Join Dassai Chairman Hiroshi Sakurai and Keiko Ono Aoki, entrepreneur and CEO of Benihana of Tokyo, for a talk about the past, present, and future of both organizations. Both leaders will engage in a dialogue around the themes of “Challenge” and “Innovation,” discussing how they blend yesterday and tomorrow with the goal of rising to the modern world.

How are we defined by our history, and what is our obligation to it? What are the realities of the U.S.-Japan world today and new dangers and opportunities within it? Is there a future without innovation? How can one create change within a historic organization? And what are the needs to create real revolution? Japan Society invites you to spend the evening with Hiroshi Sakurai and Keiko Ono Aoki to hear their answers.

To purchase tickets, please visit Japan Society’s website.

About the Dassai Sake Series

The Dassai Sake Series is an ongoing lecture series pairing thought and business leaders from across the U.S.-Japan world together onstage with festive sake celebrations. The Dassai brand is built around the goal of bringing revolution to the sake industry, and the Dassai Sake Series is similarly focused on engaging conversations with U.S.-Japan leaders who have created their own revolutions—each concluding with celebratory networking receptions and kampai toasts to their success.

Support JapanCulture•NYC by becoming a member! For $5 a month, you’ll help maintain the high quality of our site while we continue to showcase and promote the activities of our vibrant community. Please click here to begin your membership today!

Susan McCormac 5/20/25 Susan McCormac 5/20/25

JapanCulture•NYC Turns 14!

JapanCulture•NYC launched 14 years ago today! Let’s celebrate bridging New York to Japanese culture!

A Heartfelt Thank You to Our Community

May 20, 2025 marks the 14th anniversary of JapanCulture-NYC.com!

It’s hard to believe that what began as a small passion project in 2011 has grown into a trusted resource for All Things Japanese in New York City. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of covering a wide range of events—from traditional tea ceremonies and sake tastings to contemporary art exhibitions, film premieres, concerts, and community festivals.

At the heart of it all has been one goal: to connect people through culture.

I’m endlessly grateful to everyone who has read an article, shared a post, attended an event I featured, or reached out with a kind word. Your support and enthusiasm keep this platform going. Whether you're a long-time follower or a recent reader, thank you for being part of this journey.

I'm also deeply appreciative of the artists, performers, chefs, scholars, community leaders, and organizers who have allowed me to share their work. Your stories are what make JapanCulture-NYC meaningful.

As I look ahead, I’m more committed than ever to spotlighting the richness and diversity of Japanese culture in New York. There are still so many stories to tell—and I can’t wait to keep telling them.

Thank you for 14 amazing years!

With gratitude,
Susan Miyagi McCormac
Founder and Editor-in-Chief, JapanCulture-NYC

Susan McCormac 1/29/25 Susan McCormac 1/29/25

Webinar to Explore the founding of I-House

The founding of the International House of Japan

Reflections on the Founding of the International House of Japan: Insights from Rockefeller & Matsumoto for the Future

Thursday, February 6 at 7:00 p.m.

Live Webinar

Admission: Free

As the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII approaches, the International House of Japan and American Friends of the International House of Japan present a live virtual discussion focused on the documentary film John and Shige: The Quiet Builders about the founding of the International House of Japan in the aftermath of such devastating global conflict. The event explores the friendship between John D. Rockefeller III and Shigeharu Matsumoto and the context of the time in which they built the International House of Japan. Panelists will consider how such an institution was developed and the ways in which it helped rebuild positive relations between the U.S. and Japan and its aim to prevent future conflict.

The panel intends to examine how the International House of Japan collaborated with U.S. institutions such as Japan Society. Through a close reflection on the origins of the I-House, AFIHJ hopes to generate a discussion about lessons for the future as the International House of Japan continues to work with partners to prevent future conflicts and enhance cross-cultural understanding.

To register, please visit afijh.org. Registrants will receive a link to watch the film John and Shige: The Quiet Builders.

Speakers

Victoria Bestor
Victoria Lyon Bestor has been fascinated by Japan since growing up in Seattle, Kobe’s sister city; her interest in the Rockefeller Family began when she was a program officer at Japan Society of New York in the early 1980s. As a Fulbright scholar she combined those interests to study the role of Rockefeller Philanthropy in Japan, making use of archives internationally including the Rockefeller Archive Center and International House of Japan. She has published several articles and chapters related to that research.

From 1999 to 2017 she was the executive director of the NCC (North American Coordinating Council on Japanese Library Resources), an international nonprofit, and has served on the board of the American Friends of International House of Japan.

Dr. Kent Calder
The Chair of AFIHJ, Dr. Kent E. Calder is an Edwin O. Reischauer Professor and Director of the Edwin O. Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). A specialist in East Asian political economy, Calder lived and researched in Japan for eleven years and across East Asia for four years. His recent publications include Global Political Cities: Actors and Arenas of Influence in International Affairs (2021), Super Continent: The Logic of Eurasian Integration (2019), and Circles of Compensation: Economic Growth and the Globalization of Japan (2018), among others.

