SWET Tokyo Summer Party and Art Exhibit, August 5, 2018 (Sunday) at Rikugien Garden
Time: 1:00–4:00 p.m.
Place: Shinsentei teahouse, Rikugien, Komagome, Tokyo (see below for details)
Fee: The event itself is free of charge, but there is a 300-yen admission fee to enter the Rikugien grounds.
Potluck: Please bring one dish and drinks to contribute to a late lunch. (Paper plates and cups, chopsticks, forks, and napkins will be provided)
RSVP: Please let us know if you are coming so we can gauge numbers. And we'd love to hear if you’re planning something special for the potluck.
RSVP: Those interested in a post-party dinner nearby, please let us know in advance.
Take refuge against the 2018 heat wave in the air-conditioned comfort of the Rikugien teahouse, looking out over the garden's verdure and the pond’s cool waters. In good SWET company, share a late lunch of potluck fare and enjoy an exhibit of drawings and paintings by SWET member Stuart Ayre, then join in a talk with Lynne E. Riggs as she shares experiences from the book translation aspect of her more-than-40-year career.
The Art of Stuart Ayre: Sketches, Paintings, and Townscapes
An exhibit of works by SWET's own up-and-coming artist Stuart Ayre will be on display in the adjoining tatami room. Enjoy how the artist's observant eye captures landscapes of the city and its denizens, whimsical moments, and eternal truths in pen, watercolors, and gouache.
1:00–2:00 Potluck Summer Party
Mingling and networking
Please contribute to the communal table by bringing a dish or snack to share and drink(s) for yourself.
2:00–3:00 Talk with Lynne E. Riggs on her experiences in translating books
3:00–4:00 Wrap-up conversations and tidy up teahouse
We must completely vacate the teahouse by 4:00, but we are free to continue conversations and explore the gardens until the 5:00 closing time.
4:00–6:00 Post-party dinner nearby (details to be sent to those who RSVP)
Lynne E. Riggs is a professional translator and editor based in Tokyo. With Takechi Manabu, she translates mainly nonfiction works through their company, the Center for Intercultural Communication, founded in 1990. She edited and coordinated humanities and social science periodicals translated from Japanese in the 1980s and 1990s, and from 1997 to 2009 served as managing editor of Monumenta Nipponica. She is a founding member of SWET, was coordinating editor of the SWET Newsletter from 2004 to 2012, and continues to be an active volunteer. She taught an introductory course in Japanese-to-English translation at International Christian University from 2000 to 2015.
The Venue
The Shinsentei teahouse at Rikugien garden in Komagome is a classic structure with expansive verandas overlooking the garden—and with the added modern convenience of air conditioning. (Some may recall the SWET summer party held at this venue in 2008). The garden is the perfect location for a gathering of wordsmiths, as the name Rikugien refers to the six principles of waka composition, and the garden features are meant to evoke 88 famous scenes from Japanese poetry. Coincidentally, Lynne and SWET Treasurer Chikako Imoto are the translators of Daimyo Gardens, (Nichibunken Monograph Series, no. 19), which includes a section on Rikugien. (The book may be downloaded in chapters from the Nichibunken website).
Rikugien is about a 7-minute walk from Komagome station (JR Yamanote Line and Tokyo Metro Nanboku Line), and about a 10-minute walk from Sengoku station (Toei Mita Line). Please note that there is no parking.