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• (Invitation Only) Reception at ROM In Conversation with Dr. Akiko Takesue

  • When
    21 Jan 2026
  •  
    6:15 PM - 8:15 PM
  • Location
    ROM, 100 Queen's Park, Weston Entrance

  In Conversation with Dr. Akiko Takesue

  The Royal Ontario Museum and The Japan Society are pleased to invite you to be among the first to learn about ROM’s upcoming special exhibition, Shokkan: Japanese Art Through Touch. Dr. Akiko Takesue, the Bishop White Committee Associate Curator of Japanese Art & Culture at ROM, will share the research and insights that led to this groundbreaking ROM-original exhibition.

  Wednesday, January 21, 2026
  ROM, 100 Queen's Park, Weston Entrance
  6:15 – 8:15 p.m.

  6:15 p.m. / Doors open
  6:30 p.m. / Presentation with Dr. Akiko Takesue, followed by Q&A
  7:15 p.m. / Reception

  Shokkan will explore how Japanese objects engage our sense of touch—a pivotal aspect in their creation, appreciation, and global circulation. The exhibition presents over 80 objects, including textiles, armour, paintings, lacquer works, ceramics, prints, and contemporary art.

  A first-of-its-kind exhibition, Shokkan invites visitors to appreciate and celebrate Japanese art through texture and tactility. Some touchable objects are also offered both in the exhibition space and with facilitated activities.

  
  

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• (Community Event) The Past Can Be Changed - The Lost Beat: How RADWIMPS Drummer Satoshi Yamaguchi Reclaimed Music Through Neuroscience Research and Voice-Controlled Drums

  • When
    19 Feb 2026
  •  
    6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
  • Location
    Withrow Auditorium at the University of Toronto Schools 371 Bloor Street West Toronto, Ontario M5S 2R7

  The Past Can Be Changed - The Lost Beat: How RADWIMPS Drummer Satoshi Yamaguchi Reclaimed Music Through Neuroscience Research and Voice-Controlled Drums

  In-person

    |  

  February 19, 2026 | 6:00PM - 7:30PM

  Location | Withrow Auditorium at the University of Toronto Schools 371 Bloor Street West Toronto, Ontario M5S 2R7

  Satoshi Yamaguchi, the drummer of popular Japanese band RADWIMPS and Visiting Researcher at Keio University, will deliver an inspiring presentation about his personal struggle and research on Musician’s Dystonia, a neurological disorder that affects professional musicians. He will share his personal story and reflections about his musical career, which he was forced to suspend in 2015. He will then discuss how he refocused his energy on academic research, presenting findings from large-scale epidemiological studies on Musician’s Dystonia he conducted in collaboration with scholars from Canada, Japan, and other countries. The event will feature a live performance by Yamaguchi using “VXD,” a voice-controlled drumming system he co-developed.

   

  About the Speaker:

   

  Satoshi Yamaguchi is the drummer of Japanese band RADWIMPS and a Visiting Researcher at Keio University. He began his musical career as a teenager and performed as the drummer of RADWIMPS, a popular Japanese band that gained international acclaim for composing the soundtrack of award-winning anime movie Your Name (Kimi no Na wa). In 2009, he developed Musician's Dystonia, a neurological disorder affecting motor control, and was forced to suspend his drumming career in 2015. In 2021, he began participatory research on dystonia as a Visiting Researcher at Keio University. During a two-month research residency at Stanford University Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics in 2023, he gained insights that led to the 2024 co-development of VXD, a voice-controlled drumming system. In 2025, he  launched a solo tour, The Past Can Be Changed, returning to live performance for the first time in a decade.  

   

  Speakers

  

  Satoshi Yamaguchi

  Drummer of Japanese band RADWIMPS
  Visiting Researcher at Keio University

  

  Phillip Y. Lipscy

  Richard Charles Lee Director, Asian Institute
  Director, Centre for the Study of Global Japan

  

  Rie Kijima

  Assistant Professor
  Director, Initiative for Education Policy and Innovation
  Director, Peace, Conflict and Justice
  Director, Munk One
  Affiliated Faculty, Centre for the Study of Global Japan

  
  

  Co-Sponsors:

  University of Toronto Schools

  The Eureka! Research Institute at UTS

  The Japan Foundation, Toronto

  The Japan Society Canada

  Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto

  Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, University of Toronto  

   

  Recording Notice & Consent

  Please note that this event will be recorded. By attending, you consent to being photographed and/or video recorded.

  If you prefer not to be filmed, a designated seating area will be available for participants who do not consent to being recorded. Please let an event organizer know upon arrival.

   

  
  

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