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	TOP PAGE >> Programs >> Japan(2)

<As of November 2008> N.B. The program below is subject to additions and alterations.

Performing Arts Contemporary Dance: Hiroaki Umeda Date Contents September 6-8 “Accumulated Layout” Venue：New National Theater, Tokyo March 20-22,2009 New solo work ang group work Venue：Yokohama Red Block Warehouse, Kanagawa pref. ※For the Hiroaki Umeda website, click here ※For Mr. Umeda’s performance in Europe and other places, click here ※For Mr. Umeda’s performance in Asia, click here Contemporary dancer Hiroaki Umeda is spreading his activities more and more widely around Europe, Japan and Asia. For the further development of his activities, the EU-Japan Fest Japan Committee supports Umeda throughout the year.

Photography Photograph exhibition “European Eyes on Japan / Japan Today vol.9” (Amami Oshima) (Click here for detail) Date： September 7 - 28 ＊Duration is extended! September 7 - 30 Venue： Tanaka Isson Memorial Museum of Art Photographers： Cuny Janssen (the Netherlands) / photographed in: Amami Oshima Stephen Gill (United Kingdom) / photographed in: Kagoshima-city, Shibushi-city Nicu Ilfoveanu (Romania) / photographed in: Kagoshima-city, Kirishima-city, Satsunan area Artistic Director： Mikiko Kikuta ※For the information of this exhibition in Kagoshima City Museum of Art, click here ※For the details of photography project “European Eyes on Japan / Japan Today”, click here Following its April appearance at the Kagoshima City Art Museum, the ninth in the series of "European Eyes on Japan/Japan Today" photography project exhibitions travels to two further sites in Japan. Cuny Janssen, who photographed the island of Amami Oshima, is to visit Japan for the opening. The exhibition is to be accompanied by children's workshop, symposia with local photographers, gallery talks, essay contests and many other diverse programs. We hope that these associated programs will provide opportunities for participants to gain greater familiarity with the work on show and to reflect on their daily routines.

Photography "European Eyes on Japan/Japan Today vol. 9" Essay Contest Exhibition-affiliated program photographed by Cuny Janssen Submission period: September 7 - October 5 *Instructions for ordering are here. (Available only in Japanese.) In connection with the "European Eyes on Japan/Japan Today vol. 9" exhibition of photography showing at the Tanaka Isson Memorial Museum of Art in Amami Oshima, we are holding an essay contest. The photographs shown depict the routine of Kagoshima and Amami as captured by European photographers. A single photograph may evoke memories, emotions, dreams, personal stories. Please send us essays describing the thoughts and feelings this work inspired in you. We solicit essays from people of all generations attending the exhibition.

Performing Arts Leni-Basso Performance “Ghostly Round” Date: Performance: October 11-13 Short piece anthology 2008 - “dovetail” choreographed by Akiko Kitamura - “CRACK IN THE HEAD” choreographed by Masayoshi Horikawa - “Girl 55” choreographed by Ruri Mito Venue:OMEGA TOKYO(Tokyo) March 6-8, 2009 Performance of new piece Venue:Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse (Kanagawa pref.) ※For the Leni-Basso website, click here ※For the performances in Asia, click here Leni-Basso is a dance company formed in 1994 and led by Akiko Kitamura. Their work, which develops as a stylish commingling of dance, light, video and time, enjoys a fine reputation around the world. Though the West has occupied a relatively larger share of their performance schedule, this year the group tours Asia and in Japan also plans the performance of a new piece. With a view to the further development of their work, the Committee supports the activities of Leni-Basso throughout the year.

Performing Arts Pappa TARAHUMARA “Gulliver and Swift-Writer Jonathan Swift's Cat Cooking Recipes-” Date Performance October 9-12 “Gulliver and Swift-Writer Jonathan Swift’s Cat Cooking Recipes-” Venue：The Globe, Tokyo(Tokyo) Related Program September 24-29 “Gulliver and Swift-Writer Jonathan Swift’s Cat Cooking Recipes-” Work in Progress Venue：Shunzyuza(Kyoto) ※For the Pappa Tarahumara official website, click here ※For the performances in Sibiu, click here ※For the performances in United States, click here ※For the performances in Asia, click here Pappa Tarahumara performs actively both in Japan and overseas. Bridging such genres as dance, theater, fine arts and music, they are highly regarded internationally for their techniques that transform the performance space into an art of its own. This year the group has performed at the Sibiu International Theater Festival in Romania, as well as in Japan, Asia and the United States. With hopes for the further development of the group's activities, the EU-Japan Fest Japan Committee provides support for Pappa Tarahumara year-round.

