Reminder: The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan (FCCJ) Library is pleased to announce the upcoming Book Break event on Tuesday, April 8, 2025.

Book Break: POP YOKAI 現代百鬼夜行 Contemporary Character Art of Japan
Tuesday, April 8, 2025
A Dinner Event, from 5:45 pm to 8:30 pm
(The talk will be in English)

https://www.fccj.or.jp/event/book-break-pop-yokai-xiandaibaiguiyexing-contemporary-character-art-japan

There will be a live painting performance by Chubei Yagyu, too.

Please sign up by email (front@fccj.or.jp) and pay by Thursday, April 3, 2025.

[Admission]
3,000 yen for members, 4,000 yen for non-members.
No cancellations after Saturday, April 5.

[Schedule]
Doors open at 5:45 pm with a casual "meet the author: cocktail time"
Dinner will be served from 6:30 pm.
The talk begins at 7:15 pm.

[Menu] Please choose from 2 options below.

Option 1: Caesar Salad with Pastrami and Half-boiled Egg, Sauteed Flounder Brown Butter Sauce, Bread, Today's Dessert, Coffee or Tea, and One beverage of choice (orange juice, oolong tea, red or white wine, beer)

Option 2 (Vegetarian): Green Salad, Vegetable Tomato Pasta, Bread, Fruit, Coffee or Tea, and One beverage of choice (orange juice, oolong tea, red or white wine, beer)

Please inform the club of food restrictions when reserving.

[Venue]
The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan
5F Marunouchi Nijubashi Building
3-2-3 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0005
(https://www.fccj.or.jp/article/access-contact)

日本語の案内が英文の下に続きます。

The speakers: Akiko Iwamoto, Chubei Yagyu, Cathy Hirano

A delightful journey into Japanese popular culture through Yokai art.

Yokai are strange, mysterious creatures that populate Japanese folklore and inspire contemporary art and entertainment, such as Pokémon and the Oscar-winning film Spirited Away. The Yokai Art Museum, situated on the idyllic island of Shodoshima in the Seto Inland Sea, is the only museum in Japan dedicated solely to contemporary Yokai. It boasts a collection of almost 1,000 artworks and visitors are guided by the voice of one such creature as they discover the origins and history of yokai and explore the contemporary world through yokai-themed art. Rather than a thing of the past, these works convey current yokai culture which continues to spring from the rich spirituality and creativity of the Japanese.

This fascinating, one-of-a-kind museum is reproduced in the pages of POP YOKAI 現代百鬼夜行 Contemporary Character Art of Japan. It includes material written by Dr. Masanobu Kagawa, the first accredited Japanese yokai scholar, original works created by yokai artist and museum director, Chubei Yagyu, and yokai tales from Shodoshima and other parts of Kagawa.  

The evening will unveil the curious Yokai Art Museum, tell the adventure of the book's production by a lone publisher and its creative team, and discuss the key parts of the book. We will also explore the meaning and role of yokai in Japanese art and the Japanese psyche, as well as the kind of art they now inspire. There may be the added bonus of a discussion of yokai with Chubei Yagyu.

Akiko Iwamoto runs an independent press, Rockbook, based in France. It aims to bring Japanese wonders to the world.

Chubei Yagyu is Japan's leading yokai artist and the director of the Yokai Art Museum.

Cathy Hirano is an award-winning translator whose most recognized work is lifestyle guru Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.

Doors open at 5:45 pm with a casual "meet the author/cocktail time" from 6:00 pm. Dinner will be served from 6:30 pm and the talk begins at 7:15 pm.

The menu is Caesar Salad with Pastrami and Half-boiled Egg, Sauteed Flounder Brown Butter Sauce, Bread, Today's Dessert, Coffee or Tea, and One beverage of choice (orange juice, oolong tea, red or white wine, beer). A vegetarian option is available. Please inform the club of food restrictions when reserving (front@fccj.or.jp). Price: 3,000 yen for members, 4,000 yen for non-members.

The member reservation deadline is 2 pm April 8, non-members must reserve and pay by Thursday, April 3, 2025.

Online attendance (Zoom) is available by reservation at 550 yen per person.

No cancellations after Saturday, April 5.

(The talk will be in English)

Library, Archives & Workroom Committee


スピーカー：岩本明子, 柳生忠平, キャシー・ヒラノ
 
香川県・小豆島の妖怪美術館は、スマートフォンやSNSの「いいね！」を集める妖怪などコンテストで収集した1,000体近くの妖怪フィギュアを所蔵する。それを紙上で再現したのが、POP YOKAI 現代百鬼夜行 Contemporary Character Art of Japan（2024年、Rockbook出版）である。

同書は、単なる昔ばなしでなく、日本人の豊かな精神性と創造力が生み続ける妖怪文化の「イマ」を伝える。妖怪研究では日本人初の博士号（総合研究大学院大学）を持つ香川雅信（兵庫県立歴史博物館学芸課長）の監修で、妖怪画家の柳生忠平（妖怪美術館長）描き下ろしの画と共に、小豆島と香川県、その他ゆかりの伝承も多く紹介している。

当日は、この不思議な美術館と同書のハイライト、出版社による本作りの冒険を紹介する。また、妖怪が日本のアート、日本人の心理で果たしてきた役割についても探る。柳生忠平と妖怪について討論する機会がある可能性も。ライブペインティング・パフォーマンスも予定している。

岩本明子：フランスに拠点を置く独立系出版社Rockbookのマネージング・パートナー兼発行人。同社を通じて「日本の不思議」を発信する。柳生忠平：日本を代表する妖怪画家。妖怪美術館長。キャシー・ヒラノ：翻訳家。手がけた作品には、『人生がときめく片づけの魔法』（近藤麻理恵）のほか、『獣の奏者』『精霊の守り人』など米バチェルダー賞やプリンツ賞、国際アンデルセン賞の作家賞等数々の賞を受賞した上橋菜穂子の著作がある。香川県在住。

5:45 pm    開場    
6:00 pm    "meet the author/cocktail time"(略式)
6:30 pm    お食事開始    
7:15 pm　 開会    
8:30 pm    閉会    
9:00 pm    閉場    

お食事のメニュー：パストラミと半熟タマゴのシーザーサラダ、鰈のグルノーブル風、ブレッド2種、本日のデザート、コーヒーまたは紅茶、ドリンク1杯（オレンジジュース、ウーロン茶、白または赤ワイン、ビール)。ベジタリアンメニューをご希望の方はご予約の際にお知らせください（front@fccj.or.jp)。

料金(お一人様につき)：3,000円／4,000円／550円（会員／一般／オンライン）。

一般のご予約・お支払いは4月3日(木)まで。

会員のご予約は当日（8日）午後2時まで受け付けます。キャンセルの受付締切日は4月5日(土)。

(使用言語:英語）

Library, Archives & Workroom Committee