2018: 150th Anniversary of the Meiji Restoration ‘When East and West Collided’ Past Lectures: Tuesday November 6th 1.00 – 4.10 pm ANAシンポジウム: 世界から見た明治維新 ANA Symposium: The Meiji Restoration as seen by the World Public lecture and seminar in Kagoshima, Japan 2.30 pm 東と西がぶつかったとき: 明治維新 に 向かって の できごと WHEN EAST AND WEST COLLIDED: STEPPING STONES … Read more
Talk: Court ladies, women warriors and courtesans
Festival Book Club: The Shortest History of Japan
Talk: Writing Unfamiliar History: the History of Japan
Talk: Japan’s Powerful Women
Talking to Joshua Provan about The Shortest History of Japan, and how she found the stories to make Japanese history more accessible than ever. […]
Lesley Downer, the author of The Shortest History of Japan, reviews the Silk Roads exhibition at the British Museum, open until February, 2025. […]
Speaking about about Matsuo Basho’s haiku, mountain ascetics and Japan’s undiscovered north. […]
Not all shoguns and samurai. On Monday October 21st, I will be speaking to the Japan Society on some of the extraordinary women who populate Japanese history, starting with Himiko the Shaman Queen. […]
In this piece Lesley Downer, an expert of Japanese culture and history and the author of The Shortest History of Japan and On the Narrow Road to the Deep North, explains how an advanced society sought to move without wheels.[…]
Lesley discusses her just-released The Shortest History of Japan: From Mythical Origins to Pop Culture Powerhouse, which provides a concise yet detailed account of Japanese history. […]
Lesley Downer on how she has told Japan’s history – in 50,000 words. […]