Former researcher at the Centre for Asian Studies, Vytautas Magnus University. Her main research interests are: acculturation of Japanese Fashion in France and Lithuania, Acculturation of French Fashion in Japan, Image of Japan in European Media (France and Lithuania), Japanese (Asian) contemporary Popular Culture, discourse analysis, cultural theories, semiotics, argumentation, Intercultural (national) communication, Japanese and French language teaching. Member of European Association of Japanese Studies (EAJS) (since 2010).

Taught Japanese language and courses on contemporary Japanese culture (MA) at Vytautas Magnus University. Also taught Japanese language at the Oriental Studies Centre (VU), and Vilnius Pedagogical University.

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Habilitated doctor; head of the Department of Comparative Culture Studies at the Culture, Philosophy, and Arts Research Institute; Professor at Vilnius University and the Vilnius Academy of Fine Arts, president of the Lithuanian Aesthetic Association; and expert member of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences. More

Agnė Budriūnaitė (1973-2015) – Associate Professor of the Department of Philosophy, Doctor of Philosophy of Vytautas Magnus University. She wrote several monographs and numerous scientific articles. Also, this woman organized several interdisciplinary conferences and initiated some research projects. From 2005 he taught at Vytautas Magnus University, Department of Philosophy and worked the VMU Centre for Asian Studies as senior researcher. A. Budriūnaitė concentrated on research of Eastern (especially Daoism) philosophy, religion philosophy, classic and modern mysticism, religious syncretism, comparative analysis.

Arūnas Gelūnas is an artist, scholar and the minister of Culture of Lithuania since 2010. His main academic interests are concentrated on Japanese art history, Japanese graphics. Uses Japanese art motives in his art creations.

He is a member of the Lithuanian National Bologna process (chairman in 2004-2008), member of the European Japanese Studies Association (EAJS), member of the Lithuanian Artists’ Union, member of the Lithuanian Philosophers’ Union, member of the editorial board of the periodical Acta Orientalia Vilnensia.

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Poet, essay writer and playwright, the Republican contest of young philologists and Pranas Lembertas contest nominee. In 2003 she graduated from Kaunas Jesuit high school and studied at an Kaunas photography school. Prints of cultural criticism publications in national press. Vaiva Grainytė’s debut book „Pekino dienoraščiai“ (2012), in which the author described her study experiences in China, became a huge success in Lithuania. The book in 2012 was included in the book of the year nominees list (adult category) and the Lithuania’s most creative book of the year top twelve.

Her works are translated into English, German, French, Latvian, Russian and Chinese languages, plays were featured in various international theater and music festivals in France, Germany, New York, Shanghai, Riga, Moscow. 2013. given the art maker status.

Steponas Kairys was one of the most iconic Lithuanian politics in the early XX century, one of the founders of the Social Democratic party, the February 16^th Independence Act signatory. While he was living in St. Petersburg in early XX century, he was really interested in Japan, which has just won the Russian-Japanese war, admired the courage of representatives of the nation and well-ordered society. Over a century ago, in 1906 he came back to Lithuania, and under the nickname of “Dėdė’ (translation Uncle) he wrote three books about Japan:  „Japonija seniau ir dabar“, „Kaip japonai gyvena dabar“, „Japonų konstitucija“.

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Romualdas Neimantas was a member of Lithuanian Scientific Society, historian of culture, orientalist, Doctor of History Sciences.

The main topic of Neimantas’s academic researches was Cultural relations and interaction between Lithuania and Eastern countries. Discussing this topic he published numerous articles, over 30 books and made speeches at various academic conferences in Lithuania and foreign countries.

Japanologist, ethnographer, exile, promoter of Lithuanian ethnic culture and one of the most famous researchers of the Ainu people. He was well-known for his humanism, tolerance and love for everyone despite their ethnic backgrounds. B. Pilsudskis was the first one, who has compiled dictionaries of Ainu, Orok and Nivkh languages, described their culture.

While studying in Saint Petersburg B. Pilsudskis participated in activities of organization called “Narodnaja volia”, which members planned to assassinate Tsar Alexander III. When their plot failed B. Pilsudskis was sentenced to death penalty, which was later commuted to fifteen years’ heavy labour in Sakhalin Island. More

Matas Šalčius was a Lithuanian traveler, journalist, writer, political figure.

In 1929, Šalčius together with other famous Lithuanian traveler Antanas Poška began a great journey through the Balkans, Greece, Egypt, Near East to India. After this travel he published six-volume series Svečiuose pas 40 tautų (Visiting 40 nations), which was awarded the National Press Prize.

Dalia Švambarytė is one of the first professional Lithuanian japonologists. Since 1992 she has been teaching Japanese at Centre of Oriental Studies of Vilnius University. She is now docent of the centre. Her main academic interests focuses on classic Chinese and Japanese literature, lingvistics, language teaching and literary translations. In 2002 she published the first Japanese Lithuanian Kanji dictionary, in 2011 Intertextuality in Classical Japanese literature. She has translated a numerious texts from Japanese, classical Chinese and classical Japanese.

At the moment Dalia Švambarytė is teaching Features of Japanese Culture, Japanese Literature and Language, Japanese History, Classical Chinese and other subjects.

She is also a member of editorial board of periodical Acta Orientalia Vilnensia and consultant of Lithuanian Language Commitee of Institute of Science and Encyclopedia Publishing.

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