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A Complete List of Lakeland Lectures
Founded in 2008, Lakeland Lectures invites speakers from Japan and all over the world to give talks at the Lakeland University Japan campus in Ryogoku.
Past guest speakers include a member of a Nobel-Prize winning organization, bestselling authors, business owners, ambassadors, presidents of non-profit organizations, scholars, critics, educators, performers, writers, peace advocates, athletes and more.
Location: 1 Chome-10-5 Yokoami, Sumida City, Tokyo 130-0015 - 6th Floor LUJ Lecture Hall.
To inquire about speaking opportunities, or to sponsor an upcoming lecture, contact program coordinator Roger Grabowski at grabowski@japan.lakeland.edu.
Here is a complete list of all 132 Lakeland Lectures.
2024
LIndsay Nelson
"Ghost Girls, Spooky Cell Phones, and Haunted YouTube: The Evolution of Japanese Horror." Mar. 14, 2024
Thomas Kavanaugh
"From Charisma to Conspiracy: Traits of Modern Secular Gurus." Feb. 22, 2024
Kai Sawyer
"Interbeing: Re-Connecting to Nature, Humanity, and Ourselves." Jan. 25, 2024
2023
Akira Kawasaki
"Abolishing Nuclear Weapons: The Role of Civil Society." Nov. 8, 2023.
Simon Cosgrove
“Kimigayo and the Meiji Musical Aesthetic.” Oct. 12, 2023.
Junko Sasaki
“Deepening Our Understanding of DE&I Through Waaking.” Sept. 21, 2023.
Philip Arneill and James Catchpole
“Tokyo Jazz Joints: Exploring the Unique World of Jazz Kissa.” July 20, 2023
Dan Sloan
“The $600 Million Dollar Man: Shohei Ohtani and the Rise of Japan’s Sports Superstars.” June 21, 2023.
Ally Hongo
“Travel for Change. Change for Travel. How Can the Travel Industry Serve as a Driving Force for Social Change in Japan?” May 25, 2023.
Paul Fradale
“Resurgent Interest in Traditional Japanese Vernacular Architecture.” Mar. 9, 2023
Andrew Horvat
“Can Language Save a Nation? Should Japan learn from Hungary’s past success…” Feb. 15, 2023
Anella
“How Should We Share Aloha Spirit?” Jan. 26, 2023
2022
Carl Gabrielson
“Okinawans and U.S. Military Bases.” Nov. 10, 2022
Jorge Almazan
“How Tokyo Works: Spontaneous Urbanism on a Human Scale.” Oct. 13, 2022
Kinota Braithwaite
“Battling Bullying and Racism through Books.” Sept. 14, 2022
John Junkerman
“Hayama 1952/2022: Charles Junkerman’s Photographs 1952-53.” July 21, 2022
Makiko Terahara
“Marriage Equality.” June 22, 2022
Edgar Pelaez
“Konnichi wa, Amigo! How Mexican Otaku Evolved from Fans into Entrepreneurs.” May 26, 2022
Robert Williams and Michael Clemons
“Hidden Assets.” Mar. 17, 2022
Caitlin Stronell
“A Japanese NPO’s Work Towards a Nuclear-Free World.” Feb. 24, 2022
Viktoriya Kim
“International Marriage and Divorce in Japan.” Jan. 27, 2022
2021
Joseph Kigunda
“A Vision in the Desert.” Nov. 11, 2021
Tim Wright
“Nuclear Weapons Have Been Prohibited. What Now?” Jan. 28, 2021
Katarzyna J. Cwiertka
“Branding Japanese Food: Washoku and Beyond.” Mar. 10 2021
Elizabeth Oliver
“Flavour of the Month: Pet Ownership in Japan.” May 13, 2021
Kaoru Utada and the TOMODACHI Initiative
“Empowering the Next Generation: Looking Back and Looking Forward.” June 16, 2021