Photography Exhibition “Happiness in Everyday Life” <The works of Marco Bohr from “European Eyes on Japan vol.10” are exhibited.> “Happiness in Everyday Life” flyer Photographed by Marco Bohr Date： October 25, 2008 - January 18, 2009 Venue： Contemporary Art Center, Art Tower Mito(Mito-city, Ibaraki pref.) Artists： Yuusuke Asai, Atelier Bow-Wow, Takahiro Iwasaki, Kayo Ume, Shinji Ohmaki, Satoshi Kamiya, KOSUGE1-16, Yoshinari Nishio, Katsuhiko Hibino, Hiroshi Fuji, Guy Ben-Ner, Marco Bohr, Tatsuo Miyajima, Hiroaki Morita ※For the details of “European Eyes on Japan / Japan Today”, click here The exhibition "Happiness in Everyday Life" at the Art Tower Mito contemporary art gallery is a group show by 14 artists from Japan and overseas on the theme of the everyday and includes paintings, video, installations, solids and photographs that engage with that theme from a variety of angles. Among the artists showing work in this exhibition is Marco Bohr, who photographed Ibaraki prefecture for the EU-Japan Fest Japan Committee's project "European Eyes on Japan/Japan Today vol. 10". In the town of Daigo, located in the north of the prefecture and home to outstanding natural beauty, Bohr encountered a wide range of people, whom he photographed together with work they had themselves created. The collection of Bohr's work shown here portrays the creative activities of the people of Daigo as a record of the everyday. Through this work, the exhibition invites us to look anew at the customary background of our lives that has become part of our routine and to reconsider the lives we live against it.

Fine Arts Swedish Style in Tokyo 2008 Participating designer “Syjuntan” Date： 30 October - 5 November Venue： UN University（Tokyo） Designers/ Artists： Don’t feed the Swedes (Gustaf Kjellin & Andreas Aaltonen), Syjuntan (Aia Jüdes & Anna Bergholm), FRONT, Olle Toftenow, Katrin Greiling, Ottil Säfwenborg, Gustaf Karlsson Frost, Annelie Karlsson, Juvelen ●Related program：Tokyo Design Week Date：First week of November Venue：All over town in Tokyo *Click here, one of the main organizer Svensk Form website. The inclusion of a wide range of contemporary Japanese culture and art at Stockholm Cultural Capital of Europe 1998 was the occasion for a cultural project presenting Swedish lifestyles in Japan beginning the following year. The theme for 2008 was Saving the Planet in Style. At a party at the United Nations University, 13 young designers showed furniture and traditional Swedish crafts made from recycled materials and clothing made from organic materials.

Photography Workshop by Marco Bohr & Mieko Matsumoto “people from Mito” Photographed by Marco Bohr Date： October 26 Venue： 3rd floor of MZbldg., 3-4-20, Minami-cho, Mito-city (Workshop room of Café in Mito) Participants： High school students in Mito (10 people) Photographers/ Coordinators： Marco Bohr, Mieko Matsumoto ※For the details of the exhibition “Happiness in Everyday Life”, click here. ※For the details of photography project “European Eyes on Japan / Japan Today”, click here. Marco Bohr, one of the photographers featured in volume ten of the European Eyes on Japan/Japan Today photography project and currently showing work in the "Happiness in Everyday Life" exhibition at Art Tower Mito, and Mito-based photographer Mieko Matsumoto are to offer a photography workshop for local high school students. The workshop will feature three themes: Mito, Self, Communication. The objective is for the young generation to experience the joy of creation and communication, and to gain a deeper interest in communities and people and a greater appreciation of the art of photography through the experience of photography their own community Mito and its inhabitants and through creating a group work, a composite photograph. We hope that will prove an opportunity for the participants to create work with an emphasis on portraying, as photographers, a day in the life of Mito rather than merely "introducing" the city. The participants will show the work that results in a mini-exhibition on the third floor of the MZ building. We hope also that this project helps the culture of film and photography spread among young people locally and plan to extend and sustain it.

