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The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles Newsletter
September, 2018: Breeze Issue #131
https://www.jflalc.org/pub-breeze131

Greetings!
We have installed more than 80 photographs in our office for the new exhibition 'Tokyo
Before/After,' and because of this our Japanese cinema screening this month will be takenplace outside - in such diverse locations as a Japanese garden, a shopping mall, or even in
the middle of a museum exhibition surrounded by Japanese classic cars! Ditch your tablets
now and come enjoy a whole new 'movie-going' experience with us!
For those who are teaching or learning Japanese in schools, I have a few importantannouncements this month. First, this year's Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) has
started accepting applications. It looks like we are having an unusually high volume ofinquiries this year, so please take an action early before all the seats are filled. Second, wehave launched the Japan Foundation's 2018 Worldwide Japanese Language Survey. It will
not only be a significant source of information for our own advocacy initiatives, but for ourfellow foreign language teachers in this country as well who are also anxiously waiting for thesurvey result, because we all want more kids (and adults) in the United States to startlearning a foreign language, that is to say 'any' foreign language.
Lately, we have been joyfully overwhelmed by the fact that almost all the events we organize
have been sold out fairly quickly. You have my utmost gratitude and commitment to bringing
you more fun and inspiration in the months to come!
Sincerely,

Hideki Hara, Director

Photography Exhibition: Tokyo Before/After
Thursday, August 30 - Saturday, September 29, 2018
Mon - Fri: 10am-7pm, Sat: 12-5pm
Admission Free
"TOKYO Before/After" features a selection of approximately 80 works, in which works byphotographers who had captured images of Tokyo in the 1930-40s are presented in juxtaposition
with those taken after 2010.
Read MoreEnjoy Outdoor Japanese Film Screening @The Source"Your Name" (106 mins, 2016)
Friday, September 7 @8PM
Admission Free, No RSVP Required
The day the stars fell, two lives changed forever. High schoolers Mitsuha and Taki are completestrangers, living separate lives. But one night, they suddenly switch places. Mitsuha wakes up in
Taki's body and he, hers. This bizarre occurrence continues to happen randomly and the two must
adjust their lives around each other. Yet somehow, it works.
They build a connection and communicate by leaving notes, messages, and more importantly, animprint. When a dazzling comet lights up the night's sky, it dawns on them. They want something
more from this connection - a chance to meet, an opportunity to truly know each other.
Tugging at the string of fate, they try to find a way to each other. But distance isn't the only thingkeeping them apart. Is their bond strong enough to face the cruel irony of time? Or is their meetingnothing more than a wish upon the stars?
Watch Trailer

Movie Night @Peterson Automotive Museum"New Initial D Trilogy" (180 mins, 2014-2016)
Friday, September 14 @6:30PM
Admission Free, *Standard Parking Rates Apply.
This Event is FULL!
Join us on September 14 for a viewing of the new Initial D trilogy, co-presented by The JapanFoundation, Los Angeles and the Petersen Automotive Museum. All three films will be screened
over the course of the evening. Light refreshments and Japanese animation goodies bag (limitedsupply) will be provided.
Read More

Enjoy Outdoor Japanese Film Screening @The Source"Shin Godzilla" (120 mins, 2016)
Friday, September 14 @8PM
Admission Free, No RSVP Required
Make way for the ultimate homage to one of the most enduring legends of the big screen-Godzilla!
The King of the Monsters is back in Tokyo for a city-crushing crusade that speaks to the very rootsof the world-renowned franchise.
It's a peaceful day in Japan when a strange fountain of water erupts in the bay, causing panic tospread among government officials. At first, they suspect only volcanic activity, but one young
executive dares to wonder if it may be something different... something alive. His worst nightmare
comes to life when a massive, gilled monster emerges from the deep and begins tearing throughthe city, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake. As the government scrambles to save thecitizens, a rag-tag team of volunteers cuts through a web of red tape to uncover the monster's
weakness and its mysterious ties to a foreign superpower. But time is not on their side-thegreatest catastrophe to ever befall the world is about to evolve right before their very eyes.
Watch Trailer

Outdoor Japanese Movie Screening @Japanese Friendship Garden"Your Name" (106 mins, 2016)
Sunday, September 16 @7PM
This Event is FULL!
Enjoy outdoor movie screening in Japanese Friendship Garden located in Brand Park, Glendale.
Bring a blanket or chair for sitting on the lawn to watch the movie.
You may bring your own food and drink, and have a picnic under the stars!
Read More

Enjoy Outdoor Japanese Film Screening @The Source"Mameshiba" (106 mins, 2009)
Friday, September 21@8PMAdmission Free, No RSVP RequiredA film adaptation of the TV series which depicts the journey of a middleaged man with a twomonth old puppy in search of his mother who has run away from home. The film has a rich lineupof established actors from TV dramas, films and stage performances under their belts, including
Jiro Sato who stars in this film.
One day Jiro (Jiro Sato), a 35-year old unemployed male who has never stepped out of his town,
runs into Ichiro, a Mameshiba puppy with a red scarf around its neck. Ichiro turns out to be apuppy Jiro's runaway mother had sent for her family to come looking for her.

