Yanai Initiative

We're exhibiting at #AAS2026! Come see us at the Exhibition Hall this week to learn more about recent projects and programs from JPP and the @YanaiInitiative. Plus, get that sweet new swag! 😍🖊️ 楽しみにしています。

An article on our performance at @BYUIC this past Wednesday is up! BYU benshi performance evokes appreciation for century-old silent films universe.byu.edu/campus/byu-ben… @UniverseBYU @katsudobenshi @YanaiInitiative #silentfilm #benshi #livemusic

The Yanai Initiative is digitizing thousands of early modern Japanese books & manuscripts across the UC system in collaboration with Ritsumeikan University's @RitsARC, creating what could become the largest digital collection of its kind outside of Japan. newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/early…

Today at @BYUIC! “Benshi performance by Kataoka Ichiro @katsudobenshi with the screenings of A Page of Madness (Teinosuke Kinugasa, 1926), Snipped Snake (Chiho Maekawa, 1932) and Liberty (Leo McCarey, 1929)” #silentfilm #benshi #livemusic ic.byu.edu

Next week!! “The @YanaiInitiative is thrilled to partner with three new venues to offer audiences a rare opportunity to experience the mesmerizing artistry of Japan’s celebrated #benshi — ‘movie orators’ who … have been breathing life into #silentfilm.” yanai-initiative.ucla.edu/event/art-of-t…

柳井イニシアティブでは2026‐2027年度の招聘研究員としてUCLAに迎える日本文化研究の大学生を募集します！〆切：2026年3月30日。VGR（Visiting Graduate Researchers）プログラムの詳細については、このページをご覧ください： yanai-initiative.ucla.edu/engage?tab=vis…

The Yanai Initiative invites grad students from non-U.S. institutions in Japanese humanities fields to apply to come to UCLA as Visiting Graduate Researchers during the 2026-2027 academic year! Deadline 3/30/26. Please visit our site for more information: yanai-initiative.ucla.edu/engage?tab=vis…

JPPは、このたび新たに「世界の学会データベース」を公開したことをお知らせいたします。データベースは世界各地で定期的に開催されている日本研究およびアジア研究に関連する150以上の学会、シンポジウム、ワークショップを一覧化し、絞り込み機能を設けてまとめたものです。 japanpastandpresent.org/jp/resources/g…

Japan Past & Present is pleased to announce the launch of its new Global Conferences Database, a filterable list of more than 150 regularly held conferences, symposia, and workshops related to Japan Studies and Asian Studies from all around the world. 🌏 japanpastandpresent.org/en/resources/g…

For visual, performative, or multimedia works, you are welcome to include documentation (images, video or audio links) and technical requirements. The Yanai Initiative will cover the cost of travel and accommodation for accepted speakers. We look forward to your proposals!

We encourage contributions in a variety of formats, from academic papers to creative-critical hybrids, including presentations and discussions of translations in the form of texts, artworks, performances, music, and so on.

The Yanai Initiative is pleased to invite proposals for a symposium entitled “Experimental Translations in/with East Asian Languages,” to be hosted at UCLA on April 10-11, 2026. Deadline November 30, 2025, 11:59 PM (PT). See more information threaded below. ⬇️