What makes Japanese people, “Japanese?”

Filmmaker Ema Ryan Yamazaki offers a unique lens to this question by playing observer to the Japanese education system, carefully uncovering the cultural intricacies that define what it truly means to be Japanese. Her latest feature-length documentary film, “The Making of a Japanese,” premiered at the Tokyo International Film Festival, closely follows and portrays the daily life of an elementary school in western Tokyo amidst the pandemic.

Join us at Asia Society Japan on July 1st for an evening of film and discussion, where we have the privilege of hosting a special preview screening "Instruments of a Beating Heart," a New York Times op-doc providing a preview of Yamazaki’s upcoming feature film, "The Making of a Japanese," scheduled for public release later this year. In addition, Yamazaki will share with us highlights from her previous film, “Koshien: Japan's Field of Dreams,” a film that delves deep in to the highly competitive world of Japanese High-School baseball. This film provides additional insight into the educational and emotional journey experienced by Japanese youth.

Together with Yamazaki, we are joined by New York Times Tokyo Bureau chief, Motoko Rich and educator-turned Setagaya-City Assembly member Risa Kamio, who will share their professional perspectives as we discuss and delve deeper into what defines and shapes the Japanese identity. As we explore the intricate details of the Japanese education system and schools on a micro level, we also aim to offer a broader understanding and discussion of Japanese society, examining its culture and policies on a macro scale.

Event and Registration Details

• This event will be conducted in-person, and registration is required.
• Participation is for members & guests only. Please pay your fee by credit card (Visa or Mastercard only) or at the door.
• Tickets are ¥3,500 in advance by credit card and ¥4,000 at the door.

Schedule

July 1, 2024, 6:00 – 8:30 p.m. (JST)

5:45 p.m.
Door open

6:00 p.m.
Opening remark

6:05 – 6:30 p.m.
Special Preview Screening of Instruments of a Beating Heart

6:30 – 7:15 p.m.
Panel discussion modrated by Jesper Koll,

7:15 – 8:15 p.m.
Network reception

8:30 p.m.
Door close

Speaker Bio

Ema Ryan Yamazaki
Filmmaker

Raised in Osaka by a Japanese mother and British father, Ema grew up navigating between Japanese and Western cultures. Having studied filmmaking at New York University, she uses her unique storytelling perspective as an insider and outsider in Japan.

In 2017, Ema’s first feature documentary, MONKEY BUSINESS: THE ADVENTURES OF CURIOUS GEORGE’S CREATORS was released worldwide after raising over $186,000 on Kickstarter. In 2019, Ema’s second feature documentary about the phenomenon of high school baseball in Japan, KOSHIEN: JAPAN’S FIELD OF DREAMS, premiered at DOC NYC. In 2020, the film aired on ESPN, and was released theatrically in Japan. It was a New York Times recommendation for international streaming and featured on the Criterion Channel.

Ema's latest documentary feature, THE MAKING OF A JAPANESE, follows one year in a Japanese public school. The film premiered at the Tokyo International Film Festival in 2023 and is currently playing festivals and in distribution around the world.

Motoko Rich
Tokyo Bureau Chief, New York Times

Motoko Rich was raised in New Jersey, Tokyo and California by a Japanese mother and white American father. She received a B.A. in History from Yale University and an M.A. in English from Cambridge University. She has worked at The Times for 20 years, covering real estate, publishing, economics and education. She started her career in journalism at the Financial Times in London and worked for The Wall Street Journal in Atlanta and New York.

As Tokyo bureau chief with the New York Times, she tries to capture the sweep of Japan’s politics, foreign policy, demographics, culture, the arts and environment. She is particularly interested in the role of gender, Japan’s approach to aging and its declining birthrate, and the evolving leadership role of Japan in Asia.

She lives in Tokyo with her family.

Risa Kamio
Member of Setagaya City Assemby
Executive Director of Japan Global Education

Risa Kamio is a member of the Setagaya City Assembly and the Executive Director of Japan Global Education. After graduation from Sacred Heart University in Tokyo, she taught Japanese at an elementary school in Maryland USA, supported educational travel by young Japanese to the US, and then served for over ten years as Director of Educational Programs at the Japan-America Society of Washington DC.

After returning to Japan, she was elected in 2019 to serve as the council member in Setagaya. The city of Setagaya currently has over 930,000 residents, which is the largest number of any ward in Tokyo. Her campaign slogan is, “Let’s work together to connect Setagaya to the world!”

She has a 10-year-old son and it is her 4th year serving as the PTA president at her son’s elementary school in Setagaya.