Deep Dive Series 2021
Japanese Traditional Crafts - Can they survive in the 21st century?
8:30 a.m. -10:00 a.m., Friday, July 16, 2021
(The presentation and Q & A will be in English.)

Japan is renowned for its extraordinary traditional crafts, many with centuries of history behind them. These crafts add beauty to functional items ranging from textiles to ceramics to metalworking and more in ways that enrich the lives of those who see or use them. Their production is detailed and intricate, requiring years to learn.

Yet many of these artistic works remain relatively unknown and unappreciated in the modern world. At the same time, the number of artisans possessing the skills to produce such crafts is dropping at an alarming rate as older workers retire without the opportunity to train younger replacements.

Join our panel of experts as they consider the reasons that Japan’s craft traditions are rapidly disappearing and discuss possible strategies to prevent their demise and even promote a resurgence.

  • Steve Beimel – an American now living in Kyoto, Mr. Beimel is a long-time student of Japanese culture who spent 30 years in Japanese inbound tourism before taking up the cause of revitalizing vulnerable traditional Japanese crafts through JapanCraft21 and, in collaboration with the Asia Society Tokyo Center, the Japan Traditional Craft Revitalization Contest.
  • Amy Katoh – American-born Amy Katoh has spent nearly her entire adult life introducing Japanese culture and crafts to the world. She is the proprietor of the famed Blue and White Shop in Tokyo and is the author of several books on Japanese art and culture.
  • Sachiko Matsuyama – Ms. Sachiko Matsuyama designs cross-border learning programs with a focus on crafts as a mirror of our society. She is also an entrepreneur who tries to repair the ecologies of crafts-making that had been originally rooted in local identity. Co-founder of PERSPECTIVE (2019), a research affiliate of Kyoto Seika University.
  • Allan West – an American nihonga artist who earned a Masters in Fine Arts at the Tokyo University of the Arts, Mr. West’s nihonga paintings feature natural Japanese pigments and metal leaf and can be seen in public venues across Japan.

Please indicate when signing up whether you will attend on-line or in-person.

In-person attendance
Members: 450 yen (including tax), coffee or tea included
Non-members: 1,650 yen (including tax), coffee or tea included

On-line attendance
Members: free of charge
Non-members: 550 yen (including tax)

Details on how to join online will be sent to individual emails by July 14.  
All participants can reserve at the reception desk or by email ( front@fccj.or.jp ) .
Members should Log in to confirm attendance.
Payment by Non-Members must be made in advance by 3 PM, July 14.
No refund is available unless the event is cancelled by FCCJ.  
Member reservations cancelled less than 24 hours in advance will be charged in full.
We kindly ask for your cooperation with Covid-19 prevention measures at the reception and to wear a mask on club premises. 

Thank you.

Professional Events Task Force