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BREEZE #96

OCTOBER, 2015: BREEZE ISSUE #96
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GREETING FROM THE DIRECTORAs the summer breeze turns slightly chilly, there is no better time than now to enjoy the cultural events weoffer. Our Japanema cinema screening is making trips outside our LA home, trying to reach a wider
audience. "Postwar Shadow," a collaborative exhibition with the Getty Museum opens its door to the publicin a few days. The exhibition features an internationally renowned Japanese photographer Ms. Ishiuchi
Miyako and her prolific body of work, as well as the works of five other female Japanese photographers ofyounger generations. Do not miss this rare opportunity to take a glimpse of a diverse artistic expression ofJapanese photography.
For those who will not be able make it to these events, I still have several important messages to deliver.
The guidelines for the 2016-2017 Japan Foundation grant programs have been announced and if you areinterested in applying for a grant in the fields of arts & culture, academic studies, and Japanese language
education, please review our grants carefully and let us know if you have any questions and concerns.
Also, we have just announced the call for application for our J-LEAP (Japanese Language Education
Assistant Program) program, which will send native Japanese Language Assistant Teachers (ATs) to selectorganizations across the country interested in hosting them. This program is currently in its 5th year andhas proven to be a great learning opportunity for not only the ATs and the students who are taught bythem, but also for the host teachers in terms of the various training sessions that the Program provides forthem. So if you are a teacher of Japanese language and interested in honing your team-teaching skills,
please give this opportunity a serious thought.
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Last but not the least, I would like to direct your attention once again to our Facebook page for updates
that this monthly newsletter cannot cover in a timely fashion. In order to make sure you’re seeing posts
from JFLA in your Facebook News Feed, just click on the "Liked" button at the top of our Facebook pageand select "Get Notifications" from the dropdown menu. There is also a feature in the same menu called"See First". Click both and we will stay better connected.
Sincerely,Hideki Hara, Director

JFLA LECTURE SERIES 31: FRAGILITY IN PHOTOS- A PHOTOGRAPHER'S INTIMATE STUDY OF THE BODY AND SOULFRIDAY, OCTOBER 2 @7PM (JFLA AUDITORIUM)
FREE TO ATTEND, RSVP REQUIRED!
Get ready for a captivating behind-the-lens discussion with a master of modern photography, the prolificand provocative photographer, Ishiuchi Miyako who will be in L.A. this October for the opening of herbrand new photo exhibition titled Postwar Shadows at the J. Paul Getty Museum.
Since the late '70s, Ishiuchi Miyako has produced collections of her own photography which have
explored various thought-provoking subjects such as post-war daily Japanese life in the formerly USoccupied town of Yokosuka, as well as the vulnerability and aging of the body, especially the female body.
In her lecture, Ishiuchi will provide us with an insight into her photographic style, in which she uses pathos
rather than passion to express herself and create work that contains a quiet quality while being powerfuland profound at the same time.
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FREE JAPANESE CINEMA SCREENING
A LETTER TO MOMOSUNDAY, OCTOBER 4 @2PM (JAMES ARMSTRONG THEATRE)(3330 CIVIC CENTER DR., TORRANCE)A Letter to Momo was seven years in the making. The handmade animation is superb, from thepainstakingly rendered serenity of the island's Shinto shrines to the climactic finale – a frantic chasefeaturing thousands of squirming, morphing ghosts and spirits that is the best cinematic flight ofsupernatural fancy in years.
This event is supported by Japan Business Association of Southern California(JBA).

