In celebration of 160 years of Japan-France diplomatic relations, Japonismes 2018: les âmes en résonance, a major event for showcasing Japanese arts and culture, was held in France from July 2018 through February 2019. With venues mainly in Paris, it included 101 Official Program events, four Tandem Paris-Tokyo 2018 Program events and 204 Associate Program events within the framework of Japonismes 2018 and introduced France to the appeal of the rich diversity of Japanese culture.

Eiffel Tower Special Light-Up – Eiffel Tower Dressed in Japanese Lights
Photo: Motoko Ishii Lighting Design (Tokyo)
Planning and Production: Motoko Ishii & Akari-Lisa Ishii

A Look at Japonismes 2018 by Numbers

The Official Program events and Tandem Paris-Tokyo 2018 Program events attracted a total of 2,233,237 people while a total of 1,299,741^*1 people attended the Associate Program events. This means that over 3.5 million people, which exceeds Paris' entire population of approximately 2.2 million people, were able to experience Japanese culture through Japonismes 2018.

*1. The number of visitors to the Associate Program events is based on figures from the event organizers' reports as of March 28, 2019.

There were 101^*2 Official Program events, which gathered first-rate artists and works from a variety of fields. Together with four Tandem Paris-Tokyo 2018 Program events and 204 Associate Program events, a total of 309 events were held within the framework of Japonismes 2018.

*2. Includes events of diplomatic missions overseas.

The Official Program events and Tandem Paris-Tokyo 2018 Program events were held in more than 20 cities across France while the Associate Program events were held in over 60 cities.^*3 These host cities were situated in all 12 regional areas of mainland France. In addition to Paris, the events were also held in such principal regional cities as Strasbourg, Lyon, Toulouse and Nice. The holding of Japonismes 2018 events across France, including in regions which ordinarily have little opportunity to experience Japanese culture, spurred interest in Japan and Japanese culture in France.

*3. City refers to communes, which are local administrative units in France.

Official Programs Conducted by the Japan Foundation

Exhibitions

1. teamLab: Au-delà des limites
2. Ryoji Ikeda | continuum
3. Enfance / Childhood
4. KOHEI NAWA | Throne
5. FUKAMI – une plongée dans l'esthétique japonaise
6. YU-ICHI INOUE 1916-1985 – The Liberation of Calligraphy
7. Jakuchū, the Colorful Realm of Living Beings
8. Shingo Katori – NAKAMA des ARTS
9. Tadao Ando: Le Défi
10. Jomon – Birth of Art in Prehistoric Japan
11. Meiji, Splendors of Imperial Japan (1868-1912)
12. Treasures from Kyoto: 300 Years of Rinpa Creation
13. Japon-Japonismes. Objets inspirés, 1867-2018
14. MANGA ⇔ TOKYO
15. Foujita, Works of a Life (1886–1968)
16. Nara – Trois trésors du bouddhisme japonais
17. BEYOND EAST & WEST – Traditional Japanese Beauty, Magically Reborn

