Interview: Naoko Takayanagi from Japan Society of Boston

The Japan Society of Boston (JSB) has been working to promote cultural, artistic, and human exchanges between Japan and Boston for 120 years. JSB also regularly participates in Japan Festival Boston.

As a bridge between Boston and Japan, how has JSB been active and rooted in the local community? Japan Festival Boston had the opportunity to speak with Naoko Takayanagi, Director of JSB, to learn more.

Please tell us about JSB’s activities.

We provide information about Japan and Japanese culture in English through our events including lectures, seminars, and workshops. We collaborate with local museums and movie theaters whenever they have Japan-related exhibits, operas, or films by promoting them on our website or newsletter and by holding in-person events. Most of JSB's members and event participants are not Japanese.

We offer in-person and online events and most of them are free. For online events open to the public, we have monthly events as well as one-time events. Monthly online events include the Language Room, which is a free virtual language exchange, and "Ouchigohan," Japanese home cooking classes held for a small fee. An example of a stand-alone event is "Inside the Japanese House," a three-part series about Japanese architecture and craftsmanship which we held last year. Since the beginning of this year, we have hosted events like a Japanese whisky tasting event and an international policy event called "Geostrategy in the Grassroots Series."

Members-only online events include the JSB Book Club, Medieval Japanese Women’s Literature discussion group, the Film Club, and more. Members can join from anywhere in the world!

We also offer a variety of member-only in-person events, including private tours led by curators from the Boston Museum of Fine Arts or the Harvard Art Museums, special tours of Harvard's Arnold Arboretum, Storytime at the Japanese House at Boston Children’s Museum, and social gatherings at Japanese izakayas in the Boston area. Members have commented that JSB is a welcoming community where you can meet people who are interested in Japan and Japanese culture.

There are many Japan America Societies in the United States, but what is unique about the Japan Society of Boston?

 There are 38 organizations known as Japan-America Societies or Japan Societies in the United States, and they are all completely independent organizations. However, the members of the National Association of Japan-America Societies (NAJAS) gather once a year at an annual conference where we get to connect with each other. We also collaborate with each other from time to time.

The Japan Society of Boston is one of the oldest societies and is located in Boston, which has many well-educated people due to the large number of colleges in the area. We are fully aware that our members have a deep understanding of Japan and Japanese culture and they are often very well read, so we try to provide “real” Japanese culture by having experts from Japan and the U.S. as our speakers to satisfy our audience’s curiosity.

Our “BETWEEN THE LINES: A Monthly Discussion on Medieval Japanese Women's Literature” is a member-only event where we read classical works such as "The Tale of Genji,” "The Pillow Book” and "The Confessions of Lady Nijo" in English and discuss them. It is led by our staff member Chris Ellars, who is knowledgeable about Japanese classical literature. It is a rare opportunity for fans of classical Japanese literature to gather, discuss, and connect with others, and members join not only from other parts of the U.S., but also from Japan and Canada.

It sounds like many JSB members know a lot about Japan, but do you have any other types of audience?

We don’t only promote traditional performing arts and culture. There are so many young people who first become interested in Japanese culture through anime. People may get interested in Ainu culture after reading the “Golden Kamuy” manga and then come to our Book Club. Or there may be a Godzilla fan who ends up studying Gagaku (traditional Japanese court music) and joining JSB.

JSB collaborated with Anime Boston during the pandemic and we had a chance to attend the event last year. I was very impressed with how they can mobilize so many volunteers to put on the largest anime event in the Northeast. JSB will also participate in this year’s Anime Boston as part of their Community Row.

Since last year, we have been collaborating with local cultural organizations for in-person events. When the Japanese taiko drumming group Kodo came to Boston, we hosted a workshop in collaboration with Celebrity Series. We collaborated with Belmont World Film when they screened "A Man," based on the book by Keiichiro Hirano. When Boston Lyric Opera put on 'Madama Butterfly,' we had the pleasure of working together on related events. Furthermore, we have collaborated with the MFA, Harvard Art Museums, Coolidge Corner Theatre, Boston Japan Film Festival, Boston East School, and Planet Boston.

In addition, we have started to offer business events to promote an exchange between the U.S. and Japan that goes beyond culture. We are visiting companies and have hosted a business networking event and business lunch seminars. When JSB puts on a business networking event, we include cultural organizations such as museums, opera people, and movie theaters in addition to business people from startups, pharmaceutical companies, trading companies, and financial institutions. People commented that they enjoyed the mix of participants from both business and cultural backgrounds, something a bit different than a strictly business networking event.

We may not be very well known among Japanese people in Boston, but Japanese members and event participants have said our events are fun because they get to meet Americans who like Japan. Many people asked us when JSB's next Networking Event will be after attending the first one, which was kindly sponsored by Japan Airlines.

Can you talk about your efforts in reaching the student population in the Boston area?

Our student membership fee is 1/4 the cost of our regular membership fee, so after sending a book as a gift to new members and processing the membership, it doesn’t generate much income, but we view it as an investment in future generations. Our hope is that student members can access Japanese culture through our programs and continue to pursue their interest in Japan and Japanese culture as they get older. It is our pleasure to give opportunities to the next generation so that the U.S.-Japan exchange continues in the future.

The Japan Society of Boston supports the JET Program (The Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme), which is very popular among young Americans who want to work in Japan. Last fall, we collaborated with USJETAA and the TOMODACHI Initiative to host a panel discussion featuring JET Program alumni, TOMODACHI Initiative participants, and a student currently studying at a Japanese university. Participants enjoyed the opportunity to hear from people who have worked or are working/studying in Japan. We also have a blog called "JSB Meets JET Alumni" in collaboration with USJETAA. You can read about JET Program alumni’s experience on our website or in our newsletters.

We are always accepting interns and volunteers. Some interns and volunteers contribute articles and visuals for our newsletters, and two of the blogs are written by volunteers. Our Book Club and Film Club are led by two different volunteers who are very knowledgeable about literature and films, respectively. We are a community run by people with different backgrounds.

With only two full-time staff members, Program Manager Joanne Ha and myself, we try to have a team-led structure, not a top-down one. We may be a small organization, but the advantage of being small is it doesn’t take much time from decision to execution.

Our members' ages range from 12-13 all the way to over 100. The great thing about JSB is that we cover content from "The Tale of Genji" to anime, so that when we gather at the Book Club or our bi-monthly in-person Connect with JSB events, people can connect with others from diverse backgrounds and generations through their shared interest in Japan.

Lastly, please give a message to the participants of Japan Festival Boston and its dedicated volunteer committee members.

The Japan Festival Boston is supported by many volunteers from both Japanese and American communities and the volunteers’ dedication really impresses me. The Japan Society of Boston is happy to support the festival and we hope to see you there!