SEARCH

Contact Us

Site Map

BREEZE #89

MARCH, 2015: BREEZE ISSUE #89
Like 0ShareA Free E-Newsletter for Friends of Japan & Teachers of Japanese

GREETING FROM THE DIRECTOR“Hope” is the thing with feathers ----That perches in the soul----And sings the tune without the words----And never stops----- at all ----(Emily Dickinson)
March 11, 2011 will be remembered by everyone all over the world. Four years have passed since the Great
East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in the Tohoku region, but we Japanese never forget, with the deepest
gratitude to all our friends across the United States that you provided your encouragement, support and“Hope” to us immediately following the devastation. We truly felt the strong bond of Tomodachi , friendship,
shared and tempered between Japan and the United States.
The seeds of hope that the you sowed throughout Japan continue to grow. Right now we are organizing
events that bring to light the current status of the Tohoku area and its cultural strengths. This includes theJET Memorial Invitation Program (JET-MIP), which commemorates two American teachers who lost theirlives during the disaster and many other activities in and around LA. On March 11, we will be co-organizing
a screening of "Live Your Dream: The Taylor Anderson Story" with the Japan America Society of Southern
California and the Consulate-General of Japan in Los Angeles. Special guests Ambassador Ichiro Fujisaki
and Director Reggie Life will host a Q&A session after the screening.
March also marks the season of flowers with celebrations such as Hinamatsuri, the festival of peach
blossoms. We will be covering all of these events through our activities this month starting with our hina
doll display in the library. We will also be organizing our Lecture Series 26 with Motoyuki Shibata andPrivacy - Terms
Tomoka Shibasaki (Akutagawa Prize awardee) to discuss modern Japanese literature. Finally, the monthwraps up with the grand opening of the “ Raku: The Cosmos in a Tea Bowl ” exhibition comprising nearly
100 Raku pottery masterpieces with examples from each Raku Master from the very 1st to the current (15th)
Kichizaemon Raku over the span of nearly 500 years. This exhibition will be held at the Los Angeles
County Museum of Art, and is co-organized by the Japan Foundation.
May we continue singing songs of hope together and never stop at all !
Naomi Takasu, Director

JFLA LECTURE SERIES 26
JAPANESE LITERATURE IN THIS DECADE:HOW A SMALLER WORLD LEADS TO MORE LITERATURE WE CAN ALL ENJOY
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4 @ 7PM (JFLA AUDITORIUM)
FREE ADMISSION,
Literary expert and translator Motoyuki Shibata's Monkey Business , an annual literary journal available inboth Japanese and English which features the writings of modern Japanese authors as well as British andAmerican authors, contributed to this spread and increasing popularity of Japanese literature acrossborders. On March 4th, Motoyuki Shibata and acclaimed Japanese author Tomoka Shibasaki will discussmany topics surrounding modern Japanese literature.
Read MoreJAPANEMA: FREE JAPANESE CINEMA SCREENING
3-11 REMEMBRANCE SPECIAL SCREENING & DIRECTOR'S TALK"LIVE YOUR DREAM: THE TAYLOR ANDERSON STORY" (85MINS, 2013)
DIRECTED BY REGGIE LIFEWEDNESDAY, MARCH 11 @ 7PM (JFLA AUDITORIUM)
This film is a story about Taylor Anderson and all the young people who travel the world trying to make adifference. Taylor was an extraordinary American who dedicated herself to teaching Japanese children,living her dream right up to the events of March 11, 2011. The earthquake and tsunami in Japan was adisaster that no one could have expected.
Privacy - Terms

CUTE CHARACTER BENTO PHOTO EXHIBITION, 2015
MARCH 13 – MARCH 28 (JFLA AUDITORIUM)
The Consulate-General of Japan in Los Angeles and BentoUSA recently co-hosted an online contest tosee who could create the cutest, best decorated bento (Japanese box lunch) characters. Contestants
submitted photos of their cute and creative bento characters decorated in food containers, and The
Japanese Consulate and BentoUSA along with honorary judge Ochikeron, a Japanese YouTube personalityand bento expert, selected the top 10 finalists. We will hold a photo exhibition of the creation from these
10 finalists so don’t miss the opportunity to see these highly creative, cute characters rendered infoodstuffs.
The opening reception on Friday, March 13 will begin at 1:30pm. Seating is limited.
Read More

HINA DOLLS ON DISPLAYNOW THROUGH SATURDAY, MARCH 14 (JFLA AUDITORIUM)
FREE ADMISSION
In celebration of Hinamatsuri (Girls' Day), which is held on March 3, our Japanese doll set is currently ondisplay in our library. Please make sure to visit us to see this seasonal display.

JAPANEMA: FREE JAPANESE CINEMA SCREENING
I'M POOR & MISERABLE…BUT IT'S OK, AS LONG AS YOU'RE HERE…
"HAPPILY EVER AFTER" (117MINS, 2007)
DIRECTED BY YUKIHIKO TSUTSUMIWEDNESDAY, MARCH 25 @ 7PM (JFLA AUDITORIUM)
Privacy - Terms

Based on the comic strip series by Yoshiie Gouda, this film is a visually striking, dark comedy that follows
the devoted wife Yukie (Miki Nakatani) and her unemployed ex-gangster husband Isao (Hiroshi Abe). Isao’s
uncontrollable temper often results in the dinner table being overturned and their meal on the floor.
Everyone advises Yukie to leave Isao, but her love for him is unconditional because he was the one who
initially saved her from misery with his unconditional love.