Literature Tokyo Poetry Festival 2008 (TPF2008) Tokyo Poetry Festival 2008 (TPF2008) flyer Date： October 31 - November 2 Venue： Meiji University (Tokyo) Performer： ＜Japan＞ Kazuko Shiraishi, Mutsuo Takahashi, Chuei Yagi, Sadakazu Fujii, Shoichi Nejime, Toshiko Hirata, Masayo Koike, Takako Arai, Yosuke Tanaka, Hirohiko Okano, Yasuki Fukushima, Nanamo Oki ,Yasuko Tatsumi, Akira Ko_ saka, Kan'ichi Abe, Yo Tanaka, Shunkichi Baba, Ban'ya Natsuishi, Sayumi Kamakura, Takeshi Shono, Bin Akio, ＜abroad＞ Richard Berengarten(UK), Ataol Behramoglu (Turkey), Jan Erik Vold (Norway),Casimiro de Brito(Portugal), Ryzard Krynicki (Poland), Ayurzana Gun-Aajav (Mongolia), Sunrea Han (Korea), Yuan Tian (China), Jouni Inkala (Finland), Susanne Jorn (Denmark), Jan Lauwereyns (Belgium), Brane Mozetic (Slovenia), Drago Stambuk (Croatia), Petar Tchouhov (Bulgaria), Kestutis Navakas (Lithuania),Nuala Ní Chonchúir(Ireland), Grant Caldwell (Australia), Amir Or (Israel), Toni Piccini (Italy), Rachel Levitsky (U.S.A.) Related programs： ●Reception of Tokyo Poetry Festival 2008   Date：18:00-20:00, October 31   Venue：Meiji University Shikon Hall（Tokyo） ●Farewell party of Tokyo Poetry Festival 2008   Date：18:00-20:00, November 2   Venue：Meiji University (Tokyo) ※For the Tokyo Poetry Festival website, click here. TPF is a major poetry festival that traverses the genres of verse, tanka and haiku, bringing some 40 poets and haiku composers from Japan and overseas together in one place. The festival features three days of readings given by composers themselves of their own poetry, tanka and haiku compositions. Haiku composer Ban'ya Natsuishi was the driving force in the executive committee that spent close on one year in discussions and preparations for the festival. We expect this festival to offer large numbers of people the opportunity to experience the appeal of poetry, tanka and haiku, and of their public reading, and to lead to the greater enjoyment of all forms of poetry in everyday life.

Movie 15th Osaka European Film Festival Osaka European Film Festival Poster ●Homage to David Lean & Maurice Jarre   “Bandes Originales: Maurice Jarre”   “Lawrence of Arabia” new print Date：November 21 Venue：Recital Hall(Osaka) Participated artist：Maurice Jarre ●Premiere Screenings Date：November 22-24 Venue：Recital Hall(Osaka) ●Night of the Ad Eaters 2008 Date：November 28 Venue：Kosei Nenkin Hall(Osaka) ●Eastern Europe and Russia - An historical journey through films Date：November 15-28 Venue：Cine Nouveau(Osaka) ●Around the Nouvelle Vague Date：November 8 - December 5 Venue：PLANET Studio Plus One(Osaka) ●Meet the Movie Stars Date：November 1-9 Venue：Umeda Sky Bldg.(Osaka) ●Related program: Osaka European Film Festival in Tokyo Date：November 28-29 Venue：Cinema Angelica(Tokyo) ※For the website of Osaka European Film Festival, click here ----Experiencing Our Present World Through the Latest in European Cinema---- This year is the 15th Osaka European Film Festival. Past years have screened films from 30 countries, premiering a choice selection of European cinema. Each year the festival offers a variety of programs and attracts the interest of a wide range of people. This year's festival includes "Night of the Ad Eaters 2008", nouvelle vague and a section devoted to films from Russia and Eastern Europe. Additionally, Maurice Jarre, the giant of film music, visits Japan as Honorary Chairman of this year's festival, which features the world premiere of a documentary about him and the screening of a new print of "Lawrence of Arabia".

