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The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles Newsletter
December, 2017: Breeze Issue #122
https://www.jflalc.org/pub-breeze122

Greeting From The Director
Greetings!
It is always nice to get out of the office and meet with new people. Every year JFLA attends
the annual conferences of ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages)
and this year it was held in Nashville, Tennessee. We had a booth in the exhibit hall andgreeted so many Japanese language teachers who are nurturing the next generation ofinternationally-minded young adults all across the country. The majority of them are feelingthe impact of funding cuts on foreign language education both at federal and state levels.
Granted that it is important to teach kids how to program robots with the latest AI technology,
we will still need to make sure those robots can adapt to societies across the globe with theunderstanding of their respective people and culture. A lot of people misconstrue foreign
language as a tool soon to be replaced by machine translation. Like replacing yourscrewdriver with a power drill does not make you a carpenter, perfect machine translation
alone will not make you or your kids a cosmopolitan. Exposing students to different cultures is
no longer a luxury; it is an obligation of our society. With that in mind, I want to wish those whoare striving to become proficient in Japanese the best of luck this weekend when they takethe JLPT. 頑張ってください︕
Thank you very much for all the support and encouragement we received this year. JFLA has
gone through a lot in 2017 including the renovation of our office during the summer. I can
promise you that we will continue to inspire your creative minds in the coming year of theDog.
Sincerely,Hideki Hara, Director

Bilingual Yoga at Lunchtime
Wednesday, December 6, 201712:30pm/1:00pm (2 sessions, 20min/ session)
Just Show Up!
Wellness Wednesdays: We offer Wellness programs every 1st and 3rd Wednesday at lunchtime!
October 18 is Yoga day! In this program, no need to change clothes or use a yoga mat; you will
be seated in a chair receiving relaxing instruction from a bilingual (English and Japanese)
instructor. Learn simple Japanese phrases during the instruction and stretch your mind as well asyour body.
There will be two free sessions beginning at 12:30pm and 1:00pm. No reservation necessary, allare welcome.

Read MoreJapanese Conversation Cafe: Tea TimeThursday, December 7, 2017 (7-9PM)
Free admission, register now!
Our popular event, the conversation café Tea Time is coming back! You will enjoy Japanesesnacks and tea while you chat with native Japanese speakers. All levels welcome! Japanese
language experience is not necessary-this event is open to everyone, ages 18 and up!
Read More

Beautiful Romance with Multilayered Sense of Cynical Amusement
A Bride for Rip Van Winkle (179mins, 2016)
Wednesday, December 13 @7PM
Free Admission, NO RSVP REQUIREDNanami(Hana Kuroki) is an apathetic, part-time junior high school teacher, whose only solace
comes from connecting with others on "Planet," a new social network service. One day, a young
man named Tetsuya messages her and asks to meet in person. The two begin dating and quickly
become engaged. When Tetsuya begs Nanami to increase her guest list for the wedding, Nanami
reaches out to online-friend, Amuro(Go Ayano), a self-proclaimed jack-of-all-trades, who hires
actors to play Nanami's guests on her big day. A few weeks following the ceremony, Tetsuya's
mother confronts Nanami with allegations of lying and cheating.
Read More

Lecture Series: Deities in Japanese Art 4
In Collaboration with LACMA
Tuesday, December 19 @7PM (JFLA Auditorium)
Free Admission, RSVP From Our Website
What do you know about the Wisdom Kings (Myo-o in Japanese) in Buddhism? They are thirdranked deities after Buddhas and Bodhisattavas who, with their wrathful visages and weapons,
protect the Buddhas and intimidate wayward Buddhist practitioners back into devotion.
In this lecture, we will be introduced to the many kinds of Wisdom Kings and their various roles, aswell as how they are portrayed artistically.
This will be the fourth lecture in this series and will begin with a quick review of what was covered
in previous lectures to give first-time attendees context as to where Wisdom Kings fit into thehierarchy of deities in Buddhism. No prior knowledge is necessary to enjoy this fun andfascinating talk!
Read MoreMeditation With Japanese Singing Lin BowlRelax With Sound During Lunch
Wednesday, December 20, 201712:30/1:00PM (2 Sessions, 20 Min/ Session)
Just Show Up!
Mid-week fatigue is a familiar foe to many of us. Why not maximize your relaxation and join us for
a Sound Bath at Lunch Time!
The Singing-Lin Bowl harmoniously combines the healing qualities of the Tibetan singing bowl andits Japanese counterpart, the Lin bowl. Relax and feel your stress dissipate into thin air as thesounds of the singing-Lin bowl lead you into a meditative state.
There will be two 20-minute sessions from 12:30pm and 1:00pm. There is no charge and noreservation required. All are welcome to come, sit, listen, and refresh.
Read More2018 JF Nihongo Classes - Winter TermJanuary 20 - March 24
Register Now!

Start your new year with Japanese! The registration period for our JF Nihongo Winter term willstart soon!
People interested in learning Japanese at JFLA will have three beginner-level Japanese-language
courses. In each class, students will learn concepts and communication skills which are essential
to having a well-rounded understanding of everyday Japanese! Register by January 5 and get a
10% early bird discount!
Read More

2018-2020 J-LEAP: Accepting Applications
Deadline: January 10, 2018
Are you interested in inviting a Japanese Assistant Teacher (AT) to your K-12 classroom for up totwo consecutive school years? Do you want to give your students an opportunity to learn and hear
Japanese from a native speaker or an additional native speakers for some variation? If so, makesure you apply for J-LEAP, which was started in 2011 with the help of the Laurasian Institute (TLI).
Read More

Japanese Language Education Update #49:
2017 ACTFL Convention at Nashville, Tennessee
From November 17 - 19, The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles participated in the 2017 ACTFL(American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) Convention, held in Nashville,Tennessee. We teamed up with the Japanese Consulate General in Nashville to put up a booth
together and introduce educators and school administrators to useful information and resources
for learning and teaching Japanese.
At our booth, we had about 200 teachers and administrators visit us; we were able to meet many
Japanese teachers from all around the U.S., as well as other language educators such as
Chinese and Spanish teachers who stopped by and were interested in either bringing some of ourgoodies to their Japanese colleagues at their schools, or strengthening their Japanese programs,or simply learning Japanese themselves. We presented all our visitors with "goody bags" that
included many resources for teaching and learning Japanese that they could use in theclassroom: vocab booklets, info on useful web apps, websites, and grants, cute badges andstickers, and much, much more.
Read More

2017-2018 J-LEAP Reports
For the 2017-2018 school year, we invited eight native assistant teachers (AT) to various schools
around the country as part of the Japanese Language Education Assistant Program (J-LEAP).
This is the seventh year of this program where schools around the country are given theopportunity to host an AT for up to two years with the goal of strengthening their Japanese
language program. This month, we will feature the reports from the following ATs detailing theirexperiences at American schools.
Masaki Minobe. Kearny High School (Kearny, NJ)
Yoshiyasu Horino, P.S. 147 Isaac Remsen Elementary School (Brooklyn, NY)

Salary Assistance Grant to Northern Kentucky University
It's wonderful that Northern Kentucky University is now developing a Japanese major, and theJapan Foundation is supporting it! Thank you to the Consul General of Japan in Nashville forpresenting our grant check to the NKU representatives. The students in this photo look so great inYukata (summer kimono)!!