RAKUTEN
ZERO HOUR: TOKYO ROSE'S LAST TAPE
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2015 TO SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2015
@ REDCAT (BUY TICKETS!)
Stranded in Japan during WWII, a young Japanese-American woman was forced to serve as a radio
broadcaster for a propaganda program controlled by the Japanese Imperial Army, and was subsequently
tried for treason. Seventy years later, this historic incident is brought to life through a visually stunning
whodunit, conceived, written and directed by internationally renowned visual artist Miwa Yanagi. Brimmingwith iconic imagery from her rich body of photographic work, Zero Hour tells the multi-layered story of awoman caught between two nations during the war. This presentation marks Yanagi's North American
debut as a theater artist.
Read More

WORKSHOP:MAKING SUSHI IN JAPANESE
MON, MARCH 23, 7PM - 9PM
REGISTER NOW!
Do you like sushi? Experience sushi like never before in this popular workshop where you will learn tomake different types of sushi, order sushi in Japanese, and enjoy your creations. A professional sushi chef
will provide instruction to participants during the workshop while our language instructors will teach useful
vocabulary and expressions as well as manners and customs related to sushi. We will make colorfulchirashi-sushi, which is one of popular types of sushi for spring events such as girl's day and cherry
blossom viewing parties. This workshop will be enjoyable for everybody and no prior Japanese learningexperience is necessary. Let’s enjoy sushi together!

Privacy - Terms

FISCAL YEAR 2015-2016 JAPANESE LANGUAGE GRANTS
We are accepting applications for the following grants:

1. Japanese Language Learners Event Grant previously known as "Speech Contest Grant" (Deadline:9/1/2015)
2. Japanese Teaching Material Purchase Grant (Deadlines: 3/15/2015 & 9/15/2015)
3. Salary Assistance Grant for Japanese Language Courses (Deadline: 4/10/2015)
4. Japanese-Language Education Project Grant (Deadline: 2 months prior to project start date)
Read More

AJALT WORKSHOP ON HOW TO TEACH JAPANESE PHONETICSSATURDAY, MARCH 7 @ 9:30AM (JFLA AUDITORIUM)
This workshop will offer effective ways for Japanese language instructors to teach Japanese phonetics.
Researchers have made significant advances in developing effective methods of teaching Japanesephonetics, and new, online learning tools are also available. The workshop will teach about these new
methods and tools and help instructors achieve the results they want to see in their classrooms byengaging their students in phonetics early on in their language education.
Read More

JFLA REPORT: LECTURE SERIES 25Privacy - Terms

The legendary guitarist Marty Friedman visited our office on Monday, January 26 to talk about his musiccareer and his transition to Japan because of his love and interest in JPOP and culture. Friedman also
discussed the importance of studying a foreign language and "wished that he had resources like theJapan Foundation's library," when he was beginning to learn the language. With a mastery of Japanese,more opportunities opened up to him as a world reknown musician. Please visit the link below to view aninterview with Friedman where he talked about important lessons he learned throughout his time inJapan..
Read More2014 DECEMBER JLPT RESULTS NOW AVAILABLE!
Hard copies of the test results for those who took the December 2014 test in the USwere sent out by theend of February so you should be receiving it by the middle of March. Online results will be available until
Monday, March 30, 2015 (US Time). The next test in the United States will on December 6, 2015, andadditional information will be available on the AATJ website in June/July.
Read MoreJAPANESE LANGUAGE EDUCATION UPDATE #16: MLA’S HIGHER EDUCATION SURVEYRESULTSIn February, the Modern Language Association (MLA) published a report titled “Enrollments in Languages
Other Than English in United States Institutions of Higher Education, Fall 2013.” This report, published
about every four years, researches the number of enrollments in world language courses in Americancolleges and universities. The survey resembles a census in that MLA attempts to survey every single
college or university which offers world language courses in the United States. This year MLA surveyed
2,435 schools.
Read More

Privacy - Terms

2014 JET MEMORIAL INVITATION PROGRAM: PARTICIPANT ESSAYS PART 7/8
In July of 2014, 32 US high school students participated in the JET Memorial Invitational Program (JETMIP). They travelled to Japan for a two week study tour of the Tohoku region, focusing on the cities ofRikuzentakata and Ishinomaki (Due to Super Typhoon Neoguri, the trip to Rikuzentakata was cancelled).
These were the cities that Montgomery Dickson and Taylor Anderson were assigned during their tenure as
JET Assistant Language Teachers. Sadly, they lost their lives during the Great East Japan Earthquake andTsunami in March, 2011 and JET-MIP was created to commemorate their work. Participants took part inexchanges with local elementary and high school students as well as local community groups with thepurpose of fostering friendship and goodwill between both countries. Each month, we will feature four
essays written by the participants describing their experiences in Japan. Click below to read about theirunforgettable journey.
Valerie Santos
Britta Smith
Kyle Smith
Jacqueline Tran

Past Issues (2020)

Past Issues (2019)



Past Issues (2018)



Past Issues (2017)

Past Issues (2016)



Past Issues (2015)

Breeze #98

Breeze #97

Privacy - Terms

Breeze #96

Breeze #95

Breeze #94

Breeze #93

Breeze #92

Breeze #91

Breeze #90

Breeze #89

Breeze #88

Breeze #87

Breeze Past Issues

Breeze Issues #1-#36 (PDF)

Headquarters

New York Office

Center for Global PartnershipJapan Related Links

Volunteer

ボランティア募集

Job Openings (Updated)

5700 Wilshire blvd, Suite 100
Los Angeles, CA 90036
P. 323.761.7510

Annual Report© 2019 The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles
Web Design.

Privacy - Terms