In 2014, he was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon.

Dr. Carol Gluck
The George Sansom Professor of History Emerita at Columbia University, Dr. Carol Gluck is a historian of modern Japan specializing in international relations, World War II, and history-writing and public memory in Asia and the West. Publications include Japan’s Modern Myths, Showa: The Japan of Hirohito, Asia in Western and World History, Words in Motion, Thinking with the Past: Japan and Modern History, and Past Obsessions: World War Two in History and Memory.

A past President of the Association for Asian Studies, Gluck is the founding member and chair of Columbia's Committee on Global Thought, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a member of the American Philosophical Society. She is a recipient of the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon from the government of Japan and an awardee of the International Japanese Studies Prize from the National Institute of the Humanities.

Susan McCormac 11/12/24 Susan McCormac 11/12/24

Conference to Examine Leadership transitions in U.S. and Japan

Elections Aftermath: Exploring Opportunities and Challenges in U.S.-Japan Relations

Monday, November 18 from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.

Joseph D. Jamail Lecture Hall, Pulitzer Hall, Columbia Journalism School – 2950 Broadway

Admission: Free

In a world marked by growing political volatility and escalating U.S.-China rivalry, the United States and Japan face a crucial opportunity to collaborate under new leadership to maintain and strengthen peace and stability in East Asia and beyond. Co-sponsored by Columbia University and Keio University, this full-day conference will convene top experts on East Asian and global politics to explore the challenges and opportunities arising from leadership transitions in both Tokyo and Washington and discuss how the two allies can shape the security and political dynamics of the Korean Peninsula, in Southeast Asia, across the Taiwan Strait, and the International Order.

The speakers will examine how the U.S.-Japan partnership can navigate these complexities and shape a cooperative future in an increasingly intricate global landscape.

This event is hosted by the Weatherhead East Asian Institute and co-sponsored by China and the World Program, Columbia Journalism School, Keio Center for Strategy, and Keio Institute of East Asian Studies.

For non-Columbia affiliates, registration is required to access the Morningside campus. Registering here will generate an email with a QR code which must be presented along with a government-issued ID (your name must match exactly the name registered for the event) at either 116 Street & Broadway or 116 Street & Amsterdam gates for entry. Please register by Friday, November 15 at 4:00 p.m. for campus access.

Agenda

9:00-9:10 a.m. Welcome Remarks

Duy Linh Nguyen Tu, Dean of Academic Affairs and Professor of Professional Practice, Columbia University
Lien-Hang Nguyen, Director, Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University
Yuichi Hosoya, Director, Keio Center for Strategy, Keio University

9:10-9:20 a.m. Opening Videos

9:20-10:40 a.m. Session 1 U.S.-Japan-South Korea Relations after the Elections

Junya Nishino, Professor of Political Science, Faculty of Law and Politics, Keio University
Ambassador Kathleen Stephens, Global Senior Advisor, McLarty Associates
Scott Snyder, President & CEO, Korea Economic Institute of America
Carol Gluck, George Sansom Professor Emerita of History, Columbia University
Gerald Curtis, Burgess Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Columbia University (moderator)

10:50-12:10 p.m. Session 2 Japan and the U.S. in Southeast Asia after the Elections

Ambassador Derek Mitchell, Senior Advisor, Center for Strategic and International Studies
Ambassador Masafumi Ishii, Special Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Law, Gakushuin University
Ken Jimbo, Managing Director, International House of Japan; Professor, Faculty of Policy Management, Keio University
Lien-Hang Nguyen, Dorothy Borg Associate Professor of the History of American-East Asian Relations, Columbia University
Ann Marie Murphy, Professor, School of Diplomacy and International Relations, Seton Hall University (moderator)

12:10-1:00 p.m. Lunch Break

1:00-2:20 p.m. Session 3 China, Taiwan, and the U.S.-Japan Alliance after the Elections

Andrew J. Nathan, Class of 1919 Professor of Political Science, Columbia University
Thomas Christensen, James T. Shotwell Professor of International Relations, Columbia University
Satoru Mori, Professor, Faculty of Law, Keio University
Ayumi Teraoka, Postdoctoral Research Scholar and Lecturer, Columbia University
George Miller, Associate Dean, Academic Affairs and Adjunct Professor, Columbia’s Journalism School (moderator)

2:30-3:50 p.m. Session 4 Global Politics and International Order after the Elections

Yuichi Hosoya, Professor, Faculty of Law, Keio University
Michito Tsuruoka, Associate Professor, Faculty of Policy Management, Keio University
Stephen Biddle, Professor of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University
Zongyuan Zoe Liu, Maurice R. Greenberg Senior Fellow for China Studies, Council on Foreign Relations
Merit Janow, Professor of Practice in International Economic Law and International Affairs, Columbia University (moderator)

3:50-4:00 p.m. Closing Remarks

Conference Adjourn

Click here for a full list of speaker bios.

Dassai Sake Series Continues at Japan Society

Dassai Sake Series: Benihana and Beyond