According to the instructions from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Finland, the Finnish Institute in Japan will be telecommuting from March 17^th. But do not worry, we will continue to create engaging content and keep you busy online! Stay tuned and be healthy!

Come and experience Finnish local life, learn Finnish language and culture…you are welcome to join our first collaboration with Länsi-Suomen opisto! 

◆Itinerary:

March 15th (Sunday): We will meet in Helsinki Vantaa Airport, then travel to Huittinen, where we will stay for a week.

March 16th ~ 21st (Monday-Saturday): You can participate in Finnish language lessons, sauna, walks in the nature, visit to farm & house, schools and many other activities! 

March 21st (Saturday): Travel back to Helsinki

◆Participation Fee:

80,000 Yen for Double occupancy, 92,000 Yen for Single occupancy

*Included：Accommodation for 6 nights, 17 meals, and fees for activities

*Excluded：Flight ticket between Japan-Finland-Japan, and travel insurance

◆Application and Inquiries:

Please download and fill in the application form. You can send it via email or post.

The Deadline for the application will be on Saturday 29th February 2020.

Tel：03-5447-6036 (Japan)

Email： science@finstitute.jp

Address：Finnish Institute in Japan,

3-5-39 Minami-Azabu, Minato, Tokyo, Japan

◆Download the application form from here (*Japanese Only)

カルチャー留学 募集要項

カルチャー留学2020春申込書

Many thanks to our friends and collaboration partners! We wish you a very relaxing Christmas and all the best for the new year 2020!

The Finnish Institute in Japan office is closed from December 30^th 2019 to January 5^th 2020.

The Finnish multitalented artist Tove Jansson (1914-2001) is widely known in Japan. She visited various places in Japan and filmed her experiences, but what was the impact of Japan to her literary production and to her as an artist? Come and listen to Finnish, Swedish and Japanese researchers intriguing presentations and panel discussion! Lunch boxes are available on both days, and conference attendees can participate in an excursion to Saitama Moominvalley Park on November 29th (see details on Peatix, link below)!

Conference days:
November 27th (Wed) 10:00 – 17:00 and reception
November 28th (Thu) 10:00 – 16:00

Excursion day:
November 29th (Fri)
Bus leaving from the Finnish Institute in Japan at 09:00

For more information and registration (deadline November 24th): https://tovejanssonjapan2019.peatix.com

CONFERENCE PROGRAM  (Changes are possible)

Day 1: Wednesday, November 27^th

10:00           Registration

10:30           Welcome, Anna-Maria Wiljanen

10:40           Opening of the Conference, Mr. Pekka Orpana, Ambassador of Finland

11:00           KEY NOTE 1

A hundred miles of silence. The Moomin stories of Tove Jansson

Boel Westin, Professor Emeritus, University of Stockholm

12:15           LUNCH

~SESSION 1  

Moderator:   Anna-Maria Wiljanen

13:15 

Tove Jansson and Japanese Aesthetics

Miki Tokoyoda, Independent researcher, The Moomin Museum

13:45  

“Moomins changed everything” – The influence of Moomin animations to Japanese animators

Eija Niskanen, Researcher, University of Helsinki

14:15

Tove Jansson and Japonism

Anna-Maria Wiljanen, Director, The Finnish Institute in Japan

14:45           BREAK

~SESSION 2  

Moderator:   Boel Westin

15:15 

Lost in Translation? How much the translation is truthful to its original text?

Miki Tokoyoda, Independent researcher, The Moomin Museum

15:45  

Thingumy, Bob and Too-ticky in Moomin franchise

Harri Ruohonen, Researcher, Daito Bunka University

16:15

”What will happen to “Moomin without Tove Jansson”? From the survey of 100 Japanese teenagers

Kimiko Matsui, Children’s Books Journalist, librarian, CEO of MightyBook

16:45           Summary of the first day

17:00           RECEPTION

19:00           END OF THE DAY

●●●

Day 2: Thursday, November 28^th

10:00    Welcome, Anna-Maria Wiljanen

~SESSION 3

Moderator: Anna-Maria Wiljanen

10:05    KEY NOTE 2

Solitary Wanderers and the Fear for Being Average: The Paths and the Barriers of Young and Old Individuals in Tove Jansson’s Literature

Sirke Happonen, Associate professor, University of Helsinki

11:05

Seasons and nature as a metaphor

Miki Tokoyda, Independent researcher, The Moomin Museum

11:35 

Music plays inside Moomin Art and Stories of Tove Jansson

Heikki Mäenpää, Executive producer, Harjula Production Oy Ltd.

