COLD FISH: Directed by Sion Sono (Love Exposure/ Suicide Club)

The latest feature from cult Japanese writer-director Sion Sono (Love Exposure), Cold Fish is “yet another step in Sion Sono's rise as one of Japan's most consistently bold and intriguing film makers… [and] stands as one of the most powerful, punishing works to come out of Japan this year” (Twitch).

Inspired by and loosely based on the real-life exploits of serial killer couple Gen Sekine and his ex-wife Hiroko Kazama (the perpetrators of Tokyo’s notorious 1993 “Saitama serial murders of dog lovers” killings), the film is a psychotic cavalcade of sex, violence and comedy that has been hailed by Variety for its “gleeful humour and dare-you-to-watch aesthetic”.

Shamoto runs a small tropical fish shop. His second wife, Taeko, does not get along with his daughter, Mitsuko, and this worries him. One day Mitsuko is caught shoplifting at a grocery store. There they meet a friendly man named Murata, who helps to settle things between Mitsuko and the store manager. Since Murata also runs a tropical fishshop, Shamoto establishes a bond with him and they become friends; Mitsuko even begins working for Murata and living at his house. What Shamoto doesn’t know, however, is that Murata hides many dark secrets behind his friendly face. He sells cheap fish to his customers for high prices with his artful lies. If anyone detects his fraud or refuses to go along with his moneymaking schemes, they’re murdered and their bodies disposed of by Murata and his wife in grisly ways.........

Discover Korean Food #52: Dr. Sook-Ja Yoon's "Domimyeon, Stuffed Sea-bream Casserole with Vegetables"

Domimyeon is a casserole made of fried sea bream fillets, vegetables, and potato starch noodles in boiling broth. This dish is served and eaten while it is simmering. Domimyeon is unique in taste, luxurious-looking, and easy to eat since it uses boneless fish fillets.

[Ingredients & Quantity]

500 g (small 1 body) sea-bream : 0.8 g (1/5 tsp) salt, 0.1 g ground white pepper 

10 g (2 ea) brown oak mushrooms, 1 g stone mushrooms, 2 g Jew's ear mushrooms 

20 g (1 ea) red pepper, 40 g potato starch noodles, 20 g crown daisy 

3.5 g (1 tsp) pine nuts, 8 g (4 ea) gingko, 10 g (2 ea) walnut 

15 g watercress, 180 g (3 ea) egg, 21 g (3 tbsp) wheat flour, 26 g (2 tbsp) edible oil 

800 g (4 cups ) broth, 9 g (½  tbsp) clear soy sauce, 4 g (1 tsp) salt 

60 g beef (top round, sirloin)

* Broth : 150 g beef(brisket, shank), 1.2 kg (6 cups) water 

* Dumpling : 20 g minced beef, 10 g tofu

* Seasoning sauce① : 3 g (½ tsp) clear soy sauce, 1 g (¼ tsp) sesame oil

* Seasoning sauce② : 6 g (1 tsp) clear soy sauce, 4.5 g (1 tsp) minced green onion, 2.8 g (½ tsp) minced garlic, 0.1 g ground black pepper, 1 g (¼ tsp) sesame oil 

* Seasoning sauce③ : 2 g (⅓ tsp) soy sauce, 2.3 g (½ tsp) minced green onion, 1.8 g (¼ tsp) minced garlic 0.1 g ground black pepper, 2 g (½ tsp) sesame oil

Scattering Rhythms: Korean traditional music and Jazz Concert

‘Scattering Rhythms: Korean traditional music and Jazz’ is the creative collaboration of Korean traditional music by three prominent musicians from three countries: a taegŭm master Hyelim Kim (Korea), the eminent jazz drummer Simon Barker (Australia), and a janggu player & professor at SOAS, Keith Howard (UK). The concert features traditional repertories and improvisatory pieces inspired by Korean traditional music and jazz. It explores the musical elements of two cultures to illuminate novel possibilities in musical treasures.

