Japan Now North 2020: Celebrating the arts of Japan
Japan Now North returns to Sheffield from Monday 17 to Friday 21 February for a week-long series of thought-provoking events celebrating the vibrant art, culture, literature and film of Japan.
Hosted by the University of Sheffield's School of East Asian Studies, the arts festival's events will take place in a range of independent venues across the city including the Showroom Cinema, Crucible Theatre, Kommune and Site Gallery.
The theme of this year's Japan Now North is 'Futures'. Japan is rightly regarded as being at the forefront of technology advancement, forging ahead in the fields of robotics, communication technologies, everyday living aides and futuristic city design. But while the nation is a world-leader in economic, technological and cultural industries, it faces a challenging combination of social issues, including super-ageing, precarity and overcrowding.
Japan Now North, and the three-day symposium 'Imagining Our Digital Futures: The View From Japan' which follows, will explore the difficulties and possibilities facing future Japan, and consider how to solve the problems that most countries will undoubtedly face in the near future.
Highlights include appearances by photography and performance artist Tomoko Sawada, the much-adapted author Tomihiko Morimi, award-winning novelist Hiroko Oyamada, and poet and novelist Hiromi Itō in conversation with poet and translator Jeffrey Angles. The programme also features film screenings and Q&A with filmmakers Chie Hayakawa (Ten Years Japan) and Naoko Nobutomo (I Go Gaga My Dear).
More information and tickets for all Japan Now North events here.
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