Performing Arts “THE STORY OF PANDA BEARS TOLD BY A SAXOPHONIST WHO HAS A GIRLFRIEND IN FRANKFURT” by Tokyo Acting Troupe KAZE Date: December 22,23 Venue: Repertory Theater KAZE (Tokyo) Performers: Shigeru Nakamura, Ai Shibuya *Click here for the Tokyo Acting Troupe KAZE website. *Click here for the details of performance "The Story of Panda Bears" in Europe. *Click here for the details of The Tokyo Acting Troupe Kaze 20th Anniversary Production Serial performance of three Bertolt Brecht works. At Biennial KAZE international theatrical festival which was started since 2003, Tokyo Acting Troupe KAZE has invited "Chekhov machine" "Old clown" which is the works of Matei Visniec who is one of the authors most presented in theater in France. In the Biennial KAZE international theatrical festival 2007, Yoshinari Asano, artistic director of repertory theater KAZE, presented "The story of Panda Bears" written by Visniec by his direction. It was first time that his play was presented by Japanese director, and actors.

Performing Arts BIRD Theatre TOTTORI 2008/09 Annual Season Programme Performance "The Seagull" Flyer: Snow White - from Grimm's Fairy Tale "Snow White" Name of the performance: The Seagull Date: 23-28 December 2008 Venue BIRD Theatre TOTTORI Place: Shikano, Tottori City, Tottori Prefecture Written by: A Chekhov Directed by: NAKASHIMA Makoto Name of the performance: A day-long seminar on the possibility of theatre and performing arts Date: 31 January 2009 Venue: BIRD Theatre TOTTORI Place: Shikano, Tottori City, Tottori Prefecture Lecturer: NIINO Morihiro(Rikkyo University), SATO Norikazu(Japan Contemporary Dance Network), YAMAIDE Junya(BEPPU PROJECT) Name of the performance: Snow White - from Grimm’s Fairy Tale “Snow White” Date: 20-22 / 27-29 March 2009 Venue: BIRD Theatre TOTTORI Place: Shikano, Tottori City, Tottori Prefecture Conceived and directed by: NAKASHIMA Makoto *For the BIRD Theatre TOTTORI official website, click here The Bird Theatre Company Tottori plays, and does its creative work, in a converted old kindergarten/primary school in Shikano-cho, Tottori city in Tottori prefecture. Director Makoto Nakashima fronts the company's productions of the outstanding dramatic works of East and West. The company executes an annual calendar comprising the four themes of creative programs, experimental programs, invitational programs and collaborative programs in which performances run concurrently with active workshop and lecture offerings. Close involvement with the local community is informed by the notion of the "theatre as a public space", and the company's activity transcending the community has likewise won high praise. The EU-Japan Fest Japan Committee supports the Bird Theatre Company, one of but a few in Japan with its own theatre, with hopes for the development of new modalities of performance and the stage.

Fine Arts “Hecomi Study #15” Collecting “Hekomi (dent)” by Mr. Taniguchi (Photo: Eva Sauer) Date： January 9 - 23, 2009 Venue： AD&A gallerySpace 1F/2F (Osaka) Artist： Kenichiro Taniguchi ※Click here for the program in Germany Young artist Kenichiro Taniguchi creates and shows work in residence at AD&A Gallery in Osaka and at the mikiko sato gallery, which has served in a variety of roles as a venue for interaction among contemporary artists from Japan and Germany. Since 2000 Taniguchi has shown a series of unique sculptures with the theme of "Hecomi" (Hollows) and is now showing a "Hamburg Hecomi Map" in which the forms of hollows found and traced by Taniguchi are placed on a map of the city of Hamburg. Also scheduled are workshops and briefings. His work gives hope for the further reach of artist activities and of artistic and cultural exchange between Japan and Germany.

