The Embassy of Japan’s autumn Friday lecture series continues on Friday, 30 October 2026, at 11:00 with “Between postwar Japan and Hello Kitty: the dark side of cute: art and photography, gender and protest in Japan”, given by Dr. Anat Parnass. It takes place at JICC, the embassy’s culture center, Berkovich St 4, 19th floor, Tel Aviv. Entry is free with advance registration.
About the lecture#
What links Hiroshima and Nagasaki to Japan’s culture of cuteness (kawaii)? Why does Hello Kitty have no mouth, and what is hiding behind Takashi Murakami’s cheerful-looking mushrooms? The talk looks at how Japanese art and photography let artists protest “politely”: pushing against social conventions from inside the rules and questioning familiar images. One of its claims is that the selfie was effectively invented in Japan in the early 1990s, when young women with compact cameras documented themselves and their lives, decades before social media.
Dr. Parnass will show work by leading Japanese women photographers and artists alongside her own photography from about 20 years of working in Tokyo. She holds a BA in East Asian Studies from Tel Aviv University and a master’s and PhD in visual art from Nihon University College of Art in Tokyo, and is a certified sake sommelier.
Practical information#
- When: Friday, 30 October 2026, 11:00
- Where: JICC, Embassy of Japan in Israel, Berkovich St 4, 19th floor, Tel Aviv
- Cost: Free, advance registration required
- Language: Hebrew
Earlier in the same series: 19th-century Japanese science fiction. Coming up next week: Japan Culture Day at the Jerusalem Botanical Garden.
Source: Embassy of Japan in Israel lecture-series notice, shared in the Japanese Language Centre’s community channel.
Found this useful? Stay connected.
New guides, openings and community news for Asians in Israel — straight to you.
Stay updated
