JETAA North West: Woodblocks and Wine

JETAA NW Chair's Message

Happy New Year from JETAA North West! We hope you had a very happy Christmas and 2017 ended with a fun celebration. We warmly welcomed back some JETs to the North West in the autumn months of last year and have been very happy to see them interested in joining our events since. We also collaborated with the University of Liverpool Japanese Society to put on an art event (see more below) which gave us the opportunity to make some good connections within the local community. Our bounenkai attracted ex-JETs from not only the North West but also from other parts of the country and through this they were encouraged to try to be more involved in JETAA in their own areas. This was a very positive end to a great year of fantastic events. Planning for the new year is well underway and JETAA members, friends, and family will undoubtedly find something to suit and have great fun with us. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Liverpool JET Returnees Event: Woodblocks and Wine.

On Saturday 18 November JETAA NW organised an event for JET Returnees at The University of Liverpool. Mr. Frank Milner, local art historian, was invited to give a talk on his extensive woodblock (ukiyo-e) collection and the Edo Pop exhibition he curated at The Lady Lever Art Gallery earlier in the year.

It was a fascinating talk about not only the hidden meanings and messages in woodblock prints and their important influence on European art, but also the careful consideration needed when putting an exhibition of woodblock prints together.

After the talk, there was an informal wine reception during which we had the chance to talk personally with Mr. Milner and handle real woodblock prints. It was an incredible experience.

The event was well-attended by not only JETAA members, but also the University Japan Society, and members of the local Japanese community too. It was great for so many people to be brought together through a mutual appreciation and love of Japan and its culture. Indeed, we all decided to go out afterwards as we still had so much more to talk about!

I think this was one of our best events this year as we’ve had so much positive feedback since. I’d like to thank everyone for their support and cooperation during the planning process. Don’t worry if you missed out this time, there is sure to be more happening in the North West in the near future so keep a look out, and we’ll look forward to seeing you at our next get-together.

Corrina Ellis - North West Chapter Chair 

JETAA NW Shinnenkai and Study Day

JETAA North West is hosting a study day and shinnenkai on 20th January. The Study Day will give an overview of netsuke at World Museum in Liverpool, including an expert-led handling session and the chance to view netsuke from the World Museum archive.

To be followed by a shinnenkai at Etsu, Liverpool’s best Japanese restaurant, where everyone will have the chance to welcome in the new year in Japanese style. Please RSVP to nwevents@jetaa.org.uk or see the Facebook event.