CJS Winter 2019 Newsletter

Contents Click the links to go straight to the section Report on the VC’s Trip to Japan and New MA Report on HUM goes to Japan CJS Summer Programmes 2019 CJS Seminar Series Dates Third Thursday Lectures Happy New Year! 明けましておめでとうございます！ Welcome to the UEA Centre for Japanese Studies winter e-newsletter. Please forward this on to anyone you think might be interested, and let us know about any events or news you think would be of interest to the Japanese studies community in Norwich.

The deadline for the next issue is: Friday 12th April 2019

Other Forthcoming Events Updates from CJS Staff

Contact Us To stay connected with Japan-related teaching, research and events, please visit www.uea.ac.uk/cjs for full details.

The CJS office is located in the Sainsbury Centre for the Visual Arts (the mezzanine floor). Our phone number is (01603) 591819. You can also reach us via email (cjs@uea.ac.uk).

To keep up with goings-on at CJS, follow us on social media: www.facebook.com/CJSUea/ www.twitter.com/CJS_Uea

You can also read our newsletters and other publications on our issuu page.

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Recent Happenings

VC’s Trip to Japan and New MA programme In December, UEA Vice Chancellor Professor David Richardson travelled to Japan, accompanied

by Professor Simon Kaner to visit partner institutions, visiting UEA staff currently based in Japan and Japanese UEA alumni along the way. This was the VC’s third visit to Japan and the largest delegation ever sent to Japan by the University, including: Professor Sarah Barrow (Pro-Vice Chancellor for Arts and Humanities), Dr Eylem Atakev (Associate Dean for Internationalisation, Faculty of Arts and Humanities), Dr Nao Kishita (Lecturer in Health Sciences), Dr Ra Mason (Sasakawa Lecturer in Japanese International Relations and Foreign Policy), Professor Nicole Rousmaniere (Research Director and Handa IFAC Curator of Japanese Art at the British Museum), Professor Toshio Watanabe (Professor of Japanese Arts and Cultural Heritage), and Dr Jennifer Coates (Senior Lecturer in Japanese Arts and Heritage).

The objective of this visit was to meet friends and supporters of UEA and the Sainsbury Institute in Japan, and to attend some key events, two of which were especially notable. Firstly, the 5th Ishibashi Foundation Lecture Series given by Professor Mikhael Adolphson (Keidanren Professor of Japanese at the University of Cambridge) and Professor Karl Friday (Professor of History at Saitama University) at Kokugakuin University in Tokyo, on the theme of weapons and warfare in Medieval Japan. Secondly a special reception was held at the International House of Japan, during which Professor Richardson was able to formally announce the launch of the new MA in Interdisciplinary Japanese Studies at the University of East Anglia.

Professor Kaner has produced a report of the visit, which you can find here.

Memorandum of Understanding with Tohoku University During the VC’s visit to Japan, the UEA signed a new agreement of collaboration and exchange with President Hideo Ohno of Tohoku University. Relationships with Tohoku University are being built in International Relations, Health Sciences, Pharmacy and Archaeology. In autumn 2018 two UEA PhD student spent time at Tohoku University. We were treated to a campus tour led by International Exchange Officer David Hanley including a special visit to International Research Institute for Disaster Science (IRIDeS) at Tohoku University, led by Professor Natsuko Chubachi.

The relationship with Tohoku has now expanded from an agreement with PPL to a university-wide agreement, including study abroad opportunities.

HUM goes to Japan At the same time as the Vice Chancellor was carrying out his trip, a delegation from HUM, consisting of Eylem Atakav and Sarah Barrow were also in Japan, promoting and developing HUM’s links with Japan.

They were joined by SISJAC lecturer Dr Jennifer Coates. The trip was highly successful, and will be followed up with another trip in the summer, as part of an ongoing effort to expand on HUM’s activities in Japan.

More information about this trip can be found in the report on the VC’s visit to Japan, linked above.

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Study Abroad Programme with Osaka University Following the signing of an exchange agreement, a study abroad programme with Osaka University has commenced this academic year (2018/19).

Forthcoming Opportunities GB Sasakawa Studentships We are accepting applications for postgraduate funding provided by the Great British Sasakawa Foundation for students with an offer to study at the UEA in academic year 2019/2020. Both MA and PhD candidates in any discipline are eligible to apply, but the applicant’s research (in the case of MA students, their MA dissertation) must be Japan-related. Each studentship is worth £10,000 towards fees and living expenses. Our internal deadline for applications will be the 15th February 2019. For more information, contact us at cjs@uea.ac.uk CJS Summer Programmes 2019 Applications are now open for our 2019 summer programmes, which are detailed below. Funded places are available for both programmes, just follow the links below the programme descriptions.

