From 1:00-4:00PM at the East Hall Math Atrium on the campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Free and open to the public, families welcome.

Flyer available here.

CJS’s Noon Lecture Series takes place at 12:00PM in Room 1636 of the School of Social Work Building. The talks are free and open to the public. As this is a noontime event, CJS encourages all guests to bring their brown bag lunch. Coffee, tea, and an assortment of cookies will be available.

Schedule:

 
October 27^th – Time and Space in Japanese Music, William Malm (Emeritus Professor, Ethnomusicology, The University of Michigan)

November 3^rd – Fukushima’s Victories and Victims: The Fateful Alliance of Japanese Soccer and Nuclear Power, Elise Edwards (Associate Professor, Anthropology, Butler University)

November 10^th – From the Study to the Stage: Tōkaidō Yotsuya Kaidan, Performance and Text, Satoko Shimazaki (Assistant Professor, Japanese, University of Colorado, Boulder)

November 17^th – In and Out of the Body: Corporeal Visions and Ecstatic Perception in Wartime Japanese Training Documentaries, Michael Raine (Film Scholar)

December 1^st – Figurality and the Development of Modern Consciousness, Charles Shirō Inouye (Professor, Japanese Literature; Co-Director, International Literary and Visual Studies, Tufts University)

December 8^th – PhotoVoice: Women’s Experiences of the Great East Japan Earthquake, Mieko Yoshihama (Professor, Social Work, The University of Michigan)

September 30th: Howl’s Moving Castle (Directed by Hayao Miyazaki)
Hayao Miyazaki’s extremely successful follow-up to the Academy Award-winning SPIRITED AWAY (2001) is a mesmerizing, perplexing, and breathtaking interpretation of Diana Wynne Jones’s 1986 fantasy novel.

Further Information: Directed by Hayao Miyazaki; 2004; 35mm; 119 min.; Dubbed in English (Print and screening license permissions from Swank Motion Pictures, Inc.)

October 7th: Doudes’ka Ken (Directed by Akira Kurosawa)
Kurosawa’s first color feature is a revealing and rewarding work, infused with the kind of honesty that even a master director could only barely control on film. The one movie Kurosawa finished between 1966 and 1974, it was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film in the 44th Annual Academy Awards.

Further Information: Directed by Akira Kurosawa; 1970; 140 min.; 35mm (In Japanese with English subtitles.) (Print and screening license permissions from Criterion Collection/Janus Films.)

October 14th: Millenium Actress (Directed by Satoshi Kon)
The late Satoshi Kon’s (1963-2010) second full-length film animates the story of a fictional documentary crew as they interview a famed actress. A fantastic and dramatic exploration of movie-making and Japanese film history, projected from the nuanced view of one of Japan’s few true anime auteurs.

Further Information: Directed by Satoshi Kon; 2001; 87 min.; 35mm (In Japanese with English subtitles.) (Print and screening license permissions from Swank Motion Pictures, Inc.)

October 21st: Ran (Directed by Akira Kurosawa)
Kurosawa’s fourth color film is a brilliant translation of Shakespeare’s KING LEAR. A landmark movie in the career of an already internationally renowned artist, its elegant cinematic architecture bursts with color at moments where traditional movie logic would fail. RAN defined Kurosawa’s career for a generation of international film fans.

Further Information: Directed by Akira Kurosawa; 1985; 162 min,; 35mm (In Japanese with English subtitles.) (Print and screening license permissions from Rialto Pictures.)

October 28th: House (Directed by Nobuhiko Kobayashi)
Former TV commercial and experimental film director Obayashi’s first theatrical feature. HOUSE is a hypnotizing, psychedelic journey through Japanese popular culture and pre-Bubble film history. A hilarious and terrifying time capsule of Japanese horror film making. Not to be missed!

Further Information: Directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi;1977; 88 min.; 35mm (In Japanese with English subtitles.) (Print and screening license permissions from the Criterion Collection/Janus Films.)

