers of richly coloured pigment imbuing a deep sense of nostalgia. Though originating from his personal experience, the paintings appear as if they are fiction from the artist’s mind.
Toru Kuwakubo was born in 1978 in Kanagawa, Japan. After graduating from Tama Art University in 2002, he was awarded the 3rd Koji Kinutani Prize by Mainichi Newspapers in 2011 and the VOCA Encouragement Prize in 2012. Selected exhibitions include Portrait Session, Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, Hiroshima (2007), Out of Noise, GALLERY HYUNDAI, Gangnam Space, Seoul (2010), and Telling of Sea, Telling of Painter, Tokyo Wonder Site Shibuya, Tokyo (2010). Kuwakubo’s work is included in major collections in Japan, including the Toyota Art Collection, Takamatsu City Museum of Art, Takahashi Collection, the Flowerman Collection and The Dai-ichi Mutual Life Insurance Company. Kuwakubo is represented by Tomio Koyama Gallery, Japan.
6 September 2012
6:00 – 7:30pm, followed by a drinks reception to 8:15pm
Daiwa Foundation Japan House
Organised by the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation
Tokyo University of the Arts, Japan’s leading specialist music and arts college, is staging back-to-back performances of the Noh play Sumidagawa and Benjamin Britten’s opera Curlew River, in London and Suffolk on 7 and 9 September (sumidagawa-curlewriver.com). Curlew River is closely based on Sumidagawa, which Britten saw twice when he visited Japan in 1953. In advance of these performances, this event aims to help audiences understand both pieces and put them into context. How does Sumidagawa fit into the Noh tradition? Why did this ancient Japanese art have such a powerful impact on Britten? And how did he digest his Japanese experiences as he produced Curlew River, shifting the locale from Tokyo’s Sumida River to the marshy landscapes of East Anglia, transforming the “capital birds” of the original into curlews, and replacing Buddhism with medieval Christianity? Whether you are able to attend the performances or not, the encounter between one of Japan’s most sophisticated art forms and the UK’s greatest 20th century composer is a fascinating story.
Professor Tomotaka Sekine
Professor Tomotaka Sekine began his stage career at the age of four playing the child parts in Kurama Tengu and Hibariyama, and gave his first shiteperformance in Tsunemasa in 1963. After graduating from Tokyo University of the Arts, he became a pupil of the 25th Kanze Soke Motomasa Sakon. Becoming independent in 1981, he gave performances ofShakko, Midare and Dojoji. Performing as a member of Kenkyu-Kai, Kanno-Kai and Mori-no-Kai, his Noh repertoire included Okina, Kinuta, Mochizukiand Sotoba Komachi. He joined Tokyo University of the Arts as an associate professor in 2004, becoming a professor in 2010 (Department of Traditional Japanese Music, Kanze ’school of Noh’). In the university’s “Beauty of Traditional Japanese Music” programme, he collaborated with other art fields in presenting Konjaku Monogatari. He was certified Intangible Cultural Property, is a board member of the Kanze Association, a member of Kenkyu-Kai, and the chairman of Kangetsu-Kai.
Dr Daisaku Mukai
Dr Daisaku Mukai is a lecturer in musicology at Ueno Gakuen University, Tokyo. He has also been a research fellow at the Research Centre of the Graduate School of Music, Tokyo University of the Arts since 2009. His specialities are 20th century music and music aesthetics. He completed his PhD on Britten at Tokyo University of the Arts in 2008. In his dissertation entitled “Dramaturgy of invisible sounds in Benjamin Britten’s opera”, he analyses Britten’s musical dramaturgy, focusing on his leitmotiftechnique and the function of invisible sounds in his operatic works. He is now working on the study ofCurlew River and Britten’s relationship with Japan.
7pm, August 09, 2012
Multi-Purpose Hall, KCCUK
Jeong-hae (Kim Ji-soo) works at a postoffice. She lives near her workplace in a flat. In her secluded life only her plants and a cat she did pick up off the streets keep her company. She mainly eats instant noodles and oftentimes orders something out from the Home Shopping Channel’s commercials.
Except getting something to eat in her lunch break with her female colleagues, she avoids any contact to other people. Slowly, one gets to know a little bit more of her past, her dead mother and an old friend, who suddenly steps into her life again.
Jeong-hae did get some mental wounds in her past, but she decides to go on with life. When she often meets a writer (Hwang Jung-min) in the postoffice, she takes her chances and invites him for dinner. Can Jeong-hae really love again, despite her tragic past?
| (English Subtitle) |
29 August 2012 from 6.30pm
The Japan Foundation, London
Japanese from Scratch is a new series of Japanese language and culture workshops from the Japan Foundation London, suitable for those who are interested in learning Japanese but haven’t started yet, or those who have just started learning.
Learn how to make the most of your experience in Japan,including:
– Professional advice & tips for travellers
– Essential Japanese language, including greetings, dining and etiquette
– Access to information from travel companies
Date & Time: August 29th 2012, 18:30 – 21:00 (Registration from 18:00)
This workshop is for those intersted in travelling to Japan, Japanese culture or learning Japanese. Instructions and explanations will be in English.
Yumi Takakubo Trade Partnerships & Marketing Manager
Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO)
Seiji Fukushima Chief Japanese Language Advisor
Japan Foundation London
Fee: Only £5.00 – Includes Japanese food and drink taster, and a small Japanese gift. The fee must be paid in cash only on arrival. We cannot accept cheques or credit cards.
Booking: Please click here to book online
*The registration form uses Google Forms and is subject to Google’s standard terms and conditions of use. Alternatively, you may register by downloading and printing the PDF application form below, completing it by hand and sending it to the Japan Foundation.
Advance booking is essential. This workshop is limited to 100 – strictly first come, first served.
This is event is co-organised by the Japan Foundation London and the Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO).
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