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HOME > Past World Cultural Forum 2008 (6th)

Past World Cultural Forum
2008 (6th)

With this year's focus on "Cultural Diversity", renowned scholars and artists from Japan and around the world will gather at the World Cultural Forum 2008 to share their viewpoints on an array of issues surrounding world culture. Presenting a message of culture to the world at large, this forum will also aim to spread greater awareness of Japanese culture.

2008(6th) REPORT (PDF format, 22.35MB)

Cultural Diversity −The Power of Culture connects the world−

Saturday, October 11, 2008 (13:30-17:30) at International Conference Hall, Plaza HEISEI, Tokyo International Exchange Center (2-79 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo)

・Opening Keynote Speech “Musical Encounters: The Sonic Realm of Cultural Interaction” Michael S. MOLASKY (USA) Professor, University of Minnesota
・Performance “Commemorative Performance for the Japan-Brazil Year of Exchange: Brazilian Music” Wilma de OLIVEIRA (Brazil) Singer
・
	Music and Culture in Contemporary Japan — The Power of Music fostered through embracing diverse genres —

Chairperson	AOKI Tamotsu (Japan) Commissioner for Cultural Affairs, Japan
Panelists	Michael S. MOLASKY (USA) Professor, University of Minnesota TSUNODA Kenichi (Japan) Bandleader, Kenichi Tsunoda Big Band, Composer; Arranger HONNA Tetsuji (Japan) Music Director, Orchestra Nipponica; Music Adviser and Conductor, Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra MIYATA Mayumi (Japan) "Sho" Player
Performance	Kenichi Tsunoda Big Band (National Arts Festival Excellence Award of the Entertainment Division in 2007)

From traditional to contemporary, ranging from jazz and classic to pops, music is a universal art form of great diversity. We will examine the cultural power of music, with reference to the diversity of music in Japan as it developed and embraced a variety of genres.

*Free of charge, advanced reservations required, simultaneous interpretation available in Japanese/English.

Live with the Classics The Tale of Genji — A Literary Classic that continues to captivate people —
Sunday, November 9, 2008 (13:30 - 17:30) at Uji City Cultural Center (Main Hall) (1-1 Oriidai, Uji City, Kyoto)

Chairperson	HAGA Toru (Japan) President Emeritus, Kyoto University of Art and Design and Professor Emeritus, the University of Tokyo
Panelists	Royall TYLER (Australia) Former Professor, Australian National University ZHANG Long-mei (China) Professor, Beijing Center for Japanese Studies Kai NIEMINEN (Finland) Translator and Poet OBOROYA Hisashi (Japan) Professor, Doshisha Women's College of Liberal Arts YAMAMOTO Junko (Japan) Professor, Kyoto Gakuen University

"The Tale of Genji" is the most ancient surviving full-length novel in the world, and is one of the greatest works of Japanese literature. It has retained its ability to affect us deeply even today, and can inspire modern readers to consider such timeless and universal questions. We verify how "The Tale of Genji" and other classics have had an impact on the culture in Japan and elsewhere around the world, and discuss how we pass them on to future generations.

*Free of charge, advanced reservations required, simultaneous interpretation available in Japanese/English.

Nara and Silk Road — Towards the Future of the Asian Gateway —
Sunday, November 30, 2008 (13:30 - 17:00) at Kohfukuji Convention Hall (48 Noboriouji-cho, Nara City)

Chairperson	YAMAUCHI Masayuki (Japan) Professor, The Graduate School of the University of Tokyo
Panelists	Solmaz ÜNAYDIN (Turkey) Former Ambassador of Turkey to Japan WANG Yong (China) Director, Professor, Institute of Japanese Cultural Studies, Zhejiang Gongshang University KIM Hodong (Republic of Korea) Professor, Seoul National University

*Prof. HIRAYAMA Ikuo will not be able to attend, and Prof. YAMAUCHI Masayuki will serve as the chairperson.

From ancient times, the Silk Road that linked China with Europe brought advanced technologies and rare objects to Japan. This was the prototype of the Asian Gateway. Nara, the site of the ancient Japanese capital Heijo-kyo, celebrates its 1,300th anniversary in 2010. This session will, with the assistance of visual aids, observe the cultural and commercial exchanges that took place along the ancient Silk Road trade routes that led all of the way from Anatolia to China and on through the Korean Peninsula in the perspective of world history and the development of East-West exchange.

*Free of charge, advanced reservations required, simultaneous interpretation available in Japanese/English.

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