Iain Maloney
“Japan in Fact and Fiction.” July 8, 2021
Karen Hill Anton
“Crossing Cultures and Borders, Creating Home.” Sept. 15, 2021
Zoria Petkoska
“Travel Writing in Japan Pre, During, and Post-Pandemic.” Feb. 18, 2021
Sayuki
“Inside the Flower and Willow World.” Oct. 14, 2021
2020
Matt Alt
“Pure Invention: How Japan’s Pop Culture Conquered the World.” Nov. 11, 2020
Dan Sloan
“The Most Important U.S. Election Ever?” Oct. 29, 2020
Mark Schilling
“Japanese films since 1997: Changes and Challenges Since a Miracle Year.” Sept. 23, 2020
Leland Gaskins
“Avoiding Cross-Cultural Conflict and Bias in Today’s International Workplace.” July 9, 2020
Christian Wolfer
“How to Become Part of the Solution.” June 18, 2020
Robin Lewis
“Sustainability and Social Impact in Japan: Doing Good, Better.” Feb. 19, 2020
Patrick Parr
“Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, and the Age of 22.” Jan. 27, 2020
2019
Taylor Mignon
“A Pedagogical Poetic Essay: Tokyo Poetry Journal, Creative Writing and Visions...” Nov. 21, 2019
Kozue Oka
“Empowering Marginalized Youth in Japan.” Oct. 23, 2019
Brad Glosserman
“Understanding Peak Japan.” Sept. 19, 2019
Lajos Brons
“Climate Change and the Humanities.” July 16, 2019
Bjoern Schimkat
“What Can We Do For Refugees?” June 26, 2019
Ryan Holmberg
“No Nukes for Dinner: Katsumata Susumu’s Anti-Nuclear Manga.” May 22, 2019
Carl Gabrielson
“Kingdom, Colony, Ken, or Country? Okinawan History and the Politics of Difference.” Mar. 19, 2019
LaTeeka E. Gray
“The African American Expat Community of Greater Tokyo.” Feb. 21, 2019
Josh Grisdale
“Accessible Travel in Japan: Challenges and Opportunities.” Jan. 23, 2019
2018
Divya Marie Kato
“When in Doubt, Draw It: Why Draw (even if you’re no Da Vinci).” Nov. 15, 2018
Heide Imai
“Tokyo Roji: Alleyways Between Conflict, Change, and Cultural Innovation.” Oct. 24, 2018
Vickie Skorji
“The Cost of Silence: Mental Health Care in Japan.” Sept. 19, 2018
Sandra Shoji
“Around the World in a Wine Glass.” July 19, 2018
Takashi Arai
“Sharing Memories on Micro-Monuments: Photographs as Image-Objects and New…” June 27, 2018
Sean Michael Wilson
“Knowing History via Manga.” May 23, 2018
Alexander Bennett
“The Life-Death Paradox of the Japanese Sword.” Mar. 15, 2018
Greg Story
“How to be Highly Persuasive.” Feb. 15, 2018
Jane Best
“Refugees: Dispelling the Myths.” Jan. 24, 2018
2017
Nick Prior
“How Do You Study a Singer Who Doesn’t ‘Exist’? The Case of Hatsune Miku.” Nov. 2, 2017
Sven Saller
“Politics, Memory and Public Opinion.” Oct. 18, 2017
Jon Walsh
“How Urban Farming Can Save the World: Sowing Seeds of Sustainability.” Sept. 14, 2017
Kumiko Nemoto
“Too Few Women at the Top: Japan’s Progress Toward Gender Equality at Work.” July 12, 2017
Dipesh Kharel
“Capturing the Changing Ethnoscape in Contemporary Japan: A Case Study of Nepali Migration to Japan.” June 22, 2017
Ruth Lionberger
“Unwinding the Way of Tea: An Introduction to Japanese Tea Ceremony.” May 31, 2017
Declan Somers
“An Arrow Shot Through Time: A Global Tale of Charity.” Mar. 15, 2017
Tom Gill