ISHIUCHI MIYAKO: POSTWAR SHADOWSOCTOBER 6, 2015 – FEBRUARY 21, 2016 (GETTY CENTER)
In the 1970s Ishiuchi Miyako shocked Japan's male-dominated photography establishment with Yokosuka
Story , a gritty, deeply personal project about the city where she spent her childhood and where the UnitedStates established a naval base in 1945. Working prodigiously ever since, Ishiuchi has consistently fused
the personal and political in her photographs, interweaving her own identity with the complex history ofpostwar Japan that emerged from the shadows cast by American occupation.
This exhibition is the first in the United States to survey Ishiuchi's prolific career and will include
photographs, books, and objects from her personal archive. Beginning with Yokosuka Story (1977-78), theshow traces her extended investigation of life in postwar Japan and culminates with her current series ひろしま /hiroshima , on view seventy years after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
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THE YOUNGER GENERATION: CONTEMPORARY JAPANESE PHOTOGRAPHYOCTOBER 6, 2015 – FEBRUARY 21, 2016 (GETTY CENTER)
Beginning in the 1990s, a number of young female photographers in Japan garnered attention by making
provocative self-portraits and intimate images of domestic scenes. Challenging the status quo of the maledominated photography community, their work prompted the controversial and reductive term onnanoko
shashin , or “girl photographs”.
This exhibition showcases the versatile and complex work of five midcareer Japanese-born artists who
emerged in the wake of “girl photography”: Kawauchi Rinko, Onodera Yuki, Otsuka Chino, Sawada
Tomoko, and Shiga Lieko. Mavericks in their field, these women continue in the tradition of such pioneers
as Ishiuchi Miyako, whose work appears in the companion exhibition Ishiuchi Miyako: Postwar Shadows.
Read MoreJAPANEMA: FREE JAPANESE CINEMA SCREENING"OBLIVION ISLAND HARUKA AND THE MAGIC MIRROR" (100MINS, 2009)
DIRECTED BY SHINSUKE SATOWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14 @ 7PM (JFLA AUDITORIUM)
From the studio that brought you Eden of the East , FLCL and Ghost in the Shell comes an exhilarating
blend of Japanese folklore and storybook charm reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland . This award-winningfeature film is sure to amaze animation fans of all ages.
16-year-old Haruka is on a mission to find her mirror — a precious childhood gift from her late mother thathas disappeared. On her search, she follows a strange foxlike creature to Oblivion Island, a mystical world
overflowing with once-cherished items taken from their neglectful owners. Trouble follows Haruka and her
new friend Teo at every turn as they contend with the island’s overbearing ruler, who will stop at nothing
to use the mirror for his own sinister plan!
Watch Trailer

JAPANEMA: FREE JAPANESE CINEMA SCREENING"RINGU" (95MINS, 1998)
DIRECTED BY HIDEO NAKATAWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28 @ 7PM (JFLA AUDITORIUM)
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Reiko Asakawa is researching into a 'Cursed Video' interviewing teenagers about it. When her niece
Tomoko dies of 'sudden heart failure' with an unnaturally horrified expression on her face, Reiko
investigates. She finds out that some of Tomoko's friends, who had been on a holiday with Tomoko theweek before, had died on exactly the same night at the exact same time in the exact same way. Reiko
goes to the cabin where the teens had stayed and finds an 'unlabeled' video tape. Reiko watched the tapeto discover to her horror it is in fact the 'cursed videotape'. Ex Husband Ryuji helps Reiko solve themystery, Reiko makes him a copy for further investigation. Things become more tense when their son
Yoichi watches the tape saying Tomoko had told him too. Their discovery takes them to a volcanic island
where they discover that the video has a connection to a Physic who died 30 years ago, and her child
Sadako...
Watch Trailer2016-2018 J-LEAP: NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONSDEADLINE: TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2016
Are you interested in Inviting a Japanese Assistant Teacher (AT) to your K-12 classroom for up to twoconsecutive school years? Do you want to give your students an opportunity to learn and hear Japanesefrom a native speaker or an additional native speakers for some variation? If so, make sure you apply for
J-LEAP, which was started in 2011 with the help of the Laurasian Institute (TLI). Our goal is to nurture a newgeneration of highly qualified Japanese language teachers in the United States and we currently have atotal of 19 ATs in 11 different states nationwide. There are ten new ATs this year and we will be featuring
the reports from two ATs every month as they write about their experiences at American schools. We havealso included a report by Leslie Okada Roberts of TLI about the arrival training and the importance of theprogram.
Mio Tsutada, A.J. Dimond High School (Anchorage, AK)
Tatsuya Nakahira, Sand Lake Elementary School (Anchorage, AK)
What is J-LEAP and What Des it Have to do With Me?
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FY2016-17 PROGRAM GUIDELINES ARE NOW AVAILABLE!
DEADLINES: MULTIPLE FOR ARTS AND CULTURE / DECEMBER 1ST FOR JAPANESELANGUAGE
For information on Arts and Culture Programs, please visit our website with additional information on theJF world-wide website!
For information on Japanese Language Programs, please visit Teacher Training Program at the Japanese
Language Institute, Urawa, or Japanese Language Program for Specialists in Cultural and Academic Fields
at the Japanese Language Institute, Kansai. There are multiple programs including long-term, short-term,advanced and graduate for the teacher program and 2-month and 6-month courses for the specialist
program. Your application must ARRIVE at JFLA on or before the deadline. Please notify us of yourapplication in advance.
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CALL FOR APPLICATIONSPERFORMING ARTS JAPAN 2016-2017
DEADLINE: OCTOBER 20, 2015 @ 5PM ESTThe Japan Foundation is now accepting project proposals for Performing Arts Japan (PAJ) touring andcollaboration grants for the 2016 - 2017 fiscal year. For details, including guidelines and application,please visit here.

