Webinar | Woodblock-printed and Real Journeys Through Japan

 

Many of the Japanese woodblock print landscapes featured in the NATURE/SUPERNATURE exhibition depict places throughout the country that were popular destinations for travelers in the Edo period (1603-1868). The images were published and sold in the capital, Edo (modern Tokyo) and often provided Edo residents with inspiration for trips around the country and visual reminders of past travels. However, for those unable to travel, the prints also fueled dreams of journeys to beautiful places – much like photographs and videos today fill our dreams of future travel.

Art historian and travel expert, Anne Alene, discusses the nature of domestic travel in Japan during the Edo period, exploring who was traveling and where, and the role the government played in establishing the travel infrastructure that became the foundation for today’s travel industry. She is joined by Siobhan Aamoth of Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), who shares insights and information about travel around Japan today and post-pandemic – including to some of the places featured in the prints in the exhibition. The presentations are followed by a discussion and Q&A.

*To watch the video in full screen, please click on the image above, then click on the YouTube icon on the lower right-hand corner.
 

Recording Available

The recording can be viewed within this event page or on the official JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles YouTube Channel.

Speaker Profiles

Anne Alene
Anne Alene is an art historian and travel expert with a focus on Japan, Asia and Europe and leads specially curated travel programs to Japan that are educational, exclusive, unique and immersive experiences. Anne did undergraduate studies in Asian Studies and Japanese, including a year of study at Nanzan University. Anne holds a Master of Arts in Art History, Criticism and Conservation.

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She served as teaching assistant under prominent Japan scholar Dr. Kendall Brown and was awarded the highest honors of academic achievement as a Phi Beta Kappa. Her current doctoral research at Claremont Graduate University is about site-specific art and architectural installation as a factor contributing to a contemporary regional renaissance throughout Japan.

She has worked for the Japanese government as a civil servant, immersed for three years in developing programs that facilitated international exchange and understanding and also worked in San Francisco as a Cultural Affairs Officer for the Consulate General of Japan, interfacing with museums, arts organizations and curating art exhibitions for the public. She is an advanced student of Omotesenke tea ceremony and speaks, reads and writes fluently in Japanese.

Siobhan Aamoth
Siobhan Aamoth is the Marketing Coordinator at the Japan National Tourism Organization's Los Angeles Office. Born in Japan and raised in both Tokyo and the US, she grew up with a unique lens through which to view both cultures. Between her experience living in Tokyo, New York, California, and London, she has developed great insight into how to learn from and engage with different cultures while traveling.

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Knowledgeable about a range of aspects of Japanese life, including cuisine, pop culture, and traditional craft, she enjoys sharing her experience and understanding with people interested in visiting Japan. 

The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) is involved in a broad range of activities to encourage tourists from all over the world to visit Japan. With US offices, in Los Angeles and New York, JNTO provides information to facilitate planning trips and to inspire future travel to Japan. Please visit JNTO at: https://www.japan.travel/en/us/

Related Exhibition

The Japanese have long revered their natural landscape, celebrating its bounty and the beauty of the changing seasons in art, literature, travel and annual festivities. The power of nature has also been a central focus in Japanese culture, rooted in the belief that supernatural forces and beings are at work in all aspects of the natural realm. This exhibition of over sixty Japanese prints from the Scripps College collection in Claremont, CA features works by some of Japan’s finest artists including Katsushika Hokusai, Utagawa Hiroshige, Utagawa Kunisada and more.