“Doyagai: Japan’s Skid Row.” Feb. 15, 2017
Jon Mitchell
“Junk Heap of the Pacific: U.S. Military Contamination on Okinawa.” Jan. 26, 2017
2016
Yusuke Matsuda
“Teach for Japan: A Classroom You Want to Work in More than Google or Disney.” Nov. 16, 2016
David H. Slater and Haruka Danzuka
“Voices from Tohoku: Video Archive of Disaster and Recovery.” Oct. 26, 2016
Shuji Yoshida
“Floods: How to Avoid Getting Wet, Cold and Miserable.” Sept. 28, 2016
Ian Lynam
“The Tokyo Olympics’ Visual Identity and Japanese Graphic Design History.” July 14, 2016
Angie Bell
“Lesvos: The Island of Hope and Humanity-The Syrian Refugee Crisis.” June 15, 2016
Tom Blackwood
“Bukatsu: An Essential Part of Japanese School Education.” May 25, 2016
Adam Tompkins
“The Forgotten Struggle: The Sunagawa Toso, Showa Kinen Park, and Acts of Erasure.” Mar. 16, 2016
Brian MacDuckston
“Ramen in Recent Years: How Ease of Travel, the Internet, and Mass Media Helped Shape…” Feb. 17, 2016
Shuji Yoshida
“Eruption and Beyond.” Jan. 21, 2016
2015
Charles Laurier
“Falling Leaves of Shitamachi: The Disappearing Doban Buildings of Early Showa Tokyo.” Nov. 18, 2015
Debra J. Occhi
“More Than Cute: Japanese Mascot Kyara ‘Characters’ in Local and Global Contexts.” Oct. 8, 2015
Toby Slade
“The Politics of Cute: The Meaning of Kawaii Fashion.” Sept. 24, 2015
Christopher Hobson
“Coming to Terms with the Islamic State: The View from Japan.” July 8, 2015
Edward Levinson
“Whisper of the Land: Visions of Japan.” June 17, 2015
S.P.F. Dale
“To Be ‘X’: Gender and Identity in Contemporary Japan.” May 27, 2015
Vicki L. Beyer
“Labor Practices in Japan: Looking at Law and Social Change.” Mar. 18, 2015
Daniel Dolan
“Amplified Sound, Free Speech and Privacy in Japan: What is the Best Balance.” Feb. 18, 2015
Kwi Boon Kim
“The History of Hansen’s Disease in Japan.” Jan. 28, 2015
2014
David McNeill
“Fukushima: Three Years On.” Nov. 12, 2014
Shigeki Komori
“We are Living in Extraordinary Times: The Importance of Nature Conservation.” Oct. 22, 2014
Maria Guajardo
“Leadership: Loss, Love and Lightening.” Sept. 11, 2014
Kenneth J. McClain III
“The Invisible Hand that Builds the Future: From the Printing Press to the iPhone…” July 16, 2014
Magali Reyes Henkel
“Greenpeace’s Journey For a Green and Peaceful Earth.” June 11, 2014
Asger Rojle Christensen
“Abducted by the Abduction Issue.” May 21, 2014
Barry Lancet – Novelist
“On Suspense, Novels, Publishing, and more…” March 19, 2014
Keiko Tazawa
“The Impact of Ancient Egypt on our Modern Life.” Feb. 26, 2014
Sean Michael Wilson
“Making the 47 Ronin Manga.” Jan. 29, 2014
2013
Satoshi Ota
“Prolonging Youth: The Bimajyo Phenomenon in Japan.” Nov. 20, 2013
Yuko Kawanishi
“Mental Health Care in Japan.” Oct. 23, 2013
Martin Dale-Hench
“Deaf Culture in the US: Misunderstood Signs.” Sept. 18, 2013
Michael Molasky
“A Cultural Analysis of the Japanese Pub.” July 11, 2013
Faith Amano
“Be the Change: Youth Can Change the World Today.” June 26, 2013
Ken O’Keefe
“Volunteers of Freedom: The Legacy of the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War.” May 29, 2013.