JAPANESE LANGUAGE EDUCATION UPDATE 23:
ANNOUNCING THE LAUNCH OF THE 2015 SURVEY ON JAPANESE-LANGUAGE EDUCATIONThe Japan Foundation does a massive global survey every three years to gather information aboutJapanese language education, and the time has come again. For some of the results from the 2012 Survey,click here.
Earlier this month, JFLA staff started emailing and calling every school which teaches Japanese in the US.
We are asking one person from every school to fill out one 15-minute online survey about global issues
and one 3-minute supplementary survey about issues in the United States.
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NEW LIBRARY ACQUISITIONS
We acquired several new books in English and Japanese during the past few months and below is a list ofwhat we added. There are books in English focusing on upcoming events we are organizing such asIshiuchi Miyako, as well as new Japanese manga, children's books, and DVDs. Make sure to drop by andapply to become a member if you haven't already done so. Our annual library membership fee is only $2
and you get a free cloth book bag.

JFLA AWARDS $30K GRANT TO YUJIN GAKUEN ELEMENTARY IN PORTLAND
On September 16, 2015, Consul General Furusawa from the Consular Office of Japan in Portland visited
Yujin Gakuen Elementary (Eugene, OR) and presented the Japan Foundation's grant check to Principal
Piowaty in support of their Japanese language immersion program. Students welcomed Consul General
Furusawa and performed a Japanese song at the grant ceremony.

JFLA AWARDS $30K GRANT TO CUYAHOGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE IN OHIO
On August 25, 2015, the Consulate General of Japan in Detroit presented the Japan Foundation's grant
check to Cuyahoga Community College. Our grant will be used for expanding their Japanese language
program!
Article from Cleveland.com

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2015 JET MEMORIAL INVITATION PROGRAM: PARTICIPANT ESSAYS PART 2/8
In July of 2015, 32 US high school students participated in the final JET Memorial Invitational Program(JET-MIP). They travelled to Japan for a two week study tour of the Tohoku region, focusing on the cities ofRikuzentakata and Ishinomaki. These were the cities that Montgomery Dickson and Taylor Anderson wereassigned during their tenure as JET Assistant Language Teachers. Sadly, they lost their lives during theGreat East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in March, 2011 and JET-MIP was created to commemorate theirwork. Participants took part in exchanges with local elementary, middle and high school students as well
as local community groups with the purpose 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 their memorable journey.
Stephen Chen
Hailley Danielson-Owczynsky
Josephine Dennis
Georgianna Eck

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