Japan Orientation Summer School 2019 29th June – 13th July 2019 Japan Orientation is targeted towards undergraduate students with an interest in Japan, although no experience of Japanese language or study of Japan is required. This course is about gaining a deeper understanding of the past, present and future of Japan. Classes concentrate on stimulating discussions on a wide range of disciplines in the field of Japanese Studies, including arts and culture, history, literature, international relations, business and media.

Deadline for applications: 31st March 2019 To apply, click here.

Ishibashi Foundation Summer Fellowship 2019 27th July – 17th August 2019 Our second, more advanced summer programme returns at the end of July with a new name, to reflect the course’s master’s-level content. This course offers an in-depth encounter with Japanese arts, cultures and heritage, from the earliest times to the present day. Over the three weeks of the course, participants learn about what constitutes Japanese cultural heritage and how this relates to the rest of the world; how Japanese visual and material cultures are displayed in museums and galleries both in Japan and elsewhere; and about current debates in the study of Japanese art history in a transnational context. Through detailed case studies participants will gain a clear understanding of Japanese artistic and cultural traditions and their impact on the modern world.

Deadline for applications: 31st March 2019 To apply, click here.

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Don’t forget that 11-15th Feb is Global Opportunities week at UEA. There will be several Japan related sessions through the week, both to help Japanese students find work and non-Japanese who are considering opportunities to live and work in Japan. DAIWA and Interac will join us for the Global mini-Careers fair on the Thursday evening and a current Masters student will speak to students about his experiences on the JET programme. We will also have a Skype link up session with UEA alumni in Japan for non-Japanese speaking students to get an insight into what it’s like to live and work in the country.

All the events have limited spaces, so if you would like to attend then book now on MyCareerCentral.

Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures e-Magazine SISJAC have published issue 25 of their e-magazine on their website, where you can catch up with recent activities at SISJAC and stay up to date with research carried out by their lecturers and fellows.

Read the e-magazine here.

CJS Research Seminar Series Our CJS Research Seminar Series returns this semestey, beginning on the 6th of February, with a talk by Prof Naoyuki Ono from Tohoku University. Seminars are still on Wednesdays, although we are having a special extra seminar on Thursday 7th February as we welcome anthropologist Prof Kojiro Hirose from the National Museum of Ethnography in Japan. All seminars are at 5.30pm in LSB 01.21 and last about an hour, followed by a glass of wine and informal networking.

6th February – Redupilication in English and Japanese: How Words are Coined in the Lexicon, Prof Naoyuki Ono, Tohoku University 7th February – Hands of a Goze – The Tactile Culture of Visually-Impared People in Modern Japan, Prof Kojiro Hirose, National Museum of Ethnography, Japan 27th February – Royal Abdications and the Quest for Power in Early Japanese History, Dr Daniel Schley, University of Bonn 20th March – The U.S. Occupation of Japan and the Korean Minority Question, Dr Deokhyo Choi, University of Sheffield You can read the abstracts for these talks on the news and events page of our website.

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Dates for your Diary

Ongoing, until 31st January 2019: 9.30am-5.30pm, closed weekends, Exhibition The Embassy of Japan Hakata Ori: Weaving Through to the Present For more information, see: https://www.uk.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/1811exhibit.html

Ongoing, until 31st August 2019: Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 11am-5pm, Exhibition World Rugby Museum, Twickenham Stadium Brave Blossoms: the History of Rugby in Japan Exhibition produced in partnership with England Rugby Travel and Kanto District Transport Bureau Entry is £12.50. Concessions available. Opening times can be affected by matches. For more information, see: http://www.worldrugbymuseum.com/whats-on/38-brave-blossoms Tuesday 29th January 2019: 6pm-8pm, Private View and Artist Talk Daiwa Foundation, Japan House The Inkblot Looked Like Me – by Susumu Matsuura Opportunity to have an advanced look at the exhibition and hear him discuss the inspiration for the work Free event, but booking required: http://dajf.org.uk/exhibitions/the-inkblot-looked-like-me-by-susumumatsuura/private-view-and-artist-talk-the-inkblot-looked-like-me-by-susumu-matsuura Wednesday 30th January – Thursday 28th February 2019: Exhibition Daiwa Foundation, Japan House The Inkblot Looked Like Me – by Susumu Matsuura Organised by the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation

