This weekend sees us kick off our biggest event of the year, in the form of our annual Japan Matsuri Festival. This will be three action-packed days of events, comprising an eclectic mix of Japanese food, culture and entertainment, both traditional and modern.

We'll be kicking off the festivities this Friday with a karaoke party down at AT Box, and will be hosting a range of cultural and artistic events over the following days designed to showcase the best of Japan and Japanese Culture. Entry to all events, aside from the karaoke, will be free for society members and non-members alike - so why don't you join us for a weekend of celebration, Japanese style! Click on 'read more' for full details of the Festival programme.

Japan Matsuri Festival 2009 - Programme

FRIDAY 20TH FEBRUARY

Karaoke Night at AT Box

Where: AT Box, Cowley Road (Map here)
When: 7pm-10pm
Price: £8.50 per head, with the first non-alcoholic drink included for free!

Feel like becoming a Japanese pop star for one evening?

To kick off this year’s Matsuri, we will be hosting a karaoke party at AT Box, down at the town-end of Cowley Road. Whether you are hoping to finally make your break into pop-stardom, or just would like to enjoy watching others as they give it a try, our Karaoke Night this Saturday is the perfect way to experience firsthand the Japanese cultural craze that is Karaoke! You don’t have to speak Japanese, be good at singing (I certainly am not!) or have any prior karaoke experience – just turn up and either sing or relax and enjoy the show!

There will be a huge selection of both Japanese and English songs, so whichever your language of choice there should be something for you! For those who came to our karaoke night last term, the song selection has been updated with another 200+ Japanese songs all from the past year. To get a feel for the tracks that will be available, check out the songlists below:

• Japanese
• English

SATURDAY 21ST FEBRUARY

Japanese Calligraphy Workshop "Shodo"

Where: Oriental Institute, Pusey Lane, Lecture Room 2 (Map here)
When: 11am-12 noon
Price: FREE for all

This class will be taught by Akiko Frellesvig of the Oriental Institute and promises to be a fascinating insight into the art of traditional Japanese calligraphy or “Shodo”. Creating perfect characters out of precise brushstrokes requires years of training, but come along to receive an entertaining taster of this delicate art form.

Sushi Night

Where: Oriel College, MacGregor Room
When: 8pm-11pm
Price: Entry FREE for all

Come along for a great party with a range of tasty sushi and Japanese refreshments. Sushi will be available for vegetarians and non-vegetarians at a lot lower prices than you will find in the restaurants! Prepared on the day from the freshest cuts of fish, come along for an evening of culinary delights!

SUNDAY 22ND FEBRUARY

From Tea Ceremony and Kimono to Manga: A Talk on Japanese Culture, Traditional and Modern

Where: Oriel College, Harris Lecture Theatre
When: 2pm-4pm
Price: FREE for all

Akemi Solloway, one of the leading experts on Japanese culture in the UK and pioneer of the Japan Study Tour (see www.solloway.org), will be joining us again on Sunday to give us a fascinating lecture on the interaction of both traditional art forms and more contemporary visual art in today’s Japan. Her talk will include details of the traditional tea ceremony and role of the kimono before going on to cover some of the more modern aspects of Japanese culture such as anime and manga, and their increasing popularity in the west.

Film Night: さくらん (Sakuran)

Where: Oriel College, Harris Lecture Theatre
When: 8pm start
Price: FREE for all

Oft described as the Japanese ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’, this audaciously colourful film, based on a manga of the same name, tells the tale of a young girl working in the pleasure quarter of 17th century Edo. It chronicles the rebellious girl’s struggles as she tries to adapt to the life and ways of an Oiran (courtesan) whilst searching for ultimate happiness in the form of love. A stunning piece of visual art, which captures all of the spectacle, grandeur and flamboyance of the late Edo period through both the costumes and cinematography, complemented by an audacious rock soundtrack by Shiina Ringo. The film will be in Japanese with English subtitles.