The information provided is this calendar intended to introduce Japan-related events in the Greater Boston, and New England area.

Events directly sponsored by the Japan Society of Boston are denoted with the JSB logo.

For all other events please check directly with the organization producing it to confirm all times, dates and event details. The Japan Society of Boston is not responsible for any changes or inaccuracies in information about events not sponsored by the JSB.

Upcoming events

  • 2012 John E. Thayer, III Award - Nominations now being accepted

    • 07 Feb 2012
    • 02 Apr 2012
    • Japan Society of Boston
    2012
    John E. Thayer, III Award

    Nominations now being accepted




    The deadline for 2012 nominations is
    March 2nd, 2012

    Download Nomination Form Here

    The John E. Thayer, III Award was established in 1991 to commemorate the work and commitment of John E. “Jack” Thayer, III, a long time member of the Japan Society’s board of directors who was dedicated to furthering relations between Japan and the U.S.  This award was established to recognize the achievements of individuals, groups of individuals or organizations that have made outstanding contributions to the progress of the understanding and friendship between the people of the United States and Japan.

    More about the Thayer Award Here

    Show details

  • "Kizuna: New Forms of Social Capital in Disaster Japan"

    • 28 Feb 2012
    • 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM
    • Bowie-Vernon Room K262, CGIS Knafel Bldg., 1737 Cambridge St.
    Weatherhead Center Program on U.S.-Japan Relations Special Series on Post-Disaster Japan presentation co-sponsored by the Reischauer Institute

    "Kizuna: New Forms of Social Capital in Disaster Japan"

    Free and Open to the Public

    Tuesday, February 28, 12:30-2:00 p.m.

    Bowie-Vernon Room K262,
    CGIS Knafel Bldg.,
    1737 Cambridge St.
    GOOGLE MAP
    David Slater, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Japanese Studies, Sophia University

    Moderator: Theodore C. Bestor, Reischauer Institute Professor of Social Anthropology and Japanese Studies, and Chair, Dept. of Anthropology, Harvard University

    Show details

  • Yoko Kida and her Friends - Concert

    • 03 Mar 2012
    • 9:00 PM
    • LilyPad, Inman Square - 1352 Cambridge St, Cambridge MA
    Yoko Kida
    and her Friends

    March 3rd

    LilyPad
    Inman Square
    Cambridge



    Pianist, Yoko will be joined with two other boston-trained pianists:
    Takehiko Ohnuma and Sivan Etedgee. Cover is $10 at the door.

    Pianist Yoko Kida has performed throughout Japan and the United
    States, as well as in Austria, China, Korea, and South America. As a chamber musician, she participated in the Carnegie Hall Professional Training Workshop as a cello-piano duo with cellist Jonathan Lewis, working closely with Emanuel Ax and David Zinman. Her performance in the workshop's final concert was praised as "superb" (New York Sun), and she was described as "a sound performer" (New York Times). Equally committed to the art song repertoire, she has participated in the Franz-Schubert-Institute in Austria twice upon the recommendation of famed soprano Elly Ameling. Recently she was invited to be a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center, where she has frequently performed art song recitals at Seiji Ozawa Hall. Yoko holds degrees from the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music and the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, MA. Her teachers include the late Halina Czerny-Stefanska and Victor Rosenbaum. She currently serves as a staff pianist at New England Conservatory while completing her Doctoral degree in collaborative piano as a student of Irma Vallecillo and Cameron Stowe.
    Show details

  • VOICES FROM TOHOKU: A Panel Discussion on Recovery Efforts in Japan’s Disaster Zone

    • 05 Mar 2012
    • 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
    • The Japan Society of Boston at Showa Boston Institute
    Register
    The Japan Society of Boston presents:

    VOICES  FROM  TOHOKU
    A Panel Discussion on Recovery Efforts in Japan’s Disaster Zone

    Monday, March 5
    4:00 – 6:00pm
    The Japan Society of Boston at
    Showa Boston Institute
    420 Pond St., Boston
    Google Map

