Japan Society of New Orleans upcoming events

JSNO Japanese Cinema Series Screening: "YUDO” (Thu, August 27, 2026)

Fri, 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT

In Partnership with The Shop, Japan Society of New Orleans' Japanese Cinema Series presents a free screening of the 2023 film, YUDO!

Date: Thursday, August 27th
Time: Doors open @ 6:30pm, Screening starts @ 7pm
Place: The Shop at the CAC (3rd Floor), 900 Camp Street, New Orleans, LA 70130
Cost: FREE! Open to the public!

Screening will take place on the third floor. All ages welcome! Tell your friends, and hope to see you there!

Movie Summary from Japan Foundation Theater:

Soak in a wellspring of laughter and tears with a story of bathing culture - relaxing the body and recharging the soul.

An architect MIURA Shiro (IKUTA Toma) is a conflicted soul when he finally returns home after his father's death, with plans to close the family's antiquated bathhouse and build a condominium in its place. His younger brother has been running the business in his place, but when a boiler room fire breaks out, putting him in the hospital, Shiro has no choice but take over. Gradually, the mix of loving staff and longtime customers, reveal the importance of bathing culture, loosening the knotted feeling he has been carrying around for years.

This film depicts alcohol consumption, and mild nudity.

Subtitled, Duration: 126 minutes

You can watch the trailer here: https://youtu.be/Hz79xnwvrMA?si=oGMuLi9s5ZuZzPHP

Culture Collision 16 (Wed, September 02, 2026)

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 22:30:00 GMT

The Japan Society of New Orleans will have a table at Culture Collision 16 hosted by WWNO on Wednesday, September 2. The event is held at a new venue, LSU New Orleans University Center from 5:30pm to 7:30 and is free to attend. Over 60 nonprofit visual and performing arts organizations gather to provide information about their organizations and upcoming events.

We will use our table to promote membership in the Society and introduce folks to our programs and events.

If you are interested in volunteering to staff the table to discuss Japan Society of New Orleans with visitors: Sign Up Sheet for Culture Collision

For more information on Culture Collision, visit: Culture Collision Website

Come by and say hello!

Nihongo Renshuu (Conversation Practice) (Sun, September 06, 2026)

Sun, 06 Sep 2026 19:00:00 GMT

Nihongo Renshuu is meeting again! As the name suggests, it is now focused on conversation with other activities being involved occasionally. It truly is a practice session for those wanting to practice their Japanese. Our new program chair, Aina-sensei, will guide participants into Japanese conversation.

This program is free and open to all who are looking to practice their Japanese speaking skills (meaning some prior Japanese knowledge is required)! Please register online for this meeting as spots are limited.

Meeting details:

Where: The Coffeehouse - 7265 St Claude Ave, Arabi, LA 70032

When: Sunday, September 6th from 2:00pm - 3:30pm

Note: Attendees are expected to already know some Japanese language and ready to speak at this meeting.

Japan Fest 2026 (Sat, October 10, 2026)

Sat, 10 Oct 2026 15:00:00 GMT

This is the single largest Japanese cultural event of the year for the New Orleans Metro area. JSNO will have tables to spread the word about the Society, raffle off traditional and pop Japanese items, and try on Samurai armor courtesy of Japan Foundation, New York. In addition. there will be Japanese arts and crafts for sale, taiko drums performance, Japanese dance & tea ceremonies, along with plenty of food and drink. This is an all ages Festival with something for everyone.

Admission is $10, but if you sign up for a slot to volunteer through JSNO, you get a wrist band for free admission. Interested in working one or a couple of the tables at Japan Fest? Sign up today using the link below!

Note: Table sign up is limited to members only who are of 18 years or older.

Japan Fest JSNO Sign Up

Come out and help support your local Japan Society by joining in on this great event!