John Oglevee
“Noh Time, Like the Present: An Introduction to the Art of Noh.” Mar. 27, 2013
Alexandra Hambleton
“Deviance and Desire: Media, Sexuality and Feminism in Contemporary Japan.” Feb. 13, 2013
David Satterwhite
“Breaking the Deadlock: Moving Towards Reconciliation.” Jan. 23, 2013
2012
Charles Laurier
“What is Japanese about Modern Architecture in Japan?” Nov. 14, 2012
Olivia M. Espin
“Making Love in English: The Psychological Impact of Living in the Languages.” Oct. 3, 2012
Sander Weinreb
“An Introduction to Radio Astronomy.” Sept. 27, 2012
Yukie Tatta
“Muslims in Western Europe: Rights, Freedoms, Identities.” July 25, 2012
Charles McJilton
“Why Did this Nonprofit Turn Away Money in 2011?” June 21, 2012
Ahmed El Kholy and Nagwa Khalil
“A Year After the Revolution, Egypt is Still in a Dark Tunnel.” Mar. 28, 2012
Marcia Yumi Lise
“Ha-fu: Half Japanese.” Mar. 7, 2012
Aileen Inoue
“Marcia Stewart and Her Influence on the American Floral Industry.” Feb. 2, 2012
2011
Jeri Foley
“Art, Architecture, Film and Fashion: Jeri Foley.” Nov. 16, 2010
Carl Gabrielson
“Hanryu: The Korean Wave in Japan.” Oct. 20, 2010
Mikhail Kotykhov
“Cross Cultural Business Negotiations: Techniques for Being Successful.” Sept. 29, 2010
Nick Hasumi
“Japanese Wines: From Grape Juice to Exquisite Vintages.” July 13, 2010
David Satterwhite
“Sixty-Six Years Divided: Imagining Korea’s Future.” June 15, 2010
Shuji Yoshida
“Expect the Unexpected: Massive Earthquakes, Devastating Tsunamis, and Volcanic Eruptions.” May 25, 2010
Steve Christie
“Parental Abduction in Japan: The Current Status and Future Prospects.” Mar. 2, 2010
Sean Wilson
“Mature Manga: An Under-Appreciated Form of Comic.” Feb. 16, 2010
2010
Justin Tilman
“A Success Story for U.S. – Japan Cooperation.” Nov. 17, 2010
Rabbi Abraham Cooper
“Challenges and Consequences for Leaders Worldwide.” Oct. 20, 2010
Rossella Ceccarini
“Artisanal Pizza in Japan: A Case of Culinary Globalization.” Sept. 22, 2010
Shuji Yoshida
“Volcanoes: Studying the Past to Confront the Future.” July 14, 2010
Erez Golani Solomon and Dr. Julian Worrall
“Struts and Frets: The Architecture of Contemporary Tokyo.” June 16, 2010
Ken O’Keefe
“Memories Lost or Erased.”
Barry Lancet
“Inside Publishing.” Feb. 24, 2010
Patrick W. Galbraith
“Akihabara: Conditioning a Public Otaku Image.” Jan. 20, 2010
2009
Yoji Natori
“Climate Change: Averting a Looming Disaster.” Nov. 18, 2009
Chris Pitts
“Why We Should Oppose the Death Penalty.” Oct. 28, 2009
Maho Takahashi
“Workshop: Reality of Modern English.” Oct. 14, 2009
David Satterwhite
“Lower House Landslide.” Sept. 30, 2009
Ann Kambara
“President Barack Obama and Public Policy.” July 22, 2009
Michiko Nakahara
“Comfort Women.” June 17, 2009
Susan Nishimura
“Avoiding Corporate Culture Clashes.” Mar. 28, 2009
Bradley Martin
“Penetrating the Hermit Kingdom.” Feb. 18, 2009
Daniel Garrett
“Looking Beneath the Surface of Human Trafficking.” Jan. 21, 2009
2008
Setsuo Miyazawa
“Trial by Jury.” Nov. 26, 2008
Tadamasa Iwai
“Tokko: Suicide Soldier.” July 23, 2008
Daniel P. Aldrich
“Site Fights.” May 28, 2008