    Free & Open to the Public
    RSVP REQUESTED

    Panelists include:
    Miho Mazereeuw
    (Graduate School of Design, Harvard)
    Masashi Kawasaki & Takuma Tanaka (Japanese University students From the KIP: Knowledge Investment Program, Tohoku Project
    Mervin Fatter
    (March 11 Earthquake/Tsunami survivor from Fukushima)
    Peter Grilli, Moderator
    (Japan Society of Boston)

    Speakers who personally experienced the March 11, 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disasters in Japan, or who have been directly involved with recovery efforts in Tohoku will make brief presentations, followed by Q&A and open discussion.  
    All are Welcome!  Free and open to the public.

    Show details

  • Leading Edge CleanTech Innovations

    • 06 Mar 2012
    • 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
    • Metro Meeting Center Boston - 101 Federal Street 4f, Boston, MA
    Japan Technology Group presents:

    Leading Edge CleanTech Innovations
    Boston Showcase 2012

    Go Clean & Green with the Premier Japanese Unveiling Untapped Alternative Energy Technologies
           Solar ● Wind ● Energy Conservation & Recycling
    Tuesday, March 6, 2012 9am- 1pm
    lunch included

    Metro Meeting Center
    Boston
    101 Federal Street, 4F
    Boston, MA 02110

    Registration is Free!

    Register Online Here

    Contact:info@japantechnologygroup.com

    Show details

  • "Digital Archive of Japan's 2011 Disasters"

    • 09 Mar 2012
    • 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
    • Belfer Case Study Room (S020), Japan Friends of Harvard Concourse, CGIS South Bldg., 1730 Cambridge St., Cambridge
    Reischauer Institute Japan Forum Special Series on Post-Disaster Japan presentation co-sponsored by the Weatherhead Center Program on U.S.-Japan Relations

    "Digital Archive of Japan's 2011 Disasters"

     ANDREW GORDON, Lee and Juliet Folger Fund Professor of History, and Director, Reischauer Institute, Harvard University

    Moderator: Theodore C. Bestor, Reischauer Institute Professor of Social Anthropology and Japanese Studies, and Chair, Dept. of Anthropology, Harvard University
    Free and Open to the Public

    Friday, March 9, 4:00-5:30 p.m.

    Belfer Case Study Room (S020), Japan Friends of Harvard Concourse, CGIS South Bldg.,
    1730 Cambridge St., Cambridge
    GOOGLE MAP
    Show details

  • Smith Remembers Fukushima

    • 10 Mar 2012
    • 9:00 AM - 2:15 PM
    • Smith College
    Smith Remembers Fukushima
    Symposium

    Saturday, March 10, 2012


    More information
    Show details

  • International Seafood Show Japan Pavilion

    • 11 Mar 2012
    • 2:00 PM
    • Boston Convention & Exhibition Center Room 104 B - 415 Summer Street, Boston

    International Seafood Show
    Japan Pavilion

    Free and open to the public

     Sunday, March 11th 2:00 p.m.-
    Boston Convention Center Conference Room 104 B (Near the International Boston Seafood Show)

    Sponsored by Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), with the cooperation of the Consulate General of Japan in Boston.  Speakers will address the safety and excellent quality of imported seafood products from Japan. Following introductory remarks by Consul General of Japan in Boston Takeshi Hikihara, speakers from the MAFF, and the Food and Drug Administration, an industry expert seafood buyer of a major retailer, and a celebrity chef will participate in a panel discussion. 