Performing Arts

1. Concert of Japanese Drums and Shamisen
2. DRUM TAO: DRUM HEART
3. <2.5-Dimensional Musical> Touken Ranbu: The Musical "Atsukashiyama Ibun 2018 Paris"
4. Imperial Gagaku
5. YÛGEN, Nô x 3D Image directed by Amon Miyamoto
6. SHOCHIKU GRAND KABUKI
7. TRIPLE BILL #1: French-Japanese Collaboration Project on Hip-Hop Dance
8. SAMBASO, divine dance performed by Mansaku, Mansai and Yuki Nomura, designed by Hiroshi Sugimoto
9. Contemporary Theater Series: The Dark Master directed by Kurô Tanino
10. Contemporary Theater Series: Avidya – The Ignorance Inn directed by Kurô Tanino
11. Contemporary Theater Series: Reading Blue Sheet by Norimizu Ameya
12. Contemporary Theater Series: Reading Before We Vanish aka Sanpo Suru Shinryakusha by Tomohiro Maekawa
13. Soirée électro Japonismes 2018 – TOKYO HIT VOL. 3
14. Soirée électro Japonismes 2018 – Soirée électro in Centre Pompidou
15. In the forest, under cherries in full bloom directed by Hideki Noda
16. Fabrique Chaillot – Yasutake Shimaji
17. Contemporary Dance: About Kazuo Ohno by Takao Kawaguchi
18. Jinsei Tsuji Concert
19. Contemporary Theater Series: PROUD SON directed by Shu Matsui
20. Bunraku
21. Gagaku – Ensemble Reigakusha and Kaiji Moriyama
22. Taiko – Eitetsu Hayashi and EITETSU FU-UN no KAI
23. Buyô
24. Contemporary Theater Series: Five Days in March Re-creation directed by Toshiki Okada
25. Contemporary Theater Series: Pratthana – A Portrait of Possession directed by Toshiki Okada
26. Contemporary Theater Series: Kinoshita-Kabuki Kanjincho
27. <2.5-Dimensional Musical> "Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon" The Super Live
28. Mahabharata – Nalacharitam directed by Satoshi Miyagi
29. Contemporary Theater Series: Throw away Your Books, Let's Get onto the Streets directed by Takahiro Fujita
30. Contemporary Theater Series: WAREWARE NO MOROMORO conceived and directed by Hideto Iwai
31. HATSUNE MIKU EXPO 2018 EUROPE
32. Jazz Concert "No Name Horses" featuring Makoto Ozone
33. Contemporary Dance: Is it worth to save us? by Kaori Ito x Mirai Moriyama
34. Noh and Kyogen
35. Kafka on the Shore directed by Yukio Ninagawa
36. Project France < > Japan 2018 – The Sacred Drums Zuiho Taiko in France

Audiovisual

1. International Premiere of Vision by Naomi Kawase
2. Focus on Japanese TV Programs
3. 100 Years of Japanese Cinema
4. Special Screening of the Documentary Kabuki Yakusha Kataoka Nizaemon
5. Naomi Kawase – Retrospective and Exhibition
6. KINOTAYO Contemporary Japanese Film Festival
7. Special Screening of FOUJITA by Kohei Oguri

Life and Culture

1. Learning Japanese Culinary Culture – Children's Workshops
2. Learning Japanese Culinary Culture – Professional Workshops
3. Discovering Japanese Culinary Culture – Sake Stroll in Paris
4. Discovering Japanese Culinary Culture – Six Evenings of Sake Tasting
5. Considering Japanese Culinary Culture – Phantom Banquet at the Extra Festival!
6. Considering Japanese Culinary Culture – Creative Travel to Japan
7. Considering Japanese Culinary Culture – Symposium on Gastronomy
8. Learning, Discovering, and Considering Japanese Culinary Culture – The World of Japanese Tea
   Japanese Tea Workshop
9. A Month-Long Discovery of Japanese Tea
10. Symposium on Japanese Tea
11. Eiffel Tower Special Light-up – Eiffel Tower Dressed in Japanese Lights
12. Traditional Crafts 1 – TEWAZA
13. Traditional Crafts 2 – The Space of Japanese Harmony Created by Wood
14. Traditional Crafts 3 – Synergies Between Tradition and Modernity: Japan's Local Crafts at the Forefront of Innovation
15. French-Japanese Dialogue 1 – The Satin Slipper by Paul Claudel (Lecture)
16. French-Japanese Dialogue 2 – Japonism: Hokusai and Cézanne (Lecture)
17. French-Japanese Dialogue 3 – Collaboration Between France and Japan as Global Players (Symposium)
18. French-Japanese Dialogue 4 – France as Viewed by the Japanese / Japan as Viewed by the French (Symposium)
19. French-Japanese Dialogue 5 – French and Japanese Literature Today (symposium)
20. French-Japanese Dialogue 6 – Round Table on Haïkaï: Cents phrases pour éventails by the Poet-Ambassador Paul Claudel
21. Zen Week
22. Vitality of Local Cultures and Matsuri
23. Japonismes 2018 JITA-KYOEI PROJECT
24. Ikebana, Floral Art
25. Chanoyu, Tea Tradition
26. High School Student Ambassadors of NIPPON Culture
27. Interschool Presentation Day