One one… キコエマスカ

Authors: Simona Kumpė, Kayako Takagi

As the tourists flow from Japan to Lithuania is growing every year there is a growing need for professional Japanese speaking guides. The existing two Japanese-Lithuanian dictionaries, especially the online one jishokun.lt are very helpful for Lithuanians working as Japanese speaking guides. However, a dictionary is not always enough when it comes to honorific expressions, polite requests, suggestions etc. the very things that no tourist guide can avoid. In order to provide more learning materials, the authors present a conversational textbook for the Japanese speaking guides in Lithuania. It is designed to help the beginner or future guides to acquire the Japanese language knowledge necessary for conversations with tourists. The authors hope that not only tourist guides, but also learners of the Japanese language will find this textbook useful. They are also welcoming any comments and suggestions on how to improve this textbook and make it even more relatable to the present situation.

The authors want to express special thanks to the Japan Foundation that funded this project. The project was conducted by the Center for Asian Studies in Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, Lithuania, in cooperation with the Department of Japanese Studies, Faculty of Arts in Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic.

Link to the Textbook

Civil Society in East Asian Countries: Contributions to Democracy, Peace and Sustainable Development

This publication is dedicated to research on East Asian civil society with special attention given to composition, development and activities of non-governmental sector. The publication gathers research of authors from Lithuania, Germany, UK, South Korea and the Czech Republic who analyze not only general situation in East Asia but also provide detailed case studies. This allows to learn more about political and socioeconomic circumstances that determine particular characteristics of civil society in China, Korea and Japan. The collection of articles will be useful both for specialists of East Asia and researchers coming from the fields of political science, history, sociology and anthropology who would like to know more about familiar topics, such as labor movements, environmental organizations or democratization processes, in the context of less known countries.

Lead by Soft Power: Communication of country’s image and Japan

Author: Dr. Aurelijus Zykas

Nowadays image communication practices create numerous dilemmas therefore it has both proponents and opponents. Lithuania is not an exception. On the one hand, an outrage exists in the media over the fact that Lithuania is presented as the motherland of Hannibal Lecter. On the other hand, there is a question, weather tax payers’ money are being used correctly and effectively by investing them into such intangible and rationally hardly explainable activities as cultural diplomacy or brand of the nation. Country’s image is an almost magic cloud of associations and symbols that lingers in the heads of intangible mass of foreigners. Is it safe to state that it is capable to determine such rationally calculated matters as state’s economy, tourism flows or the number of lives lost in wars?

The main country, the author is interested in, and of which the most examples are provided in the book, is Japan. It is so not because he personally is involved in it and conducts his major research. According the  author, Japan’s experiences in this field could help Lithuania to find the answers to certain questions while solving dilemmas or choosing tools.

Rytų Azijos studijos Lietuvoje. East Asian Studies in Lithuania


Chief editor: Dr. Aurelijus Zykas

The volume presents a collection of articles and materials from international symposium “Japanology within Asian Studies in Lithuania: Historical Perspective and Present Situation” held on 3-4th of November in 2011 on the occasion of the 10th aniversary of Vytautas Magnus University Centre for Asian Studies. The articles of this volume present the development of East Asian (Japanese, Chinese and Korean) studies in Lithuania, with a special emphasis paid to Japanese studies.
Sponsored by: Japan Foundation
Printed at: Vytautas Magnus University Press
ISBN: 978-9955-12-761-1
Approved for printing: 2012
No. of pages: 197

Table of contents

Reception of Japanese and Korean Popular Culture in Europe



suntoryChief editor: Dr. Kyoko Koma

The two volumes are the result of the continuing international and interdisciplinary collective research project, supported by the Suntory Foundation subsidy programs 2010-2012. This research focuses on the acceptance of Japanese and Korean culture in Europe, which could be considered as one of the most influential factors in constructing the image of these two Asian countries.
Sponsored by: Suntory Foundation
Printed at: Vytautas Magnus University Press
Approved for printing: 2011, 2012
No. of pages: 174
Table of contents and preface of vol. 1

Japan as Represented in the European Media. Its Analytical Methodolgies and Theories – in Comparison with Korean Cases



Chief editor: Dr. Kyoko Koma

This book is based mainly on the results of the fourth international conference organised by the Centre for Asian studies at Vytautas Magnus University, “Japan as Represented in the European Media: Its Analytical Methodologies and Theories—In Comparison with Korean Cases” sponsored by the Japan Foundation. The volume discusses not only the Image of Japan in Europe, but also the image of Korea in Europe, in order to compare the images of these two different Eastern Asian countries, and, furthermore, to make the specificities of the image of Japan in Europe, with reference to the Korean image, clearer. This book is composed of three chapters and two special contributions.
Sponsored by: Japan Foundation
Printed at: Vytautas Magnus University Press
Approved for printing: 2011
No. of pages: 237
Table of contents

日仏における日本人デザイナーの表象―フランスと日本新聞の言説分析を通して



monografijaRepresentations of the Japanese Fashion Designers in France and Japan –Through the Discourse Analysis of the French and Japanese Newspapers (1981-1992)
Author: Dr. Kyoko Koma

It is the first Centre’s monograph. The research tries to throw right on how French and Japanese newspapers represent Japanese fashion designers who create “Japanese phenomenon” in Prêt-a-porter of Paris in 1980’s and their works through the Discourse Analysis of French School. Author of the monograph makes a conclusion that even if Japanese and French newspapers treat the same event, that is, Japanese phenomenon Japanese fashion designers create in Prêt-a-porter of Paris in 1980’s, each newspaper interprets this phenomenon relevantly and creates different representation from it according to each social context.
Printed at: Vytautas Magnus University Publishing House
Approved for printing: 2009
No. of pages: 159
Table of contents
Abstract of the monograph

Image of Japan in Europe



musu leidinys virselis

This volume is the first publication of the Centre. It presents the materials of international conference “Image of Japan in Europe” held on 13-14th of October in 2007 at Vytautas Magnus University Japanese Studies Centre , as well as includes special contributions of Japanese culture studies by Japanese researchers. We believe the materials of the conference will make a useful contribution to academic and public institutions, promoting intercultural research between Europe and Japan.
Sponsored by: Toshiba International Foundation
Approved for printing: May, 2008
No of pages: 267

Table of contents