In 2009, The Japan Foundation, Sydney will present two new national Nihongo events for school students. They are ‘Art Speaks Japanese Comes Alive: Art Contest’ and ‘Japanese Video Festival’. We are looking forward to your entries.

Full details online, click here.

This Seminar is sponsored by the Japan Foundation, the Australian Research Council, Asia Pacific Futures Network, Japan-Korea Node, and the Japanese Program at the University of New South Wales.

For further information please email Yuki Kawarai at japaneseappliedlinguistics@hotmail.com

Ryokan: Japan’s finest spas and inns / Akihiko Seki and Elizabeth Heilman Brooke ; photography by Akihiko Seki.
Tokyo : Tuttle Publishing, 2007.
ISBN-13: 978-0-8048-3839-9
Call #: 689.81 SEK

This lush coffee table guide introduces the best of Japan’s traditional and award-winning design ryokan (traditional inns). The four hundred photo illustrations take the reader on a visual journey through birch forests, open-air hot springs, and sliding rice paper doors, while the accompanying text provides information and history.

The Library’s opening days for December - January are as follows:

Opening hours:
Mon-Fri (except Wed): 11.00 am - 5.30 pm
Wed: 11.00 am - 6.00 pm
Sat (every third week): 11.00 am - 4.00 pm
Sun: Closed

There is a book returns chute at the library entrance.  It is available during the Chifley Plaza building operation hours:
Mon-Fri: 6.30 am - 10.00 pm
Sat : 8.30 am - 10.00 pm
Sun/Public Holidays: Closed

The Inoue Yasushi Award for Outstanding Research in Japanese Literature in Australia is awarded to the best refereed journal article or book chapter published in English during the previous year by a researcher based in Australia. The recipient will receive $1000 as well as a certificate of the award’s conferral.

Inoue Yasushi was a prominent post-Second World War novelist and poet. He was a unique writer who managed to combine serious themes with fascinating and intriguing plots.

Applications for the 2009 award should be submitted by Sunday, 15 February 2009. Submissions should be sent to the Chair of the award selection committee, Dr Yasuko Claremont, at the following mailing address: Japanese Studies, School of Languages and Cultures A18, University of Sydney, NSW 2006; or email: yasuko.claremont@usyd.edu.au

Full details online

The annual International Japanese English Translation conference (IJET) was established by the Japan Association of Translators (JAT) in 1990 and has since evolved into a highly successful event that brings together language practitioners from all over the world.

The next conference, IJET-20, will be held in Sydney on 14-15 February 2009 and is shaping up to become a very special event, including a welcome from the Consul-General of Japan in Sydney and a keynote speech by social anthropologist Dr Fiona Graham.

Registration is now open and there is an early-bird discount until 31 December.

For full details, visit the following websites:
http://ijet.jat.org/en/ijet-20 (English);
http://ijet.jat.org/jp/ijet-20/ (Japanese).

Since the 12th century, The Tale of Genji has inspired Japanese artists to visualise the fascinating world of the story’s main character the Shining Prince (Hikaru Genji) in countless hand scrolls, folding screens, hanging scrolls and albums.
This exhibition features about 70 works drawn from the Gallery’s collection as well as loans from other Australian major public and private collections of Japanese art and aims to show the imaginative power of Japanese artists in adapting the classical theme on various media.

Kodô, hailing from Sado Island, is Japan’s most internationally renowned performing arts group, having given over 3100 performances on all five continents since their inception in 1981.

TaikOz is Australia’s premiere taiko ensemble, having established a unique Australian repertoire.

For the first time ever, Kodô and TaikOz combine forces to present an evening of dynamic drumming, spectacular dance and beautiful song.

Ritsumeikan University School of Law is offering two advanced seminars (conducted in English) on Japanese Law in February 2009. The Kyoto Seminar on Japanese law in the Global Era (the ‘Kyoto Seminar’) will be held from February 9-13, 2009 in Kyoto. The Tokyo Seminar on Japanese Law and the Economy (the ‘Tokyo Seminar’) will be held the following week from February 16-20, 2009 in Tokyo. Applications are now open and close on 15 December 2008.

The 7th ANJeL International Conference ‘Crisis and the Law in Japan and Beyond’ will be held on 14 February 2009 at the Tokyo Campus of Ritsumeikan University. Students registered in the Kyoto and Tokyo Seminars may attend for free.