Date: 11 Apr 2011 19:00

Venue: Korean Cultural Centre UK, Multi-purpose hall

Fee: Free Admission

RSVP: info@kccuk.org.uk or 020-7004-2600

Japan Relief Night in London

The event will be covered by the media (OK Magazine and Japanese Presses) to raise awareness that Japan still needs help. Mica Paris is attending the event as a special guest, who is a legendary soul singer and TV fashion presenter.
The ticket price is £5,000 (max. 10 people per table) which includes amazing 3 course meal, whiskey, vodka, brandy and wine. The tables will be placed in front of the performers, so you will have great views.

Alternatively,  the tickets for the price of £2,000 per table which only offers 3 course meal and wine are also available.

Venue: The Mayfair Hotel, Stratton Street, Mayfair, London W1J 8LT

Date: Friday 8th of April

Time: 7-8pm (Drinks reception), 8pm (Dinner & Charity auction)
Ticket: http://www.eventelephant.com/japanreliefnight

Dress: Black Tie

For more information: please email: info@japanreliefnight.info or you can call: Anna (07784 428888), Nichola (07909 555927)

AUCTUION

1. Signed T-shirts of Man. U players:

Gary Lineker

Wayne Rooney

Fernando Torres

David Hay

2. 1 week holiday in Dubai (5 star hotel)

PERFORMANCE

Talay Riley - Signed to sony with over 2.5 million views on Youtube. No1 hit with chipmunk 'Look for me'.

Jeremy Lynch - Semi final contestant on Britains Got Talent football freestyler, with a difference.

Suzie Kennedy (host of the event) - Worlds most famous lookalike and tribute artist to Marilyn Monroe... GOOGLE HER!

Suzie has performed for and in the presence of many leading celebrities including Madonna, Kate Moss, Simon Cowell and Personal Happy Birthday tributes include Sir Richard Branson, Frankie Dettori, John Frieda and Eva Longoria.

Shugo Tokumaru w/ Full Band

Shugo Tokumaru began recording his sweet and eccentric lo-fi indie pop songs - songs that nod to artists like Plamo, Lullatone, and PWRFL Power - in the early 2000s. He recorded a ten-track demo CD-R, Fragment, in 2003. The album was never officially released, but it did manage to grab the attention of the U.S. label Music Related, which released Tokumaru's second full-length, Night Piece, in 2004. Tokumaru went on to release a couple more albums over the course of the next few years; L.S.T. followed in 2005 and Exit was released in Japan in 2007. The latter was re-released on the U.S. label Almost Gold in 2008. For 2010's Port Entropy, Tokumaru adopted a slightly more polished, but still playful, approach.

Date: 6 April 2011, 8pm

Venue: Cafe OTO, 18-22 Ashwin Street,London E8 3DL 
Admission: £8.5 adv / £10 on the door

Tel: 020 7923 1231 
Email: info@cafeoto.co.uk
Web: http://www.cafeoto.co.uk/shugo-tokumaru.shtm
Organiser: Cafe OTO

Asiana/UNICEF to send Relief Funds to Japan

Asiana Airlines (President: Young-Doo Yoon), in an effort to aid the restoration and aid the children from the earthquake struck areas in Japan, will be hosting the ‘Change of Love’ campaign inside the cabins of all Asiana’s domestic and international flights.

This campaign conducted by Asiana Airlines and UNICEF has been a part of UNICEF ‘Change of Love’ campaign in which the relief funds raised urgently this time will be delivered by UNICEF Korea to UNICEF Japan.

Asiana Airlines and UNICEF for this campaign have jointly produced special fund envelopes that has the wording < Japan Urgent Relief> imprinted on the envelopes. Asiana plans to announce ‘that all the funds will be used for Japan Urgent Relief’ through the in-flight announcements to inform the passengers of the campaign.........

Call for Korean Artists Association in the UK

Korean Artists Association UK was formed to promote cultural exchange between the Republic of Korea and the UK, and to further the interests and activities of Korean artists working in the UK. This year the association celebrates its 15th anniversary, and it is looking for talented new members to participate in forthcoming events that are being planned.

Disciplines: All discipline of Visual Arts (painting, installation, design, photography etc) and Performing Arts.

Eligibility: Professional Korean Artists who have been resident in UK for more than two years. Korean students aged over 18 who are currently studying ‘Art’ in the UK.