Wednesday 30th January 2019: 6.45pm, Talk Asia House, 63 New Cavendish Street Van Gogh & Japan: The Provence Years Martin Bailey, co-curator of the forthcoming Van Gogh exhibition at the Tate For more information, see: https://asiahousearts.org/events/van-gogh-japan-provence-years-martinbailey/ Wednesday 30th January 2019: 5pm-7pm, Talk at SOAS Japan Research Centre Khalili Lecture Theatre, SOAS College Buildings Still Thinking from the Yamanote: Space, Place and Mobility in Tokyo Dr Jamie Coates & Dr Mark Pendleton University of Sheffield Saturday 2nd February – Thursday 28th March 2019: Touring film programme Various locations, see website The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2019 Japan Foundation For more information, see: https://www.jpf-film.org.uk/ 5

Monday 4th February 2019: 5pm-7pm, AMES East Asia Seminar Series Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Cambridge Jealous Goddesses and Serene Buddhas: the ‘Arrival of Belief’ at the Eastern Extremity of the Silk Roads Professor Simon Kaner SISJAC Tuesday 5th February 2019: 7pm-8.30pm, Performance and Talk British Library Between the Stones The Between the Stones Project: Classical and Contemporary Noh, including ‘Getting to Noh from Page to Stage’ a Programme of Associated Education and Outreach activities For more information, see: https://www.betweenthestones.com/ Wednesday 6th February 2019: 5.30pm-7pm, CJS Research Seminar 01.21 Lawrence Stenhouse Building, UEA campus Reduplication in English and Japanese: How Words are Coined in the Lexicon Professor Naoyuki Ono Tohoku University Wednesday 6th February 2019: 5pm-7pm, SOAS Japan Research Centre Talk Khalili Lecture Theatre, SOAS College Buildings Loss, Profit and Opportunity: Local Economic Responses to the Great Kantō Earthquake of 1923 Professor Janet Hunter LSE Thursday 7th February 2019: 5.30pm-7pm, CJS Research Seminar 01.21 Lawrence Stenhouse Building, UEA campus Hands of a Goze: The Tactile Culture of Visually-Impaired People in Modern Japan Professor Kojiro Hirose National Museum of Ethnography, Japan Friday 8th February & Friday 22nd February 2019: 2pm-2.30pm & 3pm-3.30pm, Demonstration Room 92, British Museum The Way of Tea Free tea ceremony demonstration by members of the Urasenke Foundation London Branch No need to book Friday 8th February 2019: 4pm onwards, Film Screening and Afternoon Tea The Delaunay, 55 Aldwych Afternoon Tea and Film Screening with Director Keisuke Yoshida Keisuke Yoshida, Director of Thicker Than Water (2018) The Japan Society For more information and to book, see: https://www.japansociety.org.uk/event/keisuke-yoshida/ Monday 18th February 2019: 5pm-7pm, AMES East Asia Seminar Series Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Cambridge Alegal: Biopolitics and the Unintelligibility of Okinawan Life Dr Annmaria Shimabuku New York University 6

Tuesday 19th February 2019: 5pm-7pm, AMES East Asia Seminar Series Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Cambridge TBC Professor Araragi Shinzo Sophia University Thursday 21st February 2019: 6pm, Third Thursday Lecture The Cathedral Hostry Mermaids and Snow Crystals in the Great Chain of Being Dr Mateja Kovacic Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies, University of Oxford Sunday 24th February 2019: 11am-12pm & 1pm-2pm & 3pm-4pm, Workshop Samsung Centre, British Museum Make a Manga Comic Children’s workshops at the British Museum Free to attend but booking is required on the day at the Samsung Digital Discovery Centre Monday 25th February 2019: 5pm-7pm, AMES East Asia Seminar Series Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Cambridge TBC Dr Daniel Schley University of Bonn Wednesday 27th February 2019: 5.30pm-7pm, CJS Research Seminar 01.21 Lawrence Stenhouse Building, UEA campus Royal Abdications and the Quest for Power in Early Japanese History Dr Daniel Schley University of Bonn Wednesday 27th February 2019: 5pm-7pm, SOAS Japan Research Centre Talk Khalili Lecture Theatre, SOAS College Buildings Japan’s Long Stagnation, Deflation, and Abenomics – Mechanisms and Lessons Professor Kenji Aramaki Tokyo Woman’s Christian University & University of Tokyo Tuesday 5th March 2019: 1.30pm onwards, Industry and Professional Summit The Mansion House, Walbrook Japan Securities Summit 2019 Various speakers The Japan Society, ICMA For more information, see: https://www.japansociety.org.uk/event/japan-securities-summit-2019/ Wednesday 6th March 2019: 5pm-7pm, SOAS Japan Research Centre Talk Khalili Lecture Theatre, SOAS College Buildings Japan’s Imperial Underworlds: Intimate Encounters at the Borders of Empire Dr David Ambaras North Carolina State University