Performing Arts Project HEREing Loss Dance Installation “HEREing Loss” flyer ●Dance Installation “HEREing Loss -place of my emergence” Date: December 26-28 (4 performances) Venue: Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse Number 1, Lounge at 2nd floor Direction/Choreography /Perform: Yui KAWAGUCHI(Berlin/Japan) Choreography/Perform: Yael SHNELL (Berlin/Israel) Costume: BUTTERFLYSOULFIRE(Berlin) Direction Effect: Junji WATANABE(Japan) ●Workshop/Symposium “HERE/HEAR-The existence perception of listening” Date: December 23 Venue: Keio University Lecturer: Yui KAWAGUCHI,Yael SHNELL,Junji WATANABE *Project HEREing Loss Contact to:hereingloss@dmc.keio.ac.jp URL:http://here.dmc.keio.ac.jp/ “HEREing Loss - place of my emergence”, is an audio-dance installation choreographed and performance by Yui Kawaguchi. The ultimate combination of the sleeping bag, the transistor radio and the ultrasonic speaker, dance and visual effect, stimulating all the senses of audiences, then creates most mysterious world in the red brick warehouse ever. Junji Watanabe, an interface researcher/ a media artist, who has been collaborating with Kawaguchi invents a stage effect which based on perception psychological consideration. In addition, a workshop / symposium held in Keio University is an experience type symposium which planned with Kyosuke SAKAKURA who researches an art creation process. Through an experience of sound system and the performance, participants discuss about the area of an expression, recognition, and an art experience under the theme of hearing and presence of the self.

Performing Arts Directed by Peter Goessner: Uzume Theater performance No.24 ,Drama “Rats hunting” Performance “Rats hunting” Date： January 28 - February 1, 2009 Venue： Komaba Agora theater(Tokyo) Performers： Peter Goessner, Kinugawa Yuri, Aramaki Hiromichi, Goto Manami, Yonemoto Sakiko, Kubota Takeshi, etc ※For the Uzume Theater website, click here ※For the performance “Marebito Ebisu〜Murasaki river Tales” directed by Peter Goessner, click here ※For the Uzume Theater performance “The open couple” directed by Peter Goessner, click here ※For the Uzume Theater website, click here Leader of the Uzume Theater, Peter Goessner is currently resident in Chofu-shi where he serves as artistic director for the Sengawa Theater. With hopes for the further development of the Uzume Theater and Mr. Goessner, the EU-Japan Fest Japan Committee is providing support for three pieces that he is presenting this year: "Marebito Ebisu: Murasaki river Tales", "Rats hunting" and "The open couple".

Photography Photography project “European Eyes on Japan / Japan Today vol.11” Andrew Phelps(Photo:Paul Kranzler) Arturas Valiauga Hans- Christian Schin Place: Niigata Pref. Photographer: Schedule: Andrew Phelps (U.S.A <Long residence in Austria>) February 10-March 3 Arturas Valiauga (Lithuania) February 19-March 13 Hans-Christian Schink (Germany) March 3-26 Artistic Director: Mikiko Kikuta *For the details of photography project “European Eyes on Japan / Japan Today”, click here The eleventh in the European Eyes on Japan/Japan Today photography project focuses on Niigata prefecture with the visits of three photographers. Andrew Phelps plans to produce work on the theme of how globalization is changing Niigata and Arturas Valiauga on the theme of food, each depicting contemporary Niigata from his own perspective. The resulting work is scheduled to be shown at various locations in Japan and Europe beginning in June 2009.

Performing Arts Directed by Peter Goessner: Uzume Theater performance No.25, Drama “The open couple” Performance “The open couple” Date： March 25-31, 2009 Venue： Chofu-shi sengawa theater(Tokyo) Performers： Manako Keiji, Yoko Matsuo, etc ※For the Uzume Theater website, click here ※For the Uzume Theater performance “Marebito Ebisu〜Murasaki river Tales” directed by Peter Goessner, click here ※For the Uzume Theater performance “Rats hunting” directed by Peter Goessner, click here Leader of the Uzume Theater, Peter Goessner is currently resident in Chofu-shi where he serves as artistic director for the Sengawa Theater. With hopes for the further development of the Uzume Theater and Mr. Goessner, the EU-Japan Fest Japan Committee is providing support for three pieces that he is presenting this year: "Marebito Ebisu: Murasaki river Tales", "Rats hunting" and "The open couple".

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