November 4th: Memories of Matsuko (Directed by Tetsuya Nakashima)
Director Tetsuya Nakashima updates the extravagance of late 1970s films like HOUSE with an even more melodic and melodramatic sensibility. A rewarding rainbow drama of mistaken choices and missed opportunities that will leave you smiling through your tears.

Further Information: Direcetd by Tetsuya Nakashima; 2006; 130 min.; 35mm (In Japanese with English subtitles.) (Print & screening license permissions from Tokyo Broadcasting System Television, Inc.)

November 11th: 13 Assassins (Directed by Eiichi Kudi)
Notorious and internationally renowned director Takashi Miike continues his ambitious project of reinventing and reinvigorating Japanese genre film with this remake of Eiichi Kudi’s 1963 new wave samurai movie. Starring Koji Yakusho from MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA and the original SHALL WE DANCE.

Further Information: Directed by Takashi Miike; 2010; 141 min.; 35mm (In Japanese with English subtitles.) (Print and screening license permissions from Swank Motion Pictures, Inc.)

November 18th: United Red Army (Directed by Koji Wakamatsu)
A pioneer of Japanese Pink Film in the 1960s, Koji Wakamatsu maintained a career as one of the most outspoken directors of postwar Japanese counter-culture cinema. UNITED RED ARMY traces the failures and the regrets of Japan’s politically volatile 1970s in a way that only an ex-gangster, ex-porn filmmaker can.

Further Information: Directed by Koji Wakamatsu; 2007; 190 min.; DVD (In Japanese with English subtitles.) (Print and screening license permissions from Kino International.)

The Center for Japanese Studies (CJS) will take part in the event by presenting taketonbo, koi nobori-making for children, and Taiko drumming by Raion Taiko. For more information, visit http://www.ii.umich.edu/ccs/eventsprograms/kitefestival.

Flyer available here.

July 29th: KIKUJIRŌ (Kikujirō no Natsu) (Directed by Takeshi Kitano)
1991 / 121 min. / 35mm / In Japanese with English subtitles.
Takeshi Kitano wrote, directed, and starred in this film about a young boy’s journey to find his mother while in the company of a group of mismatched characters.

August 5th: FIREWORKS (Hana-bi) (Directed by Takeshi Kitano)
1997/ 103 min. / 35mm / In Japanese with English subtitles.

August 12th: A SCENE AT THE SEA (Ano Natsu, Ichiban Shizukana Umi) (Directed by Takeshi Kitano)
1991 / 101 min. / 35mm / In Japanese with English subtitles.

August 19th: DEMON (Yasha) (Directed by Yasuo Furuhata)
1985 / 127 min. / 35mm / In Japanese with English subtitles.

More information is available at the Ann Arbor Book Festival homepage.

One of the principal goals of the American Occupation was to craft a pluralistic constitution that would consolidate Japanese democracy in the wake of WWII. Written by US officers in a week, the Constitution incorporated progressive values and new republican institutions that transformed the structure of governance and the nature of state-society relations. After sovereignty was returned in 1952, many observers predicted that the document would be amended to better reflect Japanese priorities. However, the Constitution remains unaltered sixty years later making it one of the oldest un-amended constitutions in existence.

Over the last decade, there has been renewed consideration of constitutional revision. The end of the Cold War and two decades of economic malaise have brought into question the viability of Japanese institutions in the 21^st century. Political parties have proposed new drafts, the parliament has begun preliminary deliberations, and public support for reform has been trending upwards. Importantly, these initiatives aim to rewrite the entire document, not just make a few amendments. Given the fundamental role of Constitutions in shaping Japanese politics, society, religion, economy, and law, is revision a good idea? And even if it were, what would be the likelihood and impact of any changes?

