9th ENOJP Conference

(September 4th-6th, 2025)

Keynote Speakers

Conference Theme

Webs of Kinship. Exploring Environmental Ethics in Japanese Philosophy

The 9th annual conference of the European Network of Japanese Philosophy (ENOJP) focuses on the question of how to relate philosophical and religious traditions of Japan (Buddhism, Daoism, Shintoism, modern academic thought) to the world philosophical discourse, idioms and structures of thinking specific to Western and other non-Western intellectual traditions. To facilitate this cross-cultural dialogue between Japanese and world philosophies, we will focus on the themes of “nature,” including but not limited to “ecology,” environmental philosophy, and animal ethics. What do we gain or lose in applying Japanese philosophical concepts of nature and living beings to ongoing discussions on ecology and the philosophy of the animal? How do we conceptualize the ongoing environmental problems, affecting our life at the global scale, through philosophical concepts that are always already limited to specific historical and cultural contexts of Japan? How can Japanese philosophy contribute to the discussions on the world philosophical problem? Our 9th annual conference will ask these philosophical questions with the intention of contributing to world philosophical debates, which raise critical questions about the nature from numerous scholarly perspectives.

Conference Schedule (live link)

Book of Abstacts (live link)

Conference Information

The ENOJP 9 organising team are really looking forward to welcoming you to our conference. Below you find useful information for the conference.

Traveling to the Conference

The 9^th ENOJP Conference will be held at the University of Edinburgh’s Central Campus, which is located at the heart of the beautiful city of Edinburgh, sitting between the historic sites of Edinburgh Old Town and the picturesque landscape of The Meadows.

From the Edinburgh Airport

The airport is about 12km from the centre of the city, and the journey takes about 30 minutes by the airport tram or bus service.

Tram – there is a tram service that runs across the city of Edinburgh, from the Edinburgh Airport to Newhaven that stops at multiple locations in the centre of the city. The tram service runs from 06:30-22:45, departing every 7 minutes between 07:00-19:00, and every 10 minutes outside of those times. The closet tram stop is the Princes Street tram stop, which is a 20 minute walk or a 10 minute bus ride away from the Central Campus. Tickets may be purchased either in advance on the Edinburgh Tram website or at the platform.

For more information, please see: https://edinburghtrams.com/

Bus – there is a 24 hour Airlink bus service from the Edinburgh Airport to the City Centre (Waverly Bridge) that departs every 10 minutes between 04:12-01:00, and every 20 minutes between 01:15-04:00. It takes 15 minutes to walk from City Centre (Waverly Bridge) to the Central Campus. Tickets may be purchased either in advance on the Lothian Bus website or before boarding.

For more information, please see: https://www.lothianbuses.com/our-services/airport-buses/

From Edinburgh Waverly Station

All trains coming into Edinburgh stop at Edinburgh Waverly Station, which is a 17 minute walk away from the Central Campus.

From Edinburgh Bus Station

There are many buses that run from the Edinburgh Bus Station to the Central Campus, and the ride should take no longer than 20 minutes. If you prefer to walk, it should take no longer than 30 minutes.

Traveling within the City

Edinburgh is a compact city that is easy to get around on foot, but if you prefer to get around by public transport or taxi, Edinburgh is also well-served by numerous transport options:

Tram – there is a tram service that runs across the city of Edinburgh, from the Edinburgh Airport to Newhaven. The tram service runs from 06:30-22:45, departing every 7 minutes between 07:00-19:00, and every 10 minutes outside of those times. Tickets may be purchased either in advance on the Edinburgh Tram website or at the platform.

For more information, please see: https://edinburghtrams.com/

Bus – Lothian Buses run frequent services throughout the city, offering both one-time use tickets or day tickets for unlimited travel. Although most regular bus services run only till midnight, there is also a NightBus service for traveling late at night or in the early hours of the morning. Contactless payments are accepted on all routes, however if you are paying in cash, you will need to present the exact amount.

For more information, please see: https://www.lothianbuses.com/fares-and-tickets/

Taxi or Uber – Taxis can be pre-booked, found in taxi ranks at all major transport hubs, or flagged down on the street. If you would like to call for a taxi, the University of Edinburgh recommends either City Cab or Central Taxis. Alternatively, Uber also offers its services in Edinburgh and the wait time for a driver is never longer than 7 minutes when requesting a ride from within the centre of the city.

The city of Edinburgh is kept up-to-date on Google Maps; thus, when planning your journey, we recommend using Google Maps to help decide which route or mode of transport is most suitable for you.

