Japan at a Foreign Policy Crossroad: New Direction or More of the Same? – Lecture and Book Launch by Dr Kyoko Hatakeyama

Dr Kyoko Hatakeyama, formerly of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and currently on the staff of Kansai Gaidai University, will present a lecture discussing the possible changes in Japanese foreign policy under the new government led by the Democratic Party of Japan. Following the lecture, a new book, Snow on the Pine: Japan’s Quest for a Leadership Role in East Asia, by Kyoko Hatakeyama and Craig Freedman (Director, the Centre of Japanese Economic Studies) will be launched. Refreshments will be provided as well as the chance to win the latest Sony camera and two autographed copies of the book.

When: Thursday 11 March 2010, 6pm – 8pm
Where: Blake Dawson, Level 36 Grosvenor Place, 255 George St, Sydney
Admission: Free. Bookings essential.
RSVP: craig.freedman@mq.edu.au or phone 02 9850 7444

‘Multicultural questions without multiculturalism’ – Lecture by Professor Koichi Iwabuchi, Melbourne
Wednesday 17 March, 6.30pm
Elisabeth Murdoch Building, Theatre A
The University of Melbourne, Parkville VIC

While the new millennium has seen the marked decline of multiculturalism in many Western countries, in Japan multicultural issues have come to be more seriously discussed. This lecture will explore the politics of multiculturalism in the Japanese context. Koichi Iwabuchi is Professor of Media and Cultural Studies at the School of International Liberal Studies of Waseda University, Tokyo.

Full details online, click here

Contemporary Japanese Fashion and FRUiTS Exhibitions – Lake Macquarie Art Gallery, NSW
5 February – 14 March 2010
Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery, First Street, Booragul, NSW

Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery’s current exhibitions include ‘FRUiTS: Tokyo street style – photographs by Shoichi Aoki’ and ‘Contemporary Japanese Fashion: the Gene Sherman Collection’, including pieces by Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto and Akira Isogawa.

Full details online, click here

The Endless Garment Exhibition - RMIT Gallery, Melbourne
12 February – 21 March 2010
RMIT Gallery, 344 Swanston Street, Melbourne

The Endless Garment celebrates the virtuosity and future directions of the new craft of machine knitting which is changing the way fashion is designed and made. The exhibition will showcase the work of 10 Australian and international designers, including Issey Miyake and Yoshiki Hishinuma.

Dai Fujiwara, Creative Director of ISSEY MIYAKE Creative Room, will give a special public lecture at Storey Hall on 17 March from 6-8pm.

Hymn to Beauty: The Art of Utamaro – Art Gallery of NSW

The ukiyo-e woodblock print is undoubtedly one of the most recognisable of Japan’s diverse art forms, and Kitagawa Utamaro (1753?-1806) is its quintessential exponent.

Featuring around 80 prints from the renowned collection of the Asian Art Museum, National Museums in Berlin, this exhibition is the first extensive survey of Utamaro’s work in Australia and also includes work by his contemporaries and followers.

When: 13 February 2010 – 2 May 2010
Admission: Adult $8, Member/Concession $5, Family $20
Utamaro Film Series: 24 February - 18 April (free)

Full details online, click here