What's on with Japan400 Plymouth

Saturday 27 September 2014
Free admission. No booking required.

• 13:00–14:00 – The arrival of The Clove, including formal ceremony.
  
• See the past sail into the present as we re-create The Clove’s homecoming with the arrival of a 112-foot tall ship sailing in to Sutton Harbour.
  
• Join the celebrations with ceremonies to celebrate Saris’s homecoming and affirm Anglo-Japanese relations.  
  
• Walk the decks of the historic vessel and meet Captain Saris himself as we bring history to life.
  
• The ship is open to the public from 14:00–17:00 on 27, and 10:00–15:00 on 28 September.
  

27 September (10:00–17:00; stalls continue to Sunday 28 September)
Free admission. No booking required.

• Learn from the masters, with cooking demonstrations featuring celebrity chef Peter Gorton, sushi chef Dan from Goto Sushi, and special guest Yoshinori Ishii of Michelin star restaurant Umu.
  
• Visit the Japan400 Plymouth stall, situated at the corner of Quay Square facing The Clove, and sample varieties of Japanese sake brought to you by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
  
• Taste for yourself a feast of Japanese flavours at various food stalls.
  
• Enjoy entertainment for the whole family in Quay Square, including:
  – the Homecoming of The Clove and official proceedings (13.00–14.00)
  – Hibiki Ichikawa playing the shamisen (three-stringed banjo) and Akari Mochizuki, traditional folk singer
  – Kagemusha Taiko drumming,
  – The Ronin-Kai Plymouth Kendo Club
  – Odoro! Dance! with the Cornwall and Devon Scouts.

• Saturday 27 September 10:15–10:45, The Barbican.
  
• Sunday 28 September 11:00–12:30, The House, University of Plymouth.
  

Free admission. Booking essential.

27 – 28 September 10:00–17:00
Free admission. No booking required.

• Sample and buy from market of specialist seafood stalls.
  
• Discover more about the big blue with a sea-themed crafts and awareness area.
  
• Pick up new skills at the Cookery Theatre on The Parade area of the Barbican, with local and regional chefs demonstrating seafood dishes.
  
• Get the kids involved with puppet shows and face painting in Quay Square.
  

Sunday 28 September 13:00–14:00
Free admission. Booking essential.

We are delighted to welcome the ‘Play it Again’ drama troupe. Based in Liskeard, Play it Again will bring the power of live theatre in an interactive theatre experience that tells the tale of John Saris’s expedition to Japan. Produced and performed by the troupe, it promises to be a high-energy event.

Sunday 28 September 14:00–16:00

Admission £20.00, Concessions/Students £15.00
Booking essential.

Sunday 28 September 10:00–16:00
Free admission. No booking required.

Manga comics are highly regarded as one of Japan’s most important exports, so much so that in 2005, the Gaimushō (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) made it into a key plank of international foreign policy: Manga gaikō (diplomacy through manga comics). 

• Explore Japanese illustration, both traditional and contemporary.
  
• Tour the marvels of Manga in the Embassy of Japan's Manga Jiman exhibition.
  
• Let loose your artistic talents in an array of workshops and activities for people of all ages.  
  

Sunday 28 September 10:00–16:00
Free admission. No booking required.

Celebrate both traditional and modern Japanese culture through a showcase of performances and displays, and experience for yourself with interactive workshops. Do a bit of shopping, learn to write your name in Japanese, see calligraphy in action, learn about opportunities to study Japanese and improve your study skills, encounter modern pop culture and get a glimpse of traditional geisha fashion. There'll be something for everybody and every age from martial arts to food and hand-dyed fabrics, as well as:

• taiko drumming
  
• shakuhachi (bamboo flute)
  
• Martial Arts – aikido, iaido, karate, kendo
  
• shodo – calligraphy
  
• chadō (the ‘way of tea’, tea ceremony)
  
• kitsuke (the intricate skill of dressing in traditional kimono and tying obi belts) and fashion show
  
• origami paper folding
  
• Bengala fabric dying
  
• manga and illustration.
  

Monday 29 September 13:00–19:00 
Free admission. Booking essential.
Registration at Crosspoint, Roland Levinsky Building, University of Plymouth

• Join this half-day event that brings together world-leading scholars and top-level specialists as they discuss Anglo-Japanese relations.
  
• With a special focus on maritime co-operation, the symposium will feature three expert panels focusing upon history, resources, and security respectively.
  
• This event is hosted by University of Plymouth and the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation who play a central role in promoting closer links between the UK and Japan, and we are pleased to welcome them to the South West in our exploration of this important relationship.
  

Tuesday 30 September 10:00–16:00
Free admission. No booking required.

Familiarise yourself with the nuances of Japanese honorific address. Get a grip on hiragana and katakana; start to learn one of the 1,800 characters you need to read and write Japanese. Practise everyday greetings. Begin your journey learning the fascinating language that is Nihongo.

Japan400 Plymouth is pleased to welcome Mr Crispin Chambers, head of Japanese at Tavistock College. Crispin will offer a series of Japanese language taster workshops for University of Plymouth students and the general public. 

Crispin received the Pearson Teacher of the Year in a Secondary School Award.

Tuesday 30 September 19:00–21:00
Booking essential.

'Japan400 and Plymouth: Why 1614 matters in 2014’, by Professor Timon Screech (School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London). 

Lecture Theatre 1, Roland Levinsky Building, University of Plymouth

• Professor Timon Screech will deliver the Japan400 Plymouth Keynote Lecture, narrating the fascinating story that saw England and Japan come together.
  
• Explore the multi-fold legacy The Clove’s voyage has bestowed to us all, shaped for you by a world-leading scholar in the study of Early Modern Japan.
  
• Timon Screech is Professor of Art and Archaeology at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and is the Co-Director of Japan400 celebrations in 2013.
  

Animation, violence and a distinctive exploration of intimacy and the everyday – Japanese cinema has had a transformative influence on the global film industry. Experience films specially selected to tempt you into this celluloid world.

Booking essential. 

Screenings Jill Craigie Cinema

• 6 October, 19:00 – Ran (1985), directed by Akira Kurosawa
  
• 13 October, 19:00 – The Wind Rises (2013), directed by Hayao Miyazaki
  
• 20 October, 20:00 – Ring (1998), directed by Hideo Nakata
  

Monday 20 October 18:00–19:30
Free admission. Booking essential.

This event is a collaboration between Plymouth International Book Festival and Japan400 Plymouth and will feature a panel tasked with exploring the difficulties writers and translators have when writing for audiences of different cultures.