On the Day of the Conference

The main building used for the 9^th ENOJP Conference is the 40 George Square Lecture Theatres, which is located to the back left of the 40 George Square (EH8 9JX) main building. Both buildings are fully accessible for individuals with disabilities and challenged mobilities.

Main Conference Activities (such as keynote talks, panels, participant presentations, and the general assembly) – 40 George Square Lecture Theatres.

Book Corner – Philosophy Library located on the 9^th floor of the  40 George Square main building.

Lunch and Coffee – outside of LG 09 in the 40 George Square Lecture Theatres.

Conference Dinner (05/09/2025) – Tuk Tuk, Tollcross, 1 Leven St, Edinburgh EH3 9LH

WiFi Access

Visit-Ed

When you first connect to the “Visit-Ed” WiFi network, your device should launch a sign-in/registration page which will present you with four sign-in/registration options:

• Facebook – please click on this option if you wish to sign-in/register with your Facebook credentials.

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Call for Papers (closed)

Applicants are encouraged to send proposals for individual presentations or group proposals (ideally 3 persons together) to collaborate on a panel. Papers related to the conference’s central topic are particularly welcome, but papers on other aspects related to Japanese thought will also be considered. We encourage participants to approach the general topic in a creative way, keeping in mind that giving a presentation on a topic they are interested in is more important than adjusting the topic of the paper to the general theme.

Applicants are encouraged to send proposals for individual presentations or group proposals (ideally 3 persons together) to collaborate on a panel. Papers related to the conference’s central topic are particularly welcome, but papers on other aspects related to Japanese thought will also be considered. We encourage participants to approach the general topic in a creative way, keeping in mind that giving a presentation on a topic they are interested in is more important than adjusting the topic of the paper to the general theme.

• Deadline of Submission: March 31st, 2025
• Notification of Peer Review: April 14th, 2025
• Length of Abstract: 250-500 words (日本語: 400–700字)
• Keywords: Please include 5–10 with your abstract
• Languages of the Conference: English and Japanese

Submit to: enojp2025@gmail.com

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The Second PhD Workshop of the ENOJP

September 3rd, 2025

Workshop Program

Application (closed)

Deadline: April 30th, 2025

The European Network of Japanese Philosophy (ENOJP) invites PhD students engaged in research in Japanese philosophy and intellectual history to apply for the second PhD workshop, to be held in Edinburgh the day before the ENOJP conference.

The aim of the workshop is to create a cross-national network of advanced graduate students and scholars in Japanese philosophy. It will include (some of) the following:

–       a presentation session – where participants, working with their peers, can get and give feedback on their respective research projects;

–       an advising session – where participants can get personalized, in-depth feedback and advice from a senior scholar specialized in a similar topic;

–       a “sempai talk session”, in which students would be able to talk directly to PhD graduates, discussing various aspects of the process of writing a dissertation (from organizing the bibliography to overcoming writer’s block, or managing the life-work balance, etc.), but also post-doc programs, working the dissertation into a publishable manuscript, applying for jobs etc.

–       a session on publishing (information about journals and publishing houses, what to know when submitting, how to write an abstract etc.)

The workshop will be organized in an informal setting, with ample time for discussion, socializing, and networking.

Please note that at the time of this call for applications, there is no funding available for the workshop. However, the ENOJP and the local organizing team in Edinburgh have applied for funding to various institutions and we are hoping to be able to subsidize at least some of the costs of the workshop. The workshop will be free of charge for all participants.

The senior scholars providing guidance and advice during the workshop will be decided once the application process is over.

Eligibility

Any student of any nationality working in any university on a topic related to Japanese philosophy and intellectual history is eligible. Please note that the workshop will be conducted in English.

Participating in the workshop, and then presenting a paper during the conference is also accepted. (There is no participation fee for the conference, either.)

Application and Selection Process

Please send the following documents by email to enojp2025@gmail.com:

–       a short curriculum vitae (2-3 pages);

–       a summary of the dissertation project (maximum 1,000 words), explaining topic, relevance, research question, methodology, and current stage. In your summary, please insert 1-2 paragraphs about the things you are struggling with / would like to get advice on, etc.

Selected candidates will be notified by May 2025and will be required to send a more detailed writing sample (of about 5,000 words) by mid-July, 2025.

The evaluation of the applications will be carried out by the ENOJP Board, in collaboration with the local organizing team in Edinburgh.

It is not necessary to be an ENOJP member at the time of application or at the time of the workshop, but we do encourage all candidates to join the network. (There are no membership fees.)

For all inquiries please feel free to contact us via email atenojp2025@gmail.com

We are looking forward to seeing you all in Edinburgh!

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Made possible by the generous support of the Toshiba Foundation and Japan Foundation