Kwaidan Book Club: "Japan, Beyond the Genkan" (Sun, October 25, 2026)

Sun, 25 Oct 2026 19:00:00 GMT

For our next book club meeting, we will be reading and discussing the book Japan, Beyond the Genkan by Dr. Joshua Walker. This book explores the Japan-America relationship through his own personal perspective. The book was requested from a few of our members after Dr. Walker's appearance on the Krewe of Japan Podcast.

Opportunity Alert:

Author Dr. Joshua Walker will be in town and is having a book signing at the local Barnes & Nobel. Get his book, get it signed, and tell him hi! Let him known you are with Japan Society of New Orleans.

This meeting will be on October 25th, in-person at Kung Fu Tea at 3348 W Esplanade Ave S, Metairie, LA 70002.

About the Book:

(Page count: 239 pages)

As America’s international policy experiences massive upheaval, and Japan, now being led by its first female prime minister, decides how to answer and advocate for itself, Japan, Beyond the Genkan comes at just the right time.

Part memoir, part diplomatic and political treatise, and part love letter to a culture he lived in as a bicultural and bilingual American, Dr. Walker shares the tools to fully comprehend and appreciate what Japan offers to the United States and the rest of the world today.

He explores Japan’s notions of soft power and social harmony, and the robust markets that help the nation to have global standing as America’s largest investor. In Japan, the genkan is the semi-public lobby entrance that goes into the private space within a house where guests are greeted. Dr. Walker as an adopted dosanko—the title of someone from Hokkaido, Japan—invites us beyond the genkan into a rare insider’s view of the country.

Through the perspective of his life and experience as a global citizen and a leader in the U.S.–Japan space, Dr. Walker reviews the U.S.-Japan relationship as both an outsider and an insider. This is a rich, personal appreciation of Japan that links the head and the heart of the country—and a well-researched plea by a geopolitical expert to continue the U.S.–Japan relationship.

As America’s global role and alliances become ever-more transactional, Japan can no longer count on the United States as its primary strategic anchor. The U.S.–Japan relationship that started eighty years ago as World War II came to a close must now be repositioned because the world in which that alliance was birthed no longer stands, even as Japan’s appeal has never been greater.

Drawing on its soft power, cultural depth, and history of resilience, Japan must define and act in its own national interest. In some ways, this book also serves as the opening chapter for what is still to come for U.S.–Japan and for all who care intensely about that relationship, whether their interest is personal, cultural, or professional.

About the Author:

Joshua W. Walker, PhD, is president and CEO of Japan Society. He has held leadership positions at Eurasia Group, the USA Pavilion of the 2017 World Expo, and APCO Worldwide, previously serving in the State Department and the Defense Department.

He is Senior Fellow at the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, Adjunct Associate Professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, Presidential Leadership Scholar, David Rockefeller Fellow of the Trilateral Commission, Munich Security Conference Young Leader, British-American Project Fellow, and Nakasone Yasuhiro Award Winner. He was previously a Professor of Leadership and the American Presidency at George Mason University and the Reagan Foundation, Transatlantic Fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, and cofounder of the Yale Journal of International Affairs.

He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Richmond, a master’s degree from Yale University, and a doctorate from Princeton University.

Information provided by Amplify Publishing Group.

JSNO Annual Meeting 2026 (Thu, November 05, 2026)

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 00:30:00 GMT

We will be holding our Annual Meeting at the Southern Yacht Club on Thursday, 5 November 2026. Our Principal Speaker is Dr Rose Honegger, PhD, Associate Director of Global Engagement, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Fulbright Japan Alum & board member of the Fulbright Association. Her presentation is titled: 80 Years of Fulbright, 74 Years of Japan-US Friendship: The Enduring Power of People-to-People Diplomacy

Please log on and register for this free to membership event to hear what's going on with your Japan Society, engage with our Guest Speakers and confirm next year's Board and Officers.

We will have a silent auction to raise money for our Exchange Fund. See our website Home page for pictures of the items (to be posted soon).

Complimentary appetizers and a cash bar (please bring cash; credit cards not accepted) will be available starting at 6:30 and after the meeting. If you wish to renew or join, membership payments will be accepted at the registration table.

We look forward to seeing you there!