Tokyo Humanities Cafe is co-run by two researchers in Tokyo:
Alex Watson (Meiji University) and Laurence Williams (Sophia University).
(They also co-edited a book together, British Romanticism in Asia)
Alex Watson (Meiji University) and Laurence Williams (Sophia University).
(They also co-edited a book together, British Romanticism in Asia)
The cafe was originally founded as part of a non-profit group called "Tokyo Humanities Project". This project was founded in 2016 by a group of Tokyo-based academics: Laurence, Alex, Samantha Landau (University of Tokyo), and Koji Yamamoto (University of Tokyo)
Our aim was to connect humanities researchers in Tokyo, and make research more visible to an international audience. We began as a Facebook page listing forthcoming literature and history events (aiming to solve the difficulty of finding out about talks at other universities). We soon broadened our reach to the "humanities" in general (including philosophy, politics, music, sociology, etc), focusing on English-language, international, or interdisciplinary events.
In 2017, we set up the tokyohumanities.org website. Our first "humanities cafe", providing a physical space for researchers to meet up in Shimokitazawa, was held in June 2017.
One of our aims was to promote Tokyo / Japan as a space for research and scholarly collaboration, and to provide a "Japan-based perspective" on issues affecting the international academic community.
This spirit survives in our cafe, which is still organized four times a year by Alex and Laurence.
Our aim was to connect humanities researchers in Tokyo, and make research more visible to an international audience. We began as a Facebook page listing forthcoming literature and history events (aiming to solve the difficulty of finding out about talks at other universities). We soon broadened our reach to the "humanities" in general (including philosophy, politics, music, sociology, etc), focusing on English-language, international, or interdisciplinary events.
In 2017, we set up the tokyohumanities.org website. Our first "humanities cafe", providing a physical space for researchers to meet up in Shimokitazawa, was held in June 2017.
One of our aims was to promote Tokyo / Japan as a space for research and scholarly collaboration, and to provide a "Japan-based perspective" on issues affecting the international academic community.
This spirit survives in our cafe, which is still organized four times a year by Alex and Laurence.
Follow our social media accounts for news and updates.
(Search for "Tokyo Humanities Cafe" on Facebook, Bluesky, Instagram, or X)
Email us for general inquiries and to suggest speakers.
Or just send us a message below.
(Search for "Tokyo Humanities Cafe" on Facebook, Bluesky, Instagram, or X)
Email us for general inquiries and to suggest speakers.
Or just send us a message below.
restoration PPAP