This conference brings together an interdisciplinary group of scholars to examine the historical influence and future prospects of the Japanese Constitution. Has the document survived because its writers crafted provisions that continue to be popular with Japanese citizens? How have interpretative changes by the government and by the courts altered the impact of the Constitution on Japanese society? How does Japan’s constitution compare in its provisions and amendment processes to other democracies? Are there changes that should be made to help Japan prosper in the 21^st Century?

Economic, and Political Effects of Japan’s Constitution

John Haley, Professor of Law, Vanderbilt University Law School;
William R. Orthwein, Distinguished Professor of Law Emeritus, Washington University in St. Louis, School of Law
Helen Hardacre, Reischauer Institute Professor of Japanese Religions and Society, Harvard University
Moderator: Rieko Kage, 2010-11 Toyota Visiting Professor, CJS; Associate Professor, Political Science, University of Tokyo The Constitution’s Influence on Japan’s Global Relations

The Constitution’s Influence on Japan’s Global Relations

Jun Saito, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Yale University
Richard Samuels, Ford International Professor of Political Science, MIT
Moderator: Kiyoteru Tsutsui, Assistant Professor, Sociology, University of Michigan

Constitutional Reform: Will It Happen, and What Will Change?

Kenneth Mori McElwain, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Michigan
Chris Winkler, Senior Research Fellow, Social Science Section, German Institute for Japanese Studies Tokyo (DIJ)
Moderator: Mark West, Nippon Life Professor of Law, Associate Dean, Law School, University of Michigan

Co-sponsored by: The International Institute, Institute for Humanities, Rackham Graduate School, the Japanese Legal Studies Program.

• When: 4/14 Thursday 6:00-9:00PM
• Where: Live at PJ’s 102 South 1st St., Ann Arbor, MI 48104-1304
• What: Sushi, Performance, Raffle Prizes, and a Night of Music and Dance
• Price: Advance $12 ($15 at the door)

Online tickets are now available, so please RSVP to secure a seat for this event! Registration: https://ross.campusgroups.com/rjba/rsvp?id=36468

• Postcards and art work created by artists in Japan and Michigan will be sold to raise money for Japan. (All money raised will be donated to Red Cross Japan.)
• Live music by local musicians. The lineup will be announced very soon!

More information and upcoming lineup of musicians can be found on the event Facebook page here.

Join us for a free panel discussion about the earthquake, tsunami, nuclear reactor troubles, and the resulting aftermath. The panel is open to the public and will be held from 12:00PM-2:00PM on Monday, March 21st at the Michigan League Ballroom at the University of Michigan.

Guest Panelists:

• Mahshid Abir, M.D., Fellow, Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program / Clinical Lecturer, Emergency Medicine; The University of Michigan
• Phillip Brown, Professor, History, The Ohio State University
• Rieko Kage, 2010-11 Toyota Visiting Professor, CJS / Associate Professor, Political Science; University of Tokyo
• William Martin, Chair and Professor, Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences, The University of Michigan
• Jeroen Ritsema, Henry Pollack Endowed Professor of Geological Sciences / Associate Professor, Geological Sciences; The University of Michigan

From the AAFF Newsletter:

“Acclaimed animator Keita Kurosaka will be in attendance from Japan to present his feature Midori-Ko, a project 10 years in the making and featuring more than 20,000 hand drawn images.”

For more information about the film, click here: http://aafilmfest.org/49/index.php/films/midori_ko/. To visit the AAFF’s homepage, click here: http://aafilmfest.org/.

For more information, please contact the JSA at jsao@umich.edu.

“Kodo unites high-energy percussion, elegant music, dance, and the striking physical prowess needed to sustain a precise yet powerful sound” (Los Angeles Examiner). The group will be showcasing songs from their new album, Akatsuki and the debut of drummer Kenta Nakagome on the group’s hallmark giant drum, the 900-pound o-daiko. Shamisen, koto, and kokyu (traditional Japanese fiddle) complement the percussive force of taiko, revealing the versatility of Japanese tradition and the performers who honor it.