In Japan, one of the earliest major transformations in communications occurred during the Meiji period, when movable-type printing began to supplant centuries-old woodblock-printing practices, while photography appeared in daily newspapers. The transition to modern printing methods, together with increasing use of photography, transformed conceptions of what was print-worthy. It also led audiences to question what constituted the ‘real’ or the ‘true.’ Toyohara Kunichika (1835–1900) was among the woodblock-print artists who established their careers before the Meiji Restoration and subsequently faced the challenge of adapting their practices to remain relevant. His Tokyo Jiman Meibutsu-e (Pride of Tokyo), published during the twilight years of woodblock-print culture, is particularly worthy of attention today. His work demonstrates how an artist could develop new forms of communication while taking advantage of traditional artistic skills and established human networks. Details and registration here

Die Jause geht weiter! In Frankreich ist das café philosophique eine Veranstaltung zum Philosophieren, an der jede Person teilnehmen kann. Auch in Japan gibt es bereits ähnliche Programme auf dem Land. The University of Tokyo Center for Philosophy (UTCP) und das Deutsche Institut für Japanstudien (DIJ) organisieren gemeinsam ein philosophisches Café auch in Tokyo, allerdings mit einer kleinen Besonderheit: Wir möchten deutschsprachigen Personen die Möglichkeit des Austauschs bieten und daher das Café auf Deutsch abhalten. Das Organisationsteam (Yukiko Kuwayama, UTCP und Sebastian Polak-Rottmann, DIJ) freut sich, Sie am 22. November ins DIJ Tokyo einzuladen, um gemeinsam in entspannter Atmosphäre über ein Thema zu diskutieren. Fachliche Vorkenntnisse benötigen Sie nicht. Bei Interesse melden Sie sich bitte bis zum 20. November an. Weitere Informationen hier

Demographic change has created gaps in rural Japan, making it increasingly difficult to sustain patterns of community organisation and local activities in the natural environment. To address these gaps, local authorities and citizen groups have started initiatives in various parts of the country. The creation of “communicative spaces” lies at the core of several recent revitalisation initiatives. These spaces enable an open discussion among a diverse set of people and eventually create a productive atmosphere supporting adaptive community practices. Based on fieldwork in Kumamoto, Tottori, and rural Tokyo, DIJ researcher Sebastian Polak-Rottmann introduces examples of how communities set up and use communicative spaces and how they contribute to the resilience of local communities and the sustainability of the region. This talk is part of the Itinerant Seminar Series on Sustainability and takes place on December 14, onsite only at the DIJ. Please register via email to forum@dijtokyo.org.

We are currently accepting paper proposals for the international conference Fair Share? Intergenerational Justice in Transnational Perspective, hosted by the German Historical Institute Washington’s Pacific Office at UC Berkeley on November 15-16, 2027. The conference brings together historians and social scientists to explore intergenerational justice as a historical and interdisciplinary problem. It focuses especially on Germany, the United States, and Japan — three affluent, democratic, aging societies with very different welfare models — where demographic change, family structures, inheritance regimes, environmental politics, and postwar legacies have shaped different understandings of obligations across generations. Proposals, which should include a paper title, an abstract of no more than 250 words, and a short CV, must be submitted online by January 22, 2027. Details here

By the end of 2025, the number of Chinese nationals residing in Japan increased to 930,396, accounting for 22.55% of all foreign nationals. Notably, Tokyo hosts one-third of this population, many of whom hold skilled and elite residence status. This research premises on the conceptualization of immigration decision-making as a process shaped by past and ongoing lived experiences in countries of origin and destination, alongside comparisons with the “West” and its imaginaries. It situates Chinese mobility against a backdrop of geopolitical, economic, and sociocultural volatility, marked by evolving US–China tensions, authoritarian resurgence, and shifting immigration politics. Drawing on participant observation and in-depth semi-structured interviews, this presentation shares preliminary findings on the decision-making processes and rationales of Chinese business people and professionals. It highlights the population’s heterogeneity while examining the uncertainties, dilemmas, and precarity they navigate. Details and registration here

This two-day symposium explores the critical transition from the 1930s to the 1960s, a period marked by colonization, war, and postwar reconstruction in East Asia. Focusing on Japan, Korea and Taiwan, the event highlights the intertwined development of medicine, science, and technology across imperial legacies, Cold War geopolitics, and rapid modernization. Bringing together 14 historians of science, technology, and medicine, the conference seeks to uncover how shared histories and divergent paths shaped state-building, institutional reform, and knowledge production in these nations. Through comparative and transnational perspectives, the symposium invites new insights into the collaborative and contested processes that defined, and still define, the region’s future. The symposium takes place on September 17 and 18 online and on-site at the DIJ. It is organized by DIJ’s Dolf-Alexander Neuhaus, Bernhard Leitner (Medical University of Vienna), and Nicolas Schillinger (University of Duisburg-Essen). Details and registration here

The project Serial Solitudes: Audiovisual Cultures of Loneliness and Belonging in Contemporary Japan starts from the assumption that loneliness is not only an individual psychological experience, but also a socially and culturally shaped phenomenon articulated through different forms of knowledge. It therefore combines two forms of discourse analysis: scholarly debates on loneliness and audiovisual representations in films and television series. This presentation introduces the project at an early stage to discuss its methodological design. A key challenge is gaining systematic access to Japanese vocabulary and literature on loneliness without reducing the field to familiar concepts such as hikikomori or kodokushi. To address this, a source-based text-mining workflow supported by language models is being developed around sixty Japanese books, supplemented by Japanese translations of influential Western works. The presentation will outline the workflow, show preliminary examples, and invite discussion of its possibilities and limitations. Details and registration here