The Library Committee regrets to announce the above planned event has been cancelled.

We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.

FCCJ Library Committee

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Book Break : Japan by Hans Sautter

Friday, December 04, 2020, 18:15 - 20:30

Not a travel book or simply an array of pretty images, JAPAN delivers a visual narrative that tells the story of what people do, how they come to do it, and how social cues via certain rituals have shaped them. Key to the narrative is the fear and control of nature including the molding of character, the positive and negative impacts of ritual, and how wearing a costume or uniform is to assume a particular identity. The images form a cohesive vision of Japan that brings to light aspects rarely seen, if ever, in a unique exposure.

Thematic flow is arranged in six chapters with essays, as follows: An Insider's Gaze, by Peter Tasker; Metropolis, by Stephen Mansfield; Costume, by Charles T. Whipple; Nature, by Holly Thompson; Ritual, and Sacred, both by Eugene Tarshis; and Aesthetics, by Azby Brown.

Subjects and locations were chosen deliberately, most conceived before shooting with a detailed concept in mind. Among these concepts are the formation of identity, rituals that liberate and subjugate participants to particular modes of perception and behavior, and how the sacred offers release from behavior modification and constricts daily life. The motive is to illustrate the dichotomy of the forces that drive Japan.

The book is published by Frederking & Thaler Verlag in October, 2020.

Hans Sautter has spent the best part of five decades in Japan. He is a graduate of the Photo Academy in Munich and his work has appeared in publications by National Geographic, the Smithsonian Institute and WWF, and in magazines like Time, GEO, and Nature. Japan was never his destination but a stopover on the way to Australia in 1972. The layover continues until today.

Doors open at 6:15 pm. Speech starts after a set dinner with one drink (Menu: TBD/ Bread/ Dessert/ Coffee or Tea with one drink.) Drinks are also available on a cash basis in the room. Book Break charges are 3,100 yen/ 4,100 yen (members/ non-members) per person.

To FCCJ members: Sign up at the reception desk (03-3211-3161) or on the FCCJ website. To help us plan proper seating and food preparation, please reserve by noon of the day. Reservations cancelled less than 72 hours in advance will be charged in full.

To non-members: Sign up now at the reception desk by email (front@fccj.or.jp). Payment is in advance by Wednesday, December 1st, 2020. No refund is available unless the event is cancelled by FCCJ. Attendees with food restriction should inform the reception desk three days before the event.

We kindly ask for your cooperation with Covid-19 prevention measures to have your temperature taken and wear your own mask whenever possible. Thank you.

(The Talk will be in English)