Guest members: Non-Koreans who are interested in Korean culture are welcome as guest members.

Contact Email: jooheui@gmail.com

Web site: http://koreanartists.co.uk/

Related Link

Sarah Chang returns to London

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra's 2010-2011 season at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall sees Maestro Charles Dutoit return for his second season as Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Orchestra, taking the baton for three electrifying concerts. These concerts feature Maestro Dutoit’s renowned passion for the Russian repertoire, with performances of the complete scores of Stravinsky’s three great ballets Petrushka, The Firebird and The Rite of Spring, alongside three great Romantic concertos.

The series features a veritable feast of orchestral masterpieces from Respighi’s highly programmatic works to concertos by Bruch and Mendelssohn and an all-Beethoven programme directed by the legendary Pinchas Zukerman. The Orchestra welcomes some of the world’s finest conductors and soloists including Mischa Maisky, Sarah Chang, Andrew Litton and the legendary Martha Argerich.....................

Discover Korean Food #51: Dr. Sook-Ja Yoon's "Gungjung-tteokbokki, Rice Cake Pasta and Vegetables, Royal Style"

Gungjung-tteokbokki is a dish made of white rice cakes, beef and various dried and raw vegetables stir-fried with soy sauce for seasoning. Tteokbokki was not spicy and only made with soy sauce until the 18th century. But nowadays, it is cooked with a spicy red bean paste, which had been seen in recipes since the 1950s.

[Ingredients & Quantity]
300 g white steamed rice cake, 13 g (1 tbsp) sesame oil
100 g beef (top round)
15 g (3 sheets) brown oak mushrooms
20 g dried pumpkin strips
50 g (⅓ ea) onion, 15 g (1 ea) green pepper, 20 g (1 ea) red pepper
60 g mung bean sprouts, 400 g (2 cups) water, 4 g (1 tsp) salt
60 g (1 ea) egg, 13 g (1 tbsp) edible oil
Seasoning sauce ① : 9 g (½ tbsp) soy sauce, 6 g (½ tbsp) sugar, 4.5 g (1 tsp) minced green onion, 2.8 g (½ tsp) minced garlic, 0.3 g (⅛ tsp) ground black pepper, 4 g (1 tsp) sesame oil
Seasoning sauce ② : 18 g (1 tbsp) soy sauce, 6 g (½ tbsp) sugar, 6 g (1 tsp) honey, 4.5 g (1 tsp) minced green onion, 2.8 g (½ tsp) minced garlic, 4 g (1 tsp) sesame oil, 50 g (¼ cups) water

Actions for Tibet: Anniversary of 10 March 1959 Tibetan Uprising

On Thursday 10 March and Saturday 12 March Tibetans and supporters world-wide will be commemorating the 52nd anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising 10 March 1959, one of the most important dates in the Tibetan calendar. A number of events are being held in the UK to mark the anniversary including a lobby at Westminster. Tibet lobbyists have two asks of MPs:

Modern Photography in Japan

Date: 10 March 2011 7:00pm - 7:45pm
Venue: Daiwa Foundation Japan House, 13/14 Cornwall Terrace, London NW1 4QP UK
Tel: 020 7486 4348 Fax: 020 7486 2914
Email: office@dajf.org.uk
Web: www.dajf.org.uk
Organiser: Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation in association with Tate MadernIn 2010

Tate Modern acquired a substantial group of works of modernist Japanese photography from the collection of Tom Jacobson and Kaori Hashimoto. These works will be exhibited for the first time as part of Tate Modern’s collection displays in Spring 2011. The exhibits will include important works by Iwao Yamawaki, a Japanese architect and photographer who studied at the Bauhaus in the late 1920s, working with the architect Paul Oud. Also displayed will be other key examples of Japanese modernist photography, the work of practitioners from the 1930s to 1950s such as Fusao Hori, Kiyohiko Komura, Ryukichi Shibuya and Shikanosuke Yagaki. This major acquisition was made possible through funds allocated by the Asian Pacific Acquisitions Committee and a gift from a member of Tate Modern’s Photography Acquisition Committee.