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Friday 8th March 2019: 5pm-7pm, AMES East Asia Seminar Series Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Cambridge TBC Dr David Ambaras NC State University Friday 8th March 2019: All day, Workshop Cardiff University Japan Foundation/BAJS Japanese Studies Postgraduate Workshop 2019: Career Progression Free and open to postgraduate students, but advanced registration required. For more information, see: https://jpf.org.uk/whatson.php#1044 Wednesday 13th March: 5pm-7pm, SOAS Japan Research Centre Talk Khalili Lecture Theatre, SOAS College Buildings On the Trail of Shiba Ryotaro and Jane Austen: Novels, Heritage and Contents Tourism in Japan and the UK Professor Philip Seaton Tokyo University of Foreign Studies Monday 18th March 2019: 6.45pm, Talk The Swedenborg Society, 20-21 Bloomsbury Way Can a ‘Religion’ Be Translated as ‘Culture’? Tenrikyō’s Cultural Activities in Its Propagation in France Dr Masato Kato Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Centre for the Study of Japanese Religions, SOAS For more information, see: https://www.japansociety.org.uk/event/masato-kato/ Wednesday 20th March 2019: 5.30pm-7pm, CJS Research Seminar 01.21 Lawrence Stenhouse Building, UEA campus The U.S. Occupation of Japan and the Korean Minority Question Dr Deokhyo Choi University of Sheffield Wednesday 20th March 2019: 5pm-7pm, SOAS Japan Research Centre Talk Khalili Lecture Theatre, SOAS College Buildings Radical Writing for Radical Times: Mishima Yukio’s Inochi Urimasu (Life for Sale) as a Critique of Post-War Japanese Culture Professor Stephen Dodd SOAS Thursday 11th April 2019: 6:30pm-8:30pm, Royal Asiatic Society Lecture Series Royal Asiatic Society Lecture Theatre The Hidden History of Studio Ghibli: Short Films, Advertising and the Industrial Reality of Japanese Animation Dr Rayna Denison University of East Anglia

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People Motoko Akashi, doctoral candidate in LDC (School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing), successfully defended and passed her viva on the 12th December. Her thesis is entitled “Contesting Invisibility: Japanese Celebrity Translators and the Impact of their Fame”. You can read the abstract below: The key questions posed in this thesis are: what factors determine when and how a translator becomes famous; and to what extent do translation strategies relate to the recognition of translators and their works.

These questions are answered through an analysis of celebrity translators in Japan. The analysis includes translators’ own agencies, publishers’ marketing strategies, and readers’ and critics’ receptions of translations, in order to identify what factors create translator fame and how status influences translation practices. The study also investigates the implications of historical background in the occurrence of the translator celebrity phenomenon by examining some of Japan’s first celebrity translators. This research considers the commercial publishing context of translated fiction, rather than focusing on its literary and cultural values, as existing studies on translator visibility usually do. Furthermore, the study considers intermediaries (e.g. publishers and readers) who play a part in the production of celebrity translators. The research relies on a variety of original and secondary resources, unconventional in translation studies, including existing research on celebrity, archival materials such as printed media and biographical accounts of historical translators, and survey data on translators, publishers and readers.

The thesis concludes that translator visibility is complex, and consists of a combination of multiple factors including cultural conventions, translator agency, and the perceptions of publishers and readers of translators and their works. Therefore, prevailing mainstream notions in translation studies are insufficient to understand and discuss translator visibility fully. The novel approach employed in this research enables future studies to bring a wide range of pertinent factors to bear in the examination of translator visibility.

Susan Burton (LDC) was shortlisted for the 2018 Tony Lothian prize for her recent book Gaijin: Modern Japan Through Western Eyes. The prize, given by The Biographers’ Club, awards £2,000 to the best proposal for a first uncommissioned biography. Her book formed part of her doctorate in Creative and Critical Writing, for which she also wrote a critical research project entitled “The Accidental Migrants: British female migrants to Japan”. You can read the abstract below: This doctoral thesis is a study of western migrants to Japan. It examines the lives, the lifestyles, and the jobs of a varied group of westerners who choose to reside long-term in an Asian country. Through their experiences this thesis also examines aspects of modern Japanese society: history, belief, laws, business, cuisine, art, media, gender and identity.

