Program Start Date: May 28 2026
This program is now full and registration has closed. Educators joined us for a movie and book club and stepped into Shoji Morimoto’s life “as a rental person who does nothing.” His short memoir (by the same name) chronicles his adventures providing a service to “the lonely and social anxious.” We also focused on Rental Family,
Program Start Date: May 9 2026
Write About Asia is a recurring, annual writing workshop offered by the East Asia Resource Center at the University of Washington in conjunction with the Seattle Asian Art Museum’s (SAAM) Gardner Center for Asian Art and Ideas and its seasonal Saturday University Lecture Series, during which participants delve into new themes with a different speaker each week.
Program Start Date: Apr 22 2026
China is home to one of the world’s most iconic architectural feats, the ancient Great Wall, built to guard its borders. Today, it is also known for the “Great Firewall,” the vast digital system that regulates and restricts online activity within the country. This modern wall limits access to many social media platforms and
Program Start Date: Mar 24 2026
Educators joined us for a discussion of the narratives contained within and beyond a painting, sculpture, or larger artistic program. In this series we explored artistic objects and religious sites by considering the iconographic details, historical context, and larger story told when we examine the function and purpose of each object. These sessions were
Program Start Date: Mar 18 2026
Step into the daily life of Hirayama, a Tokyo public-toilet cleaner whose routine becomes a meditation on attention, solitude, and meaning. Nominated for Best International Feature at the 2024 Academy Awards, Perfect Days (2023) invites viewers into a carefully observed world shaped by work, habit, and quiet discipline. Along the way, we see Hirayama’s devotion
Program Start Date: Feb 23 2026
This seminar explored Japan and China during World War II, with presentations covering topics such as military victories and defeats, the first six months of 1942, Japan’s six aircraft carriers that reshaped global history, and the diplomatic, economic, and domestic crises of the 1930s that led to the Pacific War. Take a look at the
Program Start Date: Feb 10 2026
Staying informed about global events, especially in East Asia, can be overwhelming with the constant flood of news. That’s why we offered Behind the Headlines, an online series designed specifically for teachers. This series provided a clear and insightful overview of recent developments in Japan, China, North and South Korea, Taiwan, Xinjiang, Hong Kong.
Program Start Date: Dec 15 2025
In this online seminar, we explored literary texts from the Chinese reform era and new millennium as a lens for examining the consequences of China’s rapid modernization. Each week focused on a different contemporary crisis and include a secondary reading related to that topic. Our anchoring novel for the seminar was Yan Lianke’s Dream of
Program Start Date: Dec 4 2025
Photograph: Getty Images via The Economist. While much of today’s news emphasizes growing U.S.-China tensions, Dan Wang’s Breakneck: China’s Quest to Engineer the Future offers a fresh perspective on China and sheds light on the United States in the 21st century. Combining sharp analysis with engaging storytelling, Wang presents a vivid portrait of a
Program Start Date: Nov 19 2025
In this one-day program, we examined Japan’s declining birth rates through the lens of “care” (kea, ケア) and the evolving discourse of “who cares” that gained renewed attention in the aftermath of the 3.11 disaster and the COVID-19 pandemic. With guidance from Professor Andrea Gevurtz Arai, we explored how these conversations have centered on reproductive