Last week, we were delighted to invite a group of students to Norwich to participate in the Interdisciplinary Japanese Studies Student Conference which ran 03-07 March. Generously supported by the Toshiba International Foundation and organised by the Sainsbury Institute and the Centre for Japanese Studies, UEA, the event brought together students at advanced undergraduate and postgraduate level from a range of disciplines, but all with a focus on Japan.
We received nearly 90 applications for the programme from across the world and, after a competitive selection process, invited 12 participants from eight different countries to the conference with full funding for travel, subsistence and accommodation.
The group arrived on Sunday 02 March where they were greeted by Hirohito Tsuji, PhD student at UEA, who showed them around the campus and helped them orientate themselves before the conference officially began.
MONDAY 03 MARCH
For the first full day of the conference, the group were given a tour of Norwich city centre by Dr Andy Hutcheson, Research Fellow at the Sainsbury Institute. The afternoon session was hosted at the Sainsbury Institute, where students were welcomed to the conference by Professor Simon Kaner, Executive Director of the Sainsbury Institute and Director of the Centre for Japanese Studies, UEA. Each student was then asked to give a 10 minute presentation on an area of their choosing relating to Japan. We were impressed by the breadth of topics covered, from Ainu, to Japanese food, to literature, and dogū, and each presentation generated important questions and discussions amongst participants.
TUESDAY 04 MARCH
The day began with an exciting opportunity to participate in a cutting-edge experiment exploring prehistoric Japanese archaeology. We were delighted to welcome Professor Haruhiro Fujita from Niigata University of International and Information Studies back to Norwich with two of his students to conduct research into cognitive responses to Jomon pottery and dogū using HoloLens equipment, the results of which will inform Deep Learning models relating to cognitive archaeology. From the impressive surroundings of the Sainsbury Centre’s East End, the conference members tried on the HoloLens glasses through which they could view holograms of examples of these objects using Mixed Reality (MR). We look forward to bringing you more news about the results of Fujita-sensei’s research in the near future.
Following the experiment, Dr Sherzod Muminov, Associate Professor in Japanese History, led a session titled Trapped between Soviet and Japanese Empires: Memories of Forced Migration and Displacement across Eurasia and East Asia, 1905-1956. The group then made their way back to 64 The Close for lunch, before heading to Norwich Castle Museum for an afternoon workshop on the theme of Commemoration, Remembrance and Reconciliation through Arts and Heritage. Oliver Moxham, current PhD student at the University of Cambridge, and Dr Ben Raffield, Uppsala University, both gave presentations addressing this topic followed by a lively discussion with around 35 participants at the workshop. We were then delighted to welcome Professor Ran Zwigenberg (Pennsylvania State University) to give the public keynote at the workshop, Hiroshima’s Transwar and the architecture of Memory and Forgetting, which explored his research into the history of Hiroshima, in particular relating to the role Hiroshima Castle played throughout that history. The discussions of the day were continued over curry, an important part of British cuisine for attendees to try.
WEDNESDAY 05 MARCH
Wednesday saw another day of sessions at the Sainsbury Institute, welcoming two more of our Centre for Japanese Studies colleagues to speak on their specialisms. Dr Nadine Willems, Associate Professor in Japanese History, led a compelling presentation on the history and people of Hokkaido, exploring the Ainu, their representation and past scholarship, and the different perspectives to consider when researching this area. Dr Hannah Osborne, Lecturer in Japanese Literature, then led a seminar-style session asking students to explore WWII trauma in literature through two texts – Iron Fish by Kono Taeko and The Crazy Iris by Masuji Ibuse. Sitting in on these sessions, it was encouraging to see each conference participant bringing their own perspective to the discussions and sharing ideas from their disciplines and areas of study, with interdisciplinarity being at the heart of this conference and the Centre for Japanese Studies more broadly.
THURSDAY 06 MARCH
For penultimate day for the conference, the day began with a session led by Dr Ra Mason, Sasakawa Associate Professor of International Relations and Japanese Foreign Policy, on the topic of his latest book Okinawa: Great Power Competition and the Keystone of the Pacific (a book launch for this was also held at the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation that evening). The final session in Norwich was a panel discussion on Japanese heritage, where we welcomed Dr Koji Mizoguchi, Professor of Social Archaeology at Kyushu University and President of the World Archaeological Congress, to Norwich. In discussion with Dr Andy Hutcheson and Professor Simon Kaner, accompanied by a replica Jomon skull and pot, the panel and discussion session explored the specialism of each researcher, some of the key similarities and differences between the archaeology of Japan and the UK, and the future directions of the field of archaeology.
FRIDAY 07 MARCH
It was an early start on Friday as the conference group travelled down to London for the last day of the programme. We were privileged to take part in a special viewing session at the British Museum with curator Dr Koto Sadamura and collector Israel Goldman who showed a selection of works by artist Kawanabe Kyōsai. Dr Sadamura was Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Fellow at the Sainsbury Institute in 2021-2022 and during her time here worked on the exhibition Kyōsai: The Israel Goldman Collection at the Royal Academy of Arts in London (for those interested to learn more, you can view our Curator and Collector In Conversation video on our YouTube channel here). From the famous Hell Courtesan (Jigoku-dayū) to a charming painting of a frog shooting range, the group had a unique opportunity to closely examine the works and hear more about Dr Sadamura’s research. We were also joined by the Sainsbury Institute’s Dr Ryoko Matsuba and Dr Eugenia Bogdanova-Kummer, who helped to arrange the session and gave the participants an introduction to the East Asian collections at the museum. The conference was rounded off by an essential British custom – fish and chips on a Friday – and attendees were joined by Ms Junko Nakaji of the Embassy of Japan in the UK, as well as Sainsbury Institute staff.
The conference brought together a broad range of approaches and areas relating to Japanese studies, both through the academics and researchers involved, the sessions planned, and the conference attendees themselves. The unique contribution that each participant brought both in terms of their degree subject but also their international perspective was a key element of the event, with attendees from Ukraine, Hungary, Romania, Croatia, Poland and more. The attendees noted the convivial and friendly atmosphere of the conference and that they hoped to stay in touch once the conference had finished, as well as many stating they were now considering further studies within the field. At a time when several courses relating to Japanese studies across the UK have uncertain futures, this meaningful exchange and collaboration facilitated by the conference shows how such events can both encourage further engagement with studies of Japan, and create important networks for the next generation of researchers.
We are grateful to the Toshiba International Foundation for their generous support of this event, to the Sainsbury Centre, Norwich Castle Museum and the British Museum for hosting some of our sessions, and to all of our Sainsbury Institute and Centre for Japanese Studies colleagues and external speakers whose invaluable contributions created a broad and engaging programme.
Some comments from our attendees:
“I am incredibly grateful to have met so many people who are involved in Japanese Studies. The depth of knowledge among all the speakers was truly impressive, and it was inspiring to hear from experts in a wide range of areas”
“I loved my time here and I would encourage anyone to come too. It was an eye-opening experience for me as I got to see more aspects about Japan”
“This conference sparked my curiosity into new fields that I can pursue in the future”
“The conference was incredibly thoughtful and rewarding. The close-knit nature of the group meant that everyone got along quickly and worked together in each seminar, Everyone’s interests shone through”
“I learned so much talking to the professors [and] bringing together students from all across Europe, from whom I also learned much and I want to stay in touch with”