12:15    LUNCH

~SESSION 4

Moderator: Boel Westin

13:15 

Tove Jansson and Japanese Creators

Hiroko Yokokawa, Editor

13:45

Why do we love ‘Moomin’  – a Japanese perspective

Arisa Kawasaki, Creative Director

14:15    BREAK

14:45 

Moominvalley Park

Robert Hirst, Chairman, Moomin Monogatari Ltd.

15:15    PANEL DISCUSSION with the conference speakers

Moderator: Anna-Maria Wiljanen

15:45    CLOSING REMARKS   

Anna-Maria Wiljanen

Organized by:    The Finnish Institute in Japan

Supported by:    Moomin Monogatari Ltd.

Five days of fun, humor, in-depth discussions and traditions under the theme Creators & creations!

The Finnish-Swedish week Hallå Tokyo 2019! was extremely well-received!

The week started with a talk event together with famous TV personality Mark Levengood, funny and inspiring stories from his life and identity as a Swedish-speaking Finn living in Sweden. Such a heartwarming evening!

Next day was all about comedy and music when Finnish-Swedish band Humorgruppen KAJ performed in Harajuku. Combining funny and witty lyrics with catchy music of different genres, KAJ’s first gig in Japan was a great success!

At Wednesday’s seminar we discussed sustainability and green lifestyle with excellent speakers Mariko McTier (Social Innovation Japan & MyMizu), Ran Nomura (@zerowaste.japan on Instagram) as well as Finnish-Swedish blogger Julia Degerth (groniabo.fi). Many interesting topics and questions that we hope to see more of in the future!

Next day, fashion designers Carolina Forss and Wataru Tominaga shared their stories and views on the fashion industry! They talked about their inspirations as well as their own creations that were on display at the event.

SKÅL! KIPPIS! KANPAI! On Friday the Finnish-Swedish week culminated in a traditional crayfish party! The once again fully-booked party was filled with funny hats, schnapps, singing and of course – crayfish!

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Finnish-Swedish week and to our excellent guests from Finland, Sweden and Japan!

Stay tuned for the events of next year!

Photos: Finnish Institute in Japan

 

THE FINNISH-SWEDISH WEEK IS HERE AGAIN!

The Finnish Institute in Japan is celebrating the Finnish-Swedish week Hallå Tokyo 2019! on November 4^th-8^th, 2019. This event is organized to tell about the Swedish-speaking minority in Finland. 

This year the theme is Creators & Creations with focus on identity, artistic creativity in music, design and fashion, but also on creativity in problem solving when talking about for instance climate change.

During the week we will present creators within different fields from both Finland and Japan! Design, fashion, music, books, blogs, startups, activism and identity – all creative work and connected to all of us! Come and be inspired!

 

PROGRAM

 

MONDAY 4th of November

 

	PROUD OF HIS ROOTS – A TALK EVENT ON IDENTITY WITH FAMOUS TV PERSONALITY MARK LEVENGOOD  Talk with Mark Levengood, the famous TV personality and author about identity, the Finnish-Swedishness and how one should be proud of one’s roots.
Photo: Stellan Herner	Time: Monday 4th of November, 18:00 – 20:00 (+ Reception) Place: Spiral Room (Spiral 9F) Register at: https://proudofhisroots.peatix.com

 

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TUESDAY 5th of November

HUMORGRUPPEN KAJ GOES TOKYO – MUSIC PERFORMANCE AND ARTIST TALK WITH FINNISH-SWEDISH COMEDY BAND HUMORGRUPPEN KAJ  Performing in Japan for the first time, Humorgruppen KAJ (consisting of Kevin, Axel and Jakob) treats the Japanese audience to an exclusive show! Combining comedy and music, KAJ writes all their songs in their local Finnish-Swedish dialect which makes the sound very unique.