To celebrate this significant expansion of its modern Japanese photography collection, the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation is delighted to announce an event in partnership with Tate Modern. The speakers, Tom Jacobson and Kaori Hashimoto, will discuss their collection and the importance of Japanese photography from this period. They will be in conversation at Daiwa Foundation Japan House with Simon Baker, Curator of Photography and International Art, Tate Modern.

Tom Jacobson has been a vintage photography collector and historian for more than 35 years, with an emphasis upon forgotten master photographers from the first half of the 20th Century. After extensive research on Japanese American West Coast photographers from before the Second World War, he turned to art photographers active in Japan from the 1920s and 1930s. His first trip to Japan in 1985 marked the beginning of his efforts to acquire what little Japanese photography remained from that era due to the effects of war and neglect. By going through numerous vintage photographic magazines and annuals, he compiled a long list of interesting photographers. With his assistant and later partner, Kaori Hashimoto, he assembled an extraordinary collection of some of the rarest pre-war Japanese vintage photography, consisting of over 500 prints by 20 key photographers.

Kaori Hashimoto became Tom Jacobson’s assistant in 1985 and began a research and collecting adventure throughout Japan in search of vintage Japanese pre-war photography. From 1986 through 1988, she worked as chief interpreter and staff member at Gallery MIN, Tokyo, specializing in contemporary Californian photographers. She published monographs and interpreted slide lectures on more than 18 photographers including, among others, Jo Ann Callis, Henry Wessel, Susan Rankaitis. Hashimoto moved to the United States in 1988 to work with Jacobson on the Japanese collection, arranging loans to exhibitions within the United States and overseas.

Thames to Tama Exhibition

Date: 3 - 24 March 2011
Venue: Thames to Tama Exhibition, Unit 6, 34 Star Lane, Great Wakering, Essex SS3 0FF
Email: chalkwell@metalculture.com
Tel: 01702 470 700
Web: http://www.metalculture.com/
Fee: Admission Free
Opening Hours: Monday - Friday, 11am - 2pm

Organiser: Metal

Metal, presents Thames to Tama, an exhibition inspired by the journey of the legendary William Adams, who set sail from the Thames Gateway in 1598 and became the first Briton to set foot in Japan.

His entry into Japanese waters was via the River Tama, a Japanese gateway river important for its trade.

The exhibit is the creation of artist Lee Baker, it consists of 5 huge wall-size line-drawn images based upon both ancient and modern Japanese graphics, paintings, and maps.

Each image is made up of portraits created by pupils from 25 schools in Southend on Sea. Over 4000 pupils have taken part in this town-wide project in association with Southend Education Trust.

Cutting the Cord

Date: 21-26 February 2011 (Mon - Wed: 8pm, Thurs - Sat: 6.30pm and 8.30pm)
Vanue: Tristan Bates Theatre, 1A Tower Street, Covent Garden, WC2H 9NP
Box office: 020 7240 6283
Email: info@flyingeye.org.uk
Web: http://www.tristanbatestheatre.co.uk/ http://www.flyingeye.org.uk/
Admission: £10/£8(Concession)
Organiser: Flying Eye

Inspired by true stories, Cutting the Cord is an intimate and heart-warming physical theatre piece.

This is the kind of theatre that engages and touches its audience long after they leave the venue. - The Brighton Magazine

Where do you come from?
Where are you going?
When you are miles away from the place of your birth, can you ever feel truly at home?
This one- woman show tells the story of Sachi, a young Japanese woman, and her comedic, yet sincere struggle to find a ‘home’. Set in London and Tokyo, Sachi playfully relates the story of what it means to leave one place and put down roots elsewhere. Accompanied by live music and presented with magical theatricality, Cutting the Cord is a touching and poignant tale that invites people of all backgrounds to celebrate their own journey in finding home.

Cutting the Cord is supported by Arts Council England, Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation and the Japan Foundation. Co-produced by The Basement and Brighton Festival.