    More Information at:
    www.japan-seafood.net

    Show details

  • The 2nd Annual Japanese Language Contest - Entry Deadline March 14

    • 14 Mar 2012
    • Entries submitted online
    The 2nd Annual
    Japanese Language Contest 


    April 21st
    Entry Deadline - March 14th

    More Information and
    Application online at
    Show details

  • "Hope for Tohoku" Benefit Concert and Reception

    • 17 Mar 2012
    • 6:00 PM
    • New England Conservatory - 30 Gainsborough Street, Boston


    Benefit Concert and Reception

    Tickets at hopefortohoku.eventbrite.com

    Saturday March 17, 2012
New England Conservatory 30 Gainsborough Street, Boston

    6:00pm Reception  8:00pm Performance

    Please join Japanese Disaster Relief Fund - Boston (JDRFB) and The Longwood Symphony Orchestra for an evening to support the ongoing disaster recovery efforts in Japan.

    EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

    Special stories shared by...

    Two high school students from Tohoku who survived the disaster and losses of their loved ones. They will share their life-changing stories from the disaster.

    Featuring...

    Japanese delicacies by Boston's top Japanese restaurants including o ya , Oga's Japanese Cuisine, and Snappy Sushi

    Photo exhibit of Tsunami Sakura series, Ofunato - James Whitlow Delano/Redux

    Exclusive performance by Japanese artists:

    Composer Tsunenori Lee Abe : A special musical piece based on "Ame nimo Makezu (Be Not Defeated By Rain)" by Kenji Miyazawa. This classic Japanese poem by Miyazawa conveys the message of strength and resiliency required to overcome hardships in life. This message also reflects the strong, enduring, and kind qualities of the people of Tohoku.

    Koto player Sumie Kaneko : "Haru yo Koi (Let Spring Come)" and more...

    Concert Performance by Longwood Symphony Orchestra: Federico Cortese, conductor; Gleb Ivanov, piano

    Golijov Sidereus Liszt Piano Concerto No.1 in E-flat Major, S. 124 Beethoven Symphony No.3 in E-flat Major, op. 55 "Eroica"

    More Information and Tickets Here
    Show details

  • "Origins of Japan’s Electric Power and the Fukushima Disaster: A Historical Perspective"

    • 20 Mar 2012
    • 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM
    • Bowie-Vernon Room K262, CGIS Knafel Bldg., 1737 Cambridge St.
    Weatherhead Center Program on U.S.-Japan Relations Special Series on Post-Disaster Japan presentation co-sponsored by the Reischauer Institute

    "Origins of Japan’s Electric Power and the Fukushima Disaster: A Historical Perspective"

    Free and Open to the Public

    Tuesday, March 20, 12:30-2:00 p.m.

    Bowie-Vernon Room K262,
    CGIS Knafel Bldg.,
    1737 Cambridge St.
    GOOGLE MAP
    TAKEO KIKKAWA, Professor of Japanese Business History, Hitotsubashi University

    Show details

  • Tomo: Friendship Through Fiction

    • 23 Mar 2012
    • 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
    • Boston Children's Museum, 2nd Floor The Common, 308 Congress St, Boston

    Present:

    Tomo: Friendship through Fiction
    Friday, March 23rd from 6:30-8pm
    Boston Children’s Museum


    $1 admission
    Boston Children's Museum
    2nd Floor The Commons
    308 Congress Street
    Boston, MA 02210

    An evening of storytelling, creativity and outreach for Boston teens to support young people in Japan affected by and recovering from the March 2011 earthquake & tsunami disasters.

    Tomo,     meaning “friend” in Japanese, is a collection of short stories and graphic art for readers age 12 and up, contributed by authors and artists from around the world, all of whom share a connection to Japan.
    Editor Holly Thompson (a Massachusetts native), Boston’s own Tak Toyoshima (“Secret Asian Man”) & other contributors will share their stories and help museum guests write or draw their own letters of support to teens in the hardest hit areas of Japan.

    Books will be available for purchase, & proceeds from sales go to the Japanese NPO Hope for Tomorrow.
    Show details

  • An Evening of Kabuki Dance

    • 27 Mar 2012
    • 7:00 AM - 8:30 AM
    • Paramount Theater, Boston
    Save the Date!
    An Evening of
    Kabuki Dance



    March 27
    Paramount Theater, Boston

    A spectacular presentation of classic dance pieces from the Kabuki repertory, featuring Kabuki star performer Kotoji Bando.

