Japan Art Expo in Utrecht early July 2022

[Gakusee]

Dear all

 

I have recently heard of this European event: https://www.japanartexpo.com/about

 

Personally, I am excited at the possibility of this event going ahead, especially given the uncertainties around travel to Japan and whether there will be a 2022 DTI edition or not.  The 2018 exhibition and educational programme were great last time, the dealers were very friendly, there were some exceptional items to see.  This year, the formal educational element will be much scaled down, I understand, but viewing and handling items in person will be a great learning experience for those who participate.

 

To make it happen, prospective participants should sign up to the Kickstarter campaign in order to demonstrate their interest and commitment. If there is sufficient interest, the organisers have put in place the procedures, venue, etc to realise the event. 

 

Caveat and clarification: I am not an organiser and have no financial or otherwise interest apart from the enthusiasm to see friends, fellow collectors and community members. 

 

It is the successor the the samurai art expo which took place in 2018, for those who remember it and attended:

 

 

[Brano]

It may be emphasized that there is no reason to wait
If you participate in the project, the amount will only be reserved on your credit card
If a sufficient number of applicants is found by May 13, then a payment will be charged and it will be confirmed Japan Art Expo 2022 
In case of insufficient interest, the exhibition will realize and no fees will be charged

[DirkO]

Here's the kickstarter:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/japanartexpo/Japan-art-expo-2022?mc_cid=0da49b1820&mc_eid=fbd8a201a3

[Gakusee]

I do hope this time the members from France, Germany and BeNeLux will make the trip. After all, the Utrecht location was chosen for the benefit of its centrality, relatively easy access to Schiphol airport and reasonably priced venues. If 10-12 hard-core members from each of for instance Germany, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, UK, Nordics and Italy make the trip plus let us say 3-5 from each of Switzerland, Austria, CEE, etc  plus the people who walk in during the event, that should be possible. 

Funnily enough, the distances are smaller than in the US, but people here are just not used to travelling to sword shows the way our US friends do it. 

[Jean]

I saw this on Facebook and I am very disappointed because it is in July and that I’ll be on holidays and won’t be able to attend. They should have left it in June.

 

 

[mas4t0]

Are under 18s welcome at the expo?

[Bugyotsuji]

Is it in July as in the title or in June as on Michael's attached form?

 

Either way, 50 Euros entry fee seems dirt cheap for three days...

 

Edit. Just saw the Kickstarter which says July. And now I am well confused as those prices were for the 2018 event. Apologies.

[Suppaman]

Definetively it's a +1 here.

I there was in 2018, and there will be again.

[Gakusee]

Piers, apologies for my post being misleading.

 

What I did above was link the 2018 thread in which we talked about the 2018 event and you could see what happened and images / videos of the event. 

 

So, in 2022, the expo is envisaged for 8-10 July 2022 in Utrecht (see below the screenshot I grabbed from the video). Many of the dealers who were there in 2018 seem to have pledged support and attendance for 2022.  The 2018 format, I understand from the organisers, will be changed somewhat and is still being formulated but will feature a heavy participation of arms and armour. That having been said, I think it will be a great opportunity to meet fellow collectors, see interesting merchandise, for some - perhaps acquire an item, and also learn from what we see there (even though it is unclear whether/what educational element might or might not be). 

 

The important action apparently is for people to pledge support by buying a refundable ticket on Kickstarter. If there are not enough sign-ups by early May, the event will not go ahead and we shall be refunded.  There is not that much time left to pledge support - I suppose even a single-day ticket purchase will make a difference.

 

 

[Jussi Ekholm]

I'll try to be there for the full 3 days this year or at least 2. I greatly enjoyed 2018 but I couldn't spend 3 days back then. I am looking forward seeing all the familiar faces and some new ones too. And of course looking at some items at the show. Unfortunately I won't be buying anything this time either. I feel it is a great opportunity for many Europeans to see items in hand. For martial artists in particular, some dealers like Giheya had last time several modern Japanese swords at their booth, so it would have been a great opportunity to handle several swords and choose a fitting training sword. It is a rare opportunity in Europe to handle several modern Japanese swords at the same time.

 

Hopefully the attendance will be good and this event would become a permanent show in Europe. I understand that perhaps more wider scope (Japanese Art in general) for the show is needed to make it more accessible to general crowd.

[Keiji]

I also gave my support to the campaign for 3 days. In my opinion, the last edition was a success, an excellent opportunity for purchases and learning.

For those who missed this, a report we wrote on the website of the Italian association I.N.T.K.: 

http://www.intk-token.it/samurai-art-expo-2018/

 

I would be really happy to be able to meet again many friends who love Tōken Bijutsu.

[Gakusee]

Francesco, thanks and that is good - it will be great to see you and some of the other Italian friends there. Could you organise the 20-30 members in Italy to support the event and subscribe? Unless we all in our respective countries promote it, we should not rely on others to support it or assume it will happen.

[Toryu2020]

Do we know who organizes this event? Can anyone put me in touch?

Thank you

-tch
 

[Gakusee]

Thomas - refer to the first link in the first post above.  Even though it is dated 1st April, it is not a joke but a serious endeavour. 

 

Eddy Wertheim (of the Japanese Gallery in Kensington, London) is the gentleman in the video and the main organiser.

[Okan]

+1

[suketaka]

+ 4

[Keiji]

We held the live meeting of our Italian association last Saturday, I took the opportunity to promote the event and show photos and videos from the past edition.

There are several people interested, while others will be on vacation given the period. So some have bought tickets, while some have had problems through the site and have not succeeded.

[Jussi Ekholm]

Unfortunately there seems to be very little support on Kickstarter Seems like there are only 26 backers and I am shocked by that... Do we not have support for an event like this in Europe?

[Gakusee]

Jussi, unfortunately people do not like to commit….and they don’t seem willing to travel…if you aggregate the European groups and hobbyists, there will be enough. But we are split across different countries. 
These events need to be marketed a year in advance and then with intense campaign 6 months prior. This had a very short notice period. 
I am also disappointed as I was hoping for an European conference and show. The US are blessed with a track record and culture of such shows. 

[Okan]

It is postponed to July 2023