RHIZOSPHERE: Directions in Motion (4th Annual Exhibition of 4482, SASAPARI)

Date: 24 – 27 February 2011
Venue: Bargehouse, Oxo Tower Wharf, Bargehouse Street, South Bank, London SE1 9PH
Nearest Tube Stations: Southwark, Waterloo
Web: www.4482.info
Fee: Admission Free

The 4th 4482 (sasapari) exhibition is the annual showcase for Korean contemporary artists living and working in London. This year, entitled "Rhizosphere: Directions in Motion" (curated by Gyeyeon Park), it presents the latest work from 60 artists at the Bargehouse, Oxo Tower Wharf, a cavernous 4-storey building located in London’s South Bank cultural quarter by the River Thames.

A ‘Rhizome’ is a subterranean stem spreading out in any direction. It is a system of connections with no hierarchy and no order. With its features of connectivity, heterogeneity and multiplicity, the concept of rhizome was explored by Deleuze and Guattari in their book, A Thousand Plateaus. 4482 is a continually evolving voluntary group of artists and the works cover a wide variety of themes, ways of expression and mediums. ‘Rhizo + Sphere’ refers to both the space and time of the exhibition.

Many of the works reflect both the artists' internal (philosophy and faith) and external (social and environmental) influences intertwined. In this group exhibition, seemingly disparate artworks are linked by themes or materials and these connections suggest an endless network of possibilities and ideas.

The artists are each on a long personal journey, but for a short period, they share time and space together which may affect their individual future directions. Curator Gyeyeon Park who has organised the exhibition since 2010, states that “these artworks are not only inspired by being made in London, but as rhizome transforms the soil, by its very existence, this exhibition alters London.”

4482 has continued since 2007 to highlight an increasing number of South Korean artists in London and document their artistic activities. All participants created their works within a new cultural base in Britain with Korean emotion and artistic talent. It aims to represent the cross-cultural dialogue in which the artists are inevitably engaged. This meaning is connected to the name of this artist group, 4482, that is the combination of international dialing codes of the two countries. Through calling 4482 as (sasapari) which is the pronunciation of 4482 in Korean fashion, the interest for Korean art can be increased on an international level with the hope that this name will be developed into a representative cultural brand of Korea.

(Participating Artists)Jinkyun Ahn, Gyeong-Yoon An, Je Baak, Chan-Hyo Bae, Youn Joo (Dari) Bae, Kyeongmi Baek, Soo Yeoun Baek, Kyungsoo Byun, Nadia Kyung Chae, Haeree Cho, Kaneumiah Choi, Mi-Young Choi, Yoonsuk Choi, Joo Hee Chun, U Jae Chung, Seungpyo Hong, Sookyoung Huh, Jeong Mun Hur, Shan Hur, Ilsu Hwang, Sooim Jeong, Sangeun Joo, SoYoung Jung, Woon Jung, Seokyeong Kang, Chinwook Kim, Dong Yoon Kim, Gemini Kim, Ingeun Kim, Jay hyung Kim, Minae Kim, Terry Kim, YoonJung Kim, Rae Koo, Hyeyoung Ku, Soon-Hak Kwon, Bommsoon Lee, Eunkyung Lee, Jaeyeon Lee, Luna Jungeun Lee, Junghwa Lee, Locco (Jung-woo Lee), Sunju Lee, Yeon Lee, Ilsun Maeng, Jung Wook Mok, Sejin Moon, Hyemin Park, Hyung Jin Park, Jihye Park, Jinhee Park, Kye Jung Park, Kyunghee Park, Yeojoo Park, Changwoo Ryu, Kiwoun Shin, HeeSeung Sung, Jiho Won, Seoyeoung Won, Hyesoo You

Discover Korean Food #50: Dr. Sook-Ja Yoon's "Tteokjjim, Braised Rice Cake Rod Stuffs"

Tteokjjim is a dish of rice cake rods, beef, and vegetables braised with seasonings. It is said that in olden days, the court kitchen ladies prepared tteokjjim for the king, who lacked physical exercise and sometimes suffered from indigestion, because it was thought to ease stomach troubles.