    More details Coming Soon!

    Show details

  • "Sakura in Japanese Culture" - Webinar

    • 05 Apr 2012
    • 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
    • Online
    Five College Center for East Asian Studies presents:

    "Sakura in Japanese Culture"
    Presenter: Anne Prescott, Director, FCCEAS


    Thursday, April 5, 7-8 pm EDT

    When we think of Japan, one of the most common images is sakura, cherry blossoms. In celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the donation of cherry trees from Japan to the US as a symbol of friendship, learn about sakura in Japanese culture, including samurai culture, literature and music.


    For more info contact
    The Five College Center for East Asian Study
    (413) 585 – 3751
    Show details

  • anime Boston 2012

    • 06 Apr 2012
    • 08 Apr 2012
    • Boston

    anime Boston 2012
     New England's Largest Annual Celebration of Japanese animation, comics and pop culture

       April 6th - 8th
    (Pre-registeration required)
    Featuring Japanese Vocalist  Kanako, and voice actors Christopher Ayres, Caitlin Glass and Carli Mosier

    Online Registration and more info at:
    www.animeboston.com

    Show details

  • Concert - Kitanodai Gagaku Ensemble & Members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra

    • 09 Apr 2012
    • 10:00 AM
    • Boston Symphony Hall


    The Japan - U.S. Cherry Blossom Centennial Celebration
    Boston Gagaku Concert
    From Centennial to Millennial Spring

    Organizer:
    Kitanodai Gagaku Ensemble and Sunbow 5 Foundation, Inc.

    Tickets and further information available online at:
    www.bso.org

    Supporters:
    Consulate-General of Japan in Boston
    Boston Symphony Orchestra
    City of Kyoto (Japan)
    Cowra Japanese Garden Foundation (Australia)
    Harvard University Edwin O. Reichauer Institute
    of Japanese Studies
    Institute for Medieval Japanese Studies of Columbia University
    Japan Society of Boston
    Showa Boston
    University of Massachusetts Amherst, Asian Arts & Culture Program
    Show details

  • "A Century of Sakura" - Concert at Pucker Gallery

    • 15 Apr 2012
    • 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
    • Pucker Gallery - 171 Newbury Street Boston, MA 02116

    Thursday, 15 March, 2012
    5:30 – 7 pm
    Pucker Gallery, 171 Newbury Street, Boston
     
    Toru Takemitsu (1930-1996)
    Toward the Sea III (12 min.)
    I. The Night
    II. Moby Dick
    III. Cape Cod
    Jessi Rosinski, flute
    Franziska Huhn, harp
     
    George Rochberg (b. 1918)
    Ukiyo-e II: Slow Fires of Autumn (14 min)
    Jessi Rosinski, flute
    Franziska Huhn, harp
     
    Toru Takemitsu
    Air (5 min)
    Jessi Rosinski, flute
     
    Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
    Sonata for Flute, Viola, and Harp, L. 137 (16 min)
    I.  Pastorale
    II.  Interlude
    III. Finale

    In addition to the celebration of 100 years of sakura, we will also reflect on and honor the victims of the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami.
     
    Richard Feit, Dean of Performance Studies at NEC, wrote the following of the chosen program:
     
    “The program echoes themes that are both Japanese and impressionistic, and creates a sound world that should be absolutely enchanting. Two works by the iconic Toru Takemitsu; a neo-romantic work of the composer George Rochberg that speaks to the world of Japanese woodblock prints, the Ukiyo-e (Floating World); and a wonderful trio by Debussy, whose aesthetic connects them all.”
     