This thesis comprises two parts: The critical research project, The Accidental Migrants: British female migrants to Japan, is a qualitative oral history research project exploring the lives and experiences of a sample set of western migrants to Japan: British women. A group of 18 British women were interviewed and the critical project examines their migration narratives in three areas: gender, migration and identity, analysing their subjective experiences as women, as foreigners and as British citizens.

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The creative project, Gaijin: modern Japan through western eyes, is a work of cultural reportage documenting the lives and careers of a more diverse group of western migrants. It features an American who runs a Buddhist temple, a Liverpudlian who is Japan’s only professional foreign female rakugoka (comic storyteller), a British animal rights activist, the British founder of a 'Great British' baking school, an Australian singer who voices the character of a cartoon sushi on Japanese television, an American academic who uncovered Japan's biggest archaeological hoax, a British miso (fermented soybean) expert, and a Welshman who writes, produces and directs award-winning Japanese-language movies. There are also teachers, bar hostesses, wedding celebrants, singers, actors, models, and the multicultural members of Japan's oldest amateur dramatic society.

Project Officer Christopher Hayes also passed his viva before Christmas, and had his corrections approved in early January. His thesis was entitled “Contradictory Stereotypical Depictions of Japan's Relationship with Technology in the British Press”. You can read the abstract below, and the thesis is available to read online here: https://orca.cf.ac.uk/118506/ Fake news has become a global buzzword, grabbing headlines and sparking debate about how to identify fabricated stories. However, inaccuracy can arise in other ways. A key example of this is stereotyping in the media, which affects not only minority groups, but entire nations. Japan is a country often defined in the British media through stereotypical depictions, falling back on Orientalised, unchanging notions of ‘Japaneseness’ and its perceived difference to the West. The reporting of Japan’s use of technology in the British press, however, presents a puzzle: in some instances, Japan is depicted as being low-tech, whilst in others, Japan is high-tech.

These are not contrasts, but direct contradictions. How can they coexist? Extant research has blamed journalists as lazy, lacking knowledge about Japan or for ‘Japan-bashing’, but has done so without taking the time to interview journalists. No previous research has explained the coexistence of contradictory stereotypical depictions, nor considered why journalists employ stereotypical depictions in articles. The thesis goes beyond demonstrating misrepresentation, and considers how these contradictory depictions can coexist, whether they can be evidenced, and why they persist. Taking articles about fax machines as an example of low-tech Japan and articles about robots for high-tech Japan, the thesis combines critical discourse analysis and fieldwork to test depictions against empirical evidence. It reveals that these technologies are not used to the extent depicted in the British media, and that the context for their use is omitted. It also shows that these depictions are not as contradictory as it first appears, as they derive from the same stereotypical knowledge. Furthermore, these depictions are not the result of lazy journalism, but complex systemic factors within foreign news reporting. These findings are not only significant for the reporting of Japan, but for understanding the media depictions of many other countries, too.

PPL (the School of Politics, Philosophy, Language, and Communications Studies) recently welcomed two new associate tutors in Japanese, Keiko Nishioka and Bethany Bradley.

Ra Mason (PPL) has just returned from Ritsumeikan University, where he was based for a semester. He was out there as part of a lecturer-exchange programme developed in collaboration between PPL and Ritsumeikan’s College of International Relations, and is the first UEA staff member to take part in this exchange. This will go on to form part of a much broader set of exchanges, with Ritsumeikan’s Thomas French coming to the UEA in September for a year. Thomas French is associate lecturer at Ritsumeikan University in their Graduate School of International Relations, where he carries out research on Japan’s Self-Defense Force. Going forward, it is hoped that Ritsumeikan’s Art Research Center can be brought together in these exchanges, as well as the universities’ experts in archaeology and cultural heritage. As mentioned above, Eylem Atakav and Sarah Barrow recently went to Japan, and during this time visited Ritsumeikan in order to reinvigorate these exchanges, particularly in regard to art and archaeology. Ra’s time in Japan also coincided with the 30th anniversary of international relations at Ritsumeikan, and Ra was involved in the celebrations, which featured a number of distinguished guests. During his time in Japan, Ra took part in a number of collaborative events, including a symposium on the US-Japan security alliance, which will be developed further in a panel at the next JEAS conference in Edinburgh in September.

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Doctoral candidate Nicholas Bradley (LDC) has recently returned from Japan, where he was carrying out research at Tohoku University for his thesis. He has written the following report of his time:

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