[Ingredients & Quantity]
300 g white rice cake rod, 40 g beef (top round)
60 g carrot, 400 g (2 cups) water, 1 g (¼ tsp) salt
60 g (4 ea) chestnut, 5 g (1 sheet) brown oak mushrooms
3.5 g (1 tsp) pine nuts, 16 g (4 ea) jujube, 25 g (12 ea) gingko
60 g (1 ea) egg, 15 g watercress, 2.3 g (1 tsp) wheat flour, 4 g (1 tsp) edible oil
100 g beef (shank), 800 g (4 cups) water
* Sesame soy sauce : 3 g (½ tsp) soy sauce, 4 g (1 tsp) sesame oil
* Seasoning sauce ① : 6 g (1 tsp) soy sauce, 2 g (½ tsp) sugar, 2.3 g (½ tsp), minced green onion, 1.4 g (¼ tsp) minced garlic, 1 g (½ tsp) sesame salt, 0.1 g ground black pepper, 4 g (1 tsp) sesame oil
* Seasoning sauce ② : 27 g (1½ tbsp) soy sauce, 12 g (1 tbsp) sugar, 7 g (½ tbsp) minced green onion, 5.5 g (1 tsp) minced garlic, 2 g (1 tsp) sesame salt, 6.5 g (½ tbsp) sesame oil

[Preparation]
1. Cut the white rice cake rod into 6 cm-long, and put knife slits on 4 places, taking care not to apart both ends. Season them with sesame soy sauce (280 g).

2. Clean blood of beef (top round, shank) with cotton cloths. Mince the top round finely and season with half of the seasoning sauce ①.
3. Cut the carrot into 2.5 cm-square and trim the edges (46 g). Skin the chestnuts (40 g). Stir-fry the gingko and skin. Soak brown oak mushrooms in water for about 1 hour, remove stems, wipe water with cotton cloths and cut it into 2~4 pieces (12 g).
4. Remove tops of the pine nuts, wipe the nuts with dry cotton cloths. Wipe the jujube with damp cotton cloths, cut the flesh and roll up (14 g).
5. Panfry egg for yellow/white garnish. Pan-fry watercress after coating with wheat flour liquid and beaten egg, then cut into 2 cm-long of diaper shape.

[Recipe]
1. Insert the seasoned beef into the slits of the rice cake rods.
2. Put the shank and water in the pot and heat it up on high heat. When it boils, reduce the heat to medium, simmer it for 30 min. Take out the meat and cut then into 2 cm-wide, 3 cm-long and 0.7 cm-thick. Mix them with remained half of the seasoning sauce ①. Strain the broth through cotton cloths (300 g, 1½ cup).
3. Pour water in the pot and heat it up for 2 min. on high heat. When it boils, scald the carrot with salt for 2 min.
4. Put the shank, carrot, chestnuts, brown oak mushrooms, broth and half of the seasoning sauce ② in the pot. Boil it for 5 min. on high heat, add the rice cake rods, jujube and remained seasoning sauce ②, reduce the heat to medium and boil it for 13 min. Put the gingko and pine nuts.
5. Place in a dish, garnish with yellow/white egg strips and fried watercress.

[Tips]
* If the rice rod is dried hard, scald it in boiled water to be soft.
* Do not put the rice rods in the pot from the beginning, or it may be burst.

Oxford University Korea Society “Soul of Seoul” at Oxford Union

Date: 23/02/2011, 19.00 - 23.00pm
Venue: Oxford Union Chamber, Oxford

Every year, the historical Oxford Union Chamber, having been graced with the presence of the most eminent scholars, politicians, and celebrities over the years, hosts an unforgettable Korean night, SOUL of SEOUL.

On 23rd February 2011, the Chamber will again be filled with the cultural landmarks of Korea, from the immensely popular bibmbab and traditional alcohol to taekwondo and hanbok showcases.

SOUL of SEOUL is “THE” Korean night in Oxford, aimed at promoting awareness of Korean culture amongst the future leaders at Oxford. It is truly an extravaganza, featuring the very best of Korea: Bibimbab, Korean snacks, Taekwondo, Korean alcohol, Korean B-boy, K-pop, Korean Calligraphy, Traditional Costumes, Traditional Music... and so much more.

The event is indeed a celebration befitting of our nation’s beautiful culture and has been serving as a milestone in entrenching the presence of Korean community.

Last year’s festival was a great success, with the tickets selling out well before the event. This year, the Oxford University Korea Society aims to make it even better.