    Pucker Gallery
    171 Newbury Street
    Boston, MA  02116
    contactus@puckergallery.com
    Show details

  • 2012 Annual Dinner - Save the Date

    • 18 Apr 2012
    • The Westin Boston Waterfront
    Save the Date

     The Japan Society of Boston's 2012 Annual Dinner

    Wednesday April 18, 2012

    Further details coming soon
    Show details

  • The 2nd Annual Japanese Language Contest - Entry Deadline March 14

    • 21 Apr 2012
    • Brookline Public Library
    The 2nd Annual
    Japanese Language Contest 


    April 21st
    Brookline Public Library
    Entry Deadline - March 14th

    More Information and
    Application online at
    Show details

  • Haru Matsuri 2012: Japan Spring Festival in Boston.

    • 22 Apr 2012
    • 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
    • Copley Square, Boston
    Haru Matsuri 2012:
    Japan Spring Festival in Boston

    Sunday, April 22
    11:00 am - 4:oo pm

    More information coming soon

    Please direct all inquiries to:
    info@japanfestivalboston.org
    Show details

  • Japan Airlines - Non-Stop Boston to Tokyo Inaugural Flight

    • 22 Apr 2012
    • 1:20 PM
    • Departing from Logan Airport with Non-Stop service to Tokyo-Narita

    Non-Stop Boston to Tokyo Inaugural Flight

    Sunday April 22
    Departing at 1:20 pm
    Show details

  • Art in Bloom at the MFA

    • 28 Apr 2012
    • 30 Apr 2012
    • Museum of Fine Arts Boston
    Art in Bloom
    at the MFA

    April 28th - 30th



    Free with Admission to the Museum

    www.mfa.org

    Celebrate spring at the 36th annual festival of fine art and fresh flowers. See the MFA's galleries transformed by almost 70 extraordinary arrangements inspired by magnificent works of art. Art in Bloom is free with Museum admission; no reservations are required to see the floral arrangements and participate in most of the programs.

    Family Day, Saturday, April 28, features programs and activities for children. Members' Night is Sunday, April 29. Elegant Tea is offered on Saturday and Sunday, April 28 and 29. Guided tours are conducted throughout Art in Bloom, and on Monday, April 30, world-renowned British floral designer Paula Pryke presents a lecture and floral demonstration (tickets available in mid-February).
    Show details

  • Concert - The Kioi Sinfonietta

    • 01 May 2012
    • Sanders Theater, Cambridge
    Save the Date!
    The Kioi Sinfonietta



    May 1
    Sanders Theater, Cambridge

     Japan's celebrated chamber orchestra will present a single concert appearance at Harvard's beautiful Sanders Theater
    (Presented by The Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies, Harvard, & The Japan Society of Boston).

    More Details Coming Soon
    Show details

  • Rad Smith Program on Japanese Art presents Reiko Sudo

    • 02 May 2012
    • 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
    • Museum of Fine Arts Boston - Remis Auditorium





    The Japan Society of Boston & the MFA present:

    The Beauty and Mystery of Textiles

    The Art of Reiko Sudo
    Textile artist, & founder of Nuno Company

    2012 Rad Smith Program in Japanese Art

    World-renowned as a leading figure in innovative contemporary textile production, Reiko Sudo has worked with Japan’s top fashion designers to provide sublime new textiles for their clothing. Her work is represented in major international museums, including the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum and the Museum of Modern Art. She discusses production techniques and shows examples of extraordinary fabrics she created for interiors, fashion, and art.


    Show details

  • The Tiger Okoshi Quintet

    • 12 May 2012
    • 8:00 PM
    • James Hugh Powers Hall, located inside the Needham Town Hall.
    The Tiger Okoshi Quintet

    May 12




    James Hugh Powers Hall, located inside the Needham Town Hall.

    International Jazz great Tiger Okoshi has played with legends from around the globe, including Tony Bennett, Dave Grusin, Pat Metheny and Branford Marsalis. He will perform original compositions and Louis Armstrong standards, as well as a special composition that he arranged to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Sakura (cherry trees) in Washington and Boston.

    Opening for Tiger will be the Needham Middle School Jazz Ensemble.

    James Hugh Powers Hall, located inside the Needham Town Hall.
    Show details

 

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