WEDNESDAY 6th of November

Speakers

	Julia Degerth is a Finnish blogger who inspire her readers to live a greener life. Her blog is called Grön i Åbo (www.groniabo.fi) and she writes in Swedish and English. Julia has also written a book “Min lilla gröna” about an environmentally friendly lifestyle.
	Ran Nomura runs the popular instagram account @zerowaste.japan where she documents her transition towards a zero waste life and give tips to her readers on how to live more environmentally friendly.
	Mariko McTier is Co-Founder and Director of Social Innovation Japan, Co-Founder of Japan’s first free water refill app, MyMizu, and an independent consultant focused on sustainability and circular economy projects.

THURSDAY 7th of November

	THE FUTURE OF THE FASHION AND DESIGN INDUSTRY Talk with fashion designers Carolina Forss and Wataru Tominaga about their work, sources of inspiration and the similarities between Finnish and Japanese design!    Time: Thursday 7th of November, 18:00 – 20:00 (+ Reception) Place: Spiral Room (Spiral 9F) Register at: https://futureoffashion.peatix.com
	Carolina Forss is a Finnish fashion designer with a love for 20th century fashion history combined with a modern focus. She holds a Master’s degree in Textile, Clothing and Fashion Design from Aalto University in Finland.
Photo: Emma Sarpaniemi
	Wataru Tominaga is a fashion designer and artist who has lived in Helsinki, Tokyo, Paris and London. He holds an MA in Fine Art from Chelsea Collage of Arts and received The Grand Jury Prize Première Vision at The 31th edition of the Hyères International Festival of Fashion and Photography.

FRIDAY 8th of November

	CRAYFISH PARTY (SOLD OUT)  It’s partytime! The last day of the Finnish-Swedish Week belongs traditionally to a crayfish party – which was sold out in half an hour! Thank you! An event filled with schnapps songs, funny decorations and – of course, crayfish!
Photo: Elina Suominen	Time: Friday 8th of November, 18:00 – 21:00 Place: Mace Sendagaya Registration full!

All events are free of charge but registration is required.

WARMLY WELCOME!

FINALLY HERE! A Finnish Language course at the Finnish Institute in Japan starts in September!

The Finnish language course is for absolute beginners and begins on September 20th.

Place: The Finnish Institute in Japan (3-5-39 Minami-Azabu Minato-ku Tokyo)

Time: Fridays 15:00-17:00 (dates: 20.9., 27.9., 11.10., 18.10., 25.10., 1.11., 8.11., 15.11., 22.11., 29.11.)

Teachers: Raija Okuda, Raija Hashimoto, Anna-Maria Wiljanen

Course Fee: 20,000 JPY

Registration starts on September 1st (Sun) at 13:00. The course can accommodate 15 students, in order of registration. Registration is binding. The students register for the whole course and will purchase the course material themselves. Register by sending your name and e-mail to info@finstitute.jp. You will get a confirmation e-mail.

Lämpimästi tervetuloa!

Interested in different possibilities of AI within the context of aging, art and good life?

The Finnish Institute in Japan will organise a conference AI to Bridge the Borders that will be held October 10^th 2019 in Tokyo, Japan. The conference aims to link the Finnish and Japanese AI research and the relevant themes concerning technology, science, culture, the aging society and younger citizens. The conference also aims to bring together leading academic researchers and research scholars to exchange and share their experiences and research results, but it also provides an opportunity to all those interested in AI to come and listen. The conference languages will be English and Japanese.

Date and time: 10th of October 2019, 9:00 – 17:30 conference, 17:30 – 19:00 reception.

Place: Meiji kinenkan, Tokyo.

In addition to keynote speeches, there will also be four different sessions with the following themes: 1) AI to bridge borders: societies for co-evolving intelligence, 2) AI to bridge humans and artificial agents: societies for social agents, 3) AI to bridge elder and younger citizens and 4) AI to bridge art and technology: societies for good life.

Conference is admission free but registration is required. Please register at https://aiconference2019.peatix.com/view October 4th, 2019 at the latest. 

Call for Papers

We invite you to send a 20-minute paper proposal that address issues and discourses arising out of the theme of the conference.  Kindly send your 250-word abstract at the latest September 23^rd 2019 to: anna-maria.wiljanen@finstitute.jp.

WELCOME!