Keeping Pace with Technology- the Nissan Experience, Professor Andy Palmer, Senior Vice President The Nissan Motor Co.

Date: 28 February 2011, 12:00pm (Please note that the lecture will begin promtly at 12.00pm and guests are asked to arrive by 11.50am)
Venue: JETRO London, Midcity Place, 71 High Holborn, London WC1V 6AL
Tel: 020 7828 6330
Email: events@japansociety.org.uk
Web: http://www.japansociety.org.uk/
Organiser: The Japan Society

Keeping pace with fast-changing technologies, environmental demands and global developments is a challenge for all companies but particularly for those whose markets and manufacturing bases are entirely global. In this business group lecture by a distinguished Japan-based UK citizen, we will hear about Nissan’s experiences. Being responsible for some of the company’s most advanced products, Professor Palmer will be covering topics which have immense relevance for many members.

This is an important topic, particularly for those involved in long-term decision-making on developments and investment. Keeping pace with technology has particular challenge for those countries where the level of manufacture is not as high as it was and where developments are heavily regulated and yet in which competition remains very keen. Professor Palmer will use the Nissan experience to explore these challenges and help us understand how his company has remained a world leader and continues to invest heavily in the UK.

Prof Palmer is one of Nissan’s top 10 executives and sits on the company’s executive committee with global responsibility for its product axis.

He has global responsibility for Planning (Corporate & Product) and Program management; Marketing & Communications; the companies Business Units, such as LCV, Luxury and electric vehicles; and the group IT division. During his distinguished career in Nissan, he personally devised the LCV breakthrough strategy which led to a 5 fold increase in global sales between 2002 and 2010. More recently, he led Nissan’s product launch offensive, launching vehicles such as the new Micra, the Qashqai and the 2011 European Car of the Year, the Nissan LEAF. His experiences have always been along the interface between engineering, and management.

To book your place please contact the Japan Society office on tel: 020 7828 6330 or email: events@japansociety.org.uk. Please remember to state your company position when applying.

'Dynamic Korea' Event - 23rd February

Date: 23rd February Arrival: 6.15 for 6.30pm
Screening: 6.30 to 7.30pm, follow by drinks and snacks, to end at 8.15pm.
Location: Korean Cultural Centre, Northumberland Avenue, London, WC2N 5BW
Nearest tube station: Embankment or Charing Cross (Northern, Bakerloo, Circle and District)

The evening event, on February 23rd, is an opportunity to discover about advances in the field of energy by Korean companies, in particular new fields such as nuclear fusion.

In this hour long talk, followed by traditional Korean drinks and refreshments, KSCPP (Korean Spirit and Culture Promotion Project) presents a side of Korea that may well be unfamiliar to you.

Alongside the hidden treasures of its past, including the invention of the world's first printing press and extraordinary feats of combined human achievement such as the Tripitaka Koreana, present day Korea is exploring new technologies to solve the dilemma of the world's growing energy needs.

The documentary will take viewers through the evolution of power in Korea, into the exciting and unknown territory of the future.

To register for entry, please reply to this email or register here.

Come and Play Korean Samulnori (Drums & Percussion) #3

Date: Saturday, February 12th, 3.00pm-4.30pm (for everyone interested) / 4.30pm-6.00pm (for those have some experience)
Venue: Goldmine Studios, 269 Poyser Street, London E2 9RF
Fee: £9 (all instrumens provided)
Contact: Jeung Hyun Choi (07981 298 638 / jeunghyunk40@gmail.com)

Samul nori is a genre of traditional percussion music originating in Korea. The word samul means "four objects" and nori means "play"; samul nori is performed with four traditional Korean musical instruments:

* Kkwaenggwari (a small gong)
* Jing (a larger gong)
* Janggu (an hourglass-shaped drum)
* Buk (a barrel drum similar to the bass drum)

The traditional Korean instruments are called pungmul.

