‘Our Scotland: a Japanese perspective’

Please click here to view this documentary from the homepage of Moving Image Archive, National Library of Scotland.  

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This is a portrait of Scottish society from the eyes of the two Glasgow-based Japanese journalists of Japan Desk Scotland. At a Scottish ceilidh held at Wellington Church, Glasgow, an Italian visitor sang an Italian song and Chinese students sang Auld Lang Syne in Chinese together with Scottish people. This is seen as showing an ‘inclusive’ aspect of Scottish society, where there is a role for strangers to play.

Who are strangers? What is inclusion? What does it mean to share other cultures?

These issues are explored through interviews with the filmmakers’ acquaintances. Along the way, a Japanese festival in Glasgow is introduced. Japanese Matsuri is an ‘inclusive’ event for all, regardless of their background, where Scottish volunteers share their knowledge and skill of Japanese cultural traditions, such as origami and Taiko Japanese drumming, with visitors. The festival has been organised by Japanese Matsuri for Glasgow, a recognised Scottish charity the filmmakers set up, twice a year since 2001.

Interviewees in order of their first appearance: David Sinclair, Ruth Beattie, Jim Brown, Dana Brown, Eilidh, Catherine Shaw-Dunn, Christine Scott, Andrew Robson, Irene Spinney, Peter Spinney, Iain Caldwell, Jamie Campbell, David, Amanda, Norman, Carolyn, Thomas, Michael, Aidan, Shin’i, Catriona, Ewen Donaldson, Francis Donaghy, Naseem Anwar, Stuart MacQuarrie, John ferry, and Walter Halley.

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Camera: Fumi Nakabachi
Editor: Hajime Kobayashi (Colin Brierley)
Written and Directed by: Yushin Toda
Producer: Fumi Nakabachi and Yushin Toda
34 minutes
In English with English subtitles
©2013 Japan Desk Scotland

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This is the second documentary film created by JDS as part of its documentary films production.

The documentary has been screened:

(1) on Tuesday 25 June 2013 at Faculty of Humanities and Economics, Kochi University, Kochi, Japan, as part of an undergraduate course on Civic Society;

(2) on Wednesday 3 July 2013 at Faculty of Administration & Social Sciences, Fukushima University, Fukushima, Japan, as part of Comparative Cultures Lecture series;

(3) on Saturday 24 August 2013 at JDS’s Saturday Japanese Class, Glasgow, Scotland;

(4) on Monday 7 October 2013 at the AGM of Japanese Matsuri for Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland;

(5) on Thursday 16 January 2014 at Glasgow Kelvin College, Glasgow, Scotland, as part of ‘English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)’ course;

(6) on Wednesday 22 January 2014 at University of Strathclyde Chaplaincy Centre, Glasgow, Scotland, as part of Japan@Strathclyde 2013/14;

(7) on Thursday 23 January 2014 at Glasgow Kelvin College, Glasgow, Scotland, as part of ‘Pathways: Social Sciences & Care’ course;

(8) on Tuesday 28 January 2014 at Glasgow Kelvin College, Glasgow, Scotland, as part of a Marie Trust class on Sociology of Culture and Identity;

(9) on Thursday 27 February 2014 at Glasgow Kelvin College, Glasgow, Scotland, as part of HND Business Studies (International Marketing) course;

(10) on Tuesday 15 April 2014 at Department of Japanese Language and Literature (a class for the first year students), University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania;

(11) on Saturday 21 June 2014 at GZO Peace Institute, Ateneo de Manila University, Manila, The Philippines.;

(12) on Thursday 25 September 2014 at University of Strathclyde Chaplaincy Centre, Glasgow, Scotland, as part of Japan@Strathclyde 2014/15;

(13) on Friday 5 December 2014 at Glasgow Kelvin College Springburn Campus, Glasgow, Scotland, for the students on ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) course;

(14) on Friday 23 January 2015 at University of Strathclyde Chaplaincy Centre, Glasgow, Scotland, as part of Japan@Strathclyde 2014/15;

(15) on Tuesday 9 June 2015 at the Interfaith Room, University of Glasgow Chaplaincy, Glasgow, Scotland, as part of ‘Here and here (seven documentaries)’ organised by the Chaplaincy and Japan Desk Scotland;

(16) on Saturday 27 June 2015 at Oshima National College of Maritime Technology, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan;

(17) on Wednesday 12 October 2016 at University of Strathclyde Chaplaincy Centre, Glasgow, Scotland, as part of ‘Japan@Strathclyde 2016/17‘;

(18) on Tuesday 8 November 2016 at University of Glasgow Chapel, Glasgow, Scotland, as part of ‘say hello to Inclusive Glasgow, Inclusive Scotland’;

(19) on Wednesday 19 April 2017 at University of Strathclyde Chaplaincy Centre, Glasgow, Scotland, as part of Japan@Strathclyde 2016/17‘;

(20) on Monday 19 June 2017 at the Interfaith Room, University of Glasgow Chaplaincy, Glasgow, Scotland, as part of ‘Inclusive Glasgow – Documentaries’;

(21) on Wednesday 11 October 2017 at Moving Image Archive, National Library of Scotland, Kelvin Hall, Glasgow, Scotland, as part of Japanese Journeys co-organised by Kevin Hall and Japan Desk Scotland;

(22) on Tuesday 23 October 2018 at University of Glasgow Chapel, Glasgow, Scotland, as part of ‘Hope – six documentaries’;

(23) on 14 November 2018 at Moving Image Archive, National Library of Scotland, Kelvin Hall, Glasgow, Scotland, as part of ‘Japanese Craft Documentaries’ co-organised by Kelvin Hall and Japan Desk Scotland;

(24) on 23 May 2019 at St Aloysius’ College, Glasgow, Scotland, as part of an all-day workshop on Japan for a group of S2 pupils;

(25) on 11 October 2019 at University of Glasgow Chapel, Glasgow, Scotland, as part of ‘Japanese Craft Documentaries’;

(26) on 29 October 2019 at the International Study Group held in the Interfaith Room, University of Glasgow Chaplaincy, Glasgow, Scotland; 

(27) on 8 March 2022 at the International Study Group held in Reflection and Prayer Room, University of Glasgow Chaplaincy, Glasgow, Scotland; 

(28) on 24 October 2022 at Cumbernauld Academy, North Lanarkshire, Scotland, for Superheroes class; and

(29) on 31 January 2024 at ‘The Lotus Club; Japanese Documentary series‘ held at National Library of Scotland at Kelvin Hall, Glasgow, Scotland.