Samul nori has its roots in nong-ak (literally "farmers' music"), a Korean folk genre comprising music, acrobatics, folk dance, and rituals, which was traditionally performed in rice farming villages in order to ensure and to celebrate good harvests. Specifically, samul nori music derives from utdari pungmul (the gut, or shaman ceremony rhythm of the Gyeonggi-do and Chungcheong provinces of South Korea), as well as the genres of Yeongnam folk music and Honam udo gut, combined with more contemporary improvisations, elaborations, and compositions. Such nong-ak is steeped in traditional animism and shamanism, but also shows influences from Korean Buddhism. While nong-ak often features the use of wind instruments, samul nori only features the aforementioned four percussion instruments.

Each of the four instruments represents a different weather condition: the janggu represents rain, the kkwaenggwari thunder, the jing the sounds of the wind, and the buk clouds. The idea of yin and yang is also reflected in these instruments: the buk and janggu (leather) represent the sounds of the earth, while the jing and kkwaenggwari (metal) represent sounds of the heavens. Although generally performed indoors, as a staged genre, samul nori depicts the traditional Korean culture, an agricultural society rooted in the natural environment.
Samul nori is characterized by strong, accented rhythms, vibrant body movements, and an energetic spirit.

Samul nori has gained international popularity, with many samul nori bands and camps worldwide. Since the 1980s in South Korea, there has been a marked increase in the amount of fusion music, combining samul nori and Western instruments.

Jeung-Hyun Choi is a Korean traditional percussion player and currently working as managing director of DULSORI, the Korean traditional music group. She has taught Korean traditional percussions and songs for over 20 years. Shae has led many international workshops in Korea and abroad, including SOAS World Music Summer School 2008.

Yoonjung Han: Piano Concert Presented by STEINWAY & SONS

Date: Wednesday 9 February 2011 (7.00pm)
Venue: Steinway Hall, 44 Marylebone Lane off Wigmore Street, LONDON W1U 2DBPROGRAMMEBACH - BUSONI Chaconne in D minor
HAYDN Sonata in E flat Major, Hob:52
I. Allegro II. Adagio III. Presto
GRANADOS Goyescas V. El amor y la muerte
SCHUMANN Carnaval Op.9

Born in South Korea in 1986, Yoonjung Han graduated from the Yewon Arts School and Seoul Arts High School with highest honours. In 2003 she graduated from the pre-college division of Juilliard, having studied with Victoria Mushkatkol. She received her Bachelor’s degree from the Curtis Institute of Music as a student of Eleanor Sokoloff and her Master’s from Juilliard as a pupil of Robert McDonald. She is currently pursuing Doctoral studies at Stony Brook, State University of New York, with Christina Dahl and her Artist Diploma at Université de Montreal with Jean Saulnier.
She won her first gold medal at age nine at the Samick Piano Competition in South Korea and went on to capture further gold medals at other events in her country. She then became a prize winner at the Helsinki Maj Lind and other international competitions, including the Milan Concorso Pianistico Ettore Pozzoli, and in 2008 First Prize at the Gina Bachauer Competition at Juilliard. The Korean Ministry of Culture named her ‘Most Promising Young Artist’, followed by the grand prize at the Korea National Music Competition, and in 2009 she obtained the Gawon Music Award as ‘The most brilliant pianist aged 17-31 of any nationality who possesses the most promising potential for global prominence’. In 2010 she was awarded the Keyboard Trust – Gala Career Development Prize at the Santa Catarina International Competition in Brazil.
She made her solo debut at age 13 with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, since when she has performed in major cities in the USA, Asia and Europe; at New York’s Alice Tully Hall and Carnegie Hall, the Myra Hess series in Chicago, the Phillips Collection in Washington, San Rocco Theatre in Italy, Finlandia Hall in Helsinki, Se-Jong Concert Hall in Korea, and the Villa Bertramka Mozart Museum in the Czech Republic.
She has appeared as soloist with the Buffalo Philharmonic, Helsinki Philharmonic, I Pomeriggi Musicali in Milan, and the Symphony Orchestras of Mississippi, Houston, Fort Collins, Shreveport and Jefferson, and the Banff Festival Orchestra, with conductors of the stature of Joann Falletta, Leif Segerstam and Lior Shambadal.
She has broadcast on WQXR New York, National Public Radio’s Young Artist Showcases, WHYY Philadelphia, Houston Public Radio, WFMT Chicago, WRR Dallas, TV-Polmusic in Poland and CBS, EBS in Korea.