Come and Visit Us at the 16th Annual TARFEST
Saturday, September 22 @ 1-7:30PM (La Brea Tar Pits)
TARFEST is a premiere arts and culture event in Los Angeles and the Miracle Mile District. At theJapan Foundation, Los Angeles tent, you can enjoy Japanese cultural activities including uchiwa(Japanese fan) making, kite making, and Amezaiku (candy sculpting) performance .
Read MoreEnjoy Outdoor Japanese Film Screening @The Source"A Tale of Samurai Cooking - A True Love Story" (121 mins, 2013)
Friday, September 28 @8PM
Admission Free, No RSVP Required
Dennai Funaki laid the foundations for Kaga clan cuisine in the Edo Period as a "kitchen samurai"
who prepared food for the nobility. This heartwarming drama depicts the internal affairs of theKaga clan from the perspective of a woman who marries Funaki's son. It features meals madeaccording to the Funaki family's recipe collection "Ryori Mugonsho" and recreates the workings ofsamurai family kitchens at the time.
Maid Haru (Aya Ueto) is a talented cook but stubborn, which leads her to divorce her husband
after a year. However, she is asked by Kaga clan "kitchen samurai" Dennai (Toshiyuki Nishida) tomarry his son and heir Yasunobu (Kengo Kora), and works to remedy his lack of culinary skills.

Save the Date
Lecture - Shin Hanga and America:
Yoshida Hiroshi's Journey from Painter to Print-Maker
Tuesday, October 9, 7pm
In this lecture, Dr. Kendall Brown professor of Asian Art at California State University, Long Beach
traces how oil painter Yoshida Hiroshi revived his career and helped launch the "new print"
movement by utilizing his skills as an artist, maven and entrepreneur. It concludes with his lateworks of Japanese and Asian subjects, suggesting his complex relationships to "Eastern" and"Western" cultures.

Exhibition - Block Prints of Hiroshi Yoshida
Wednesday, October 10 - Wednesday, October 31
As a painter, Hiroshi Yoshida traveled the world extensively during the turn of the twentiethcentury and captured landscapes and the lives of everyday people in his paintings. He later
resurrected his artwork in the form of woodblock prints and this exhibition futures a collection ofYoshida's first-edition woodblock prints that represent beautiful and romantic sceneries fromJapan, North America and many other countries.

JF Nihongo Fall 2018
September 8 - November 17
Register Now!
Study Japanese this fall! The registration period for our JF Nihongo Fall term is still open!
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! Don't miss it! Only a few seats arestill available.

Read More

Performing Arts Japan 2019 - 2020
Call For Applications
Deadline: October 31, 2018
The Japan Foundation is now accepting project proposals for Performing Arts Japan (PAJ) touring
and collaboratrion grants for the 2019 - 2020 fiscal year. Application deadline is 5:00 p.m. EST,
October 31, 2018.
Read More2018 JLPT in the US
Test Date: Sunday, December 2
Registration Period: Monday, August 27 - Monday, October 1
Test Fee: $60
Register Now!
The Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) is an internationally accredited language
examination that is offered in five different levels, designed to measure a person's Japaneselanguage skills. In the United States, it is administered by the American Association of Teachers ofJapanese and will be held at 18 cities across the country.This year, we will be offering the test atSeton Hall University in Newark, New Jersey, for the first time. For more information, please visit
the site below!
Read More

2018-19 JAPANESE LANGUAGE GRANTS ARE NOW AVAILABLE
We still have grant programs available during our Fiscal Year 2018-19 to support JapaneseLanguage Education in the United States.
They include the following:
1. Teaching Material Purchase Grant (Deadline: 9/15/2018)
2. Japanese-Language Education Project Grant (Deadline: 2 months prior to project startdate)
Read More

Japanese Language Education Update #58:
2018 Survey on Japanese Language Education Begins This Month
This month we will launch our 2018 Survey on Japanese Language Education! In this survey weinvestigate the state of Japanese language education in the United States.
This survey is important because its results help all those involved in Japanese education learn
about the critical trends in Japanese language education. It therefore also helps inform policy on
how to support the field. Moreover, it enters the Japanese program into our public database toincrease its visibility to help people looking for schools teaching Japanese. Results from the last
survey can be viewed here.
If you are a Japanese teacher or administrator and you haven't been contacted about our survey
already, please email us soon so that we can have you ready to contact! Email us atsurvey@jflalc.org. Any questions can also be directed to this email address, and we would be
happy to assist you.
The survey will be available in mid-September.

International Charter Academy of Georgia Receives JFLA Grant

Congratulations to International Charter Academy (ICA) of Georgia on its newly establishedJapanese/English dual language program. Many thanks to Consul-General Shinozuka forpresenting the Japan Foundation's grant check during the Opening Ceremony. We hope our grantsupport will provide a strong foundation to build a lasting environment for all current and future
students at ICA and wish them best of luck during the school year!

J-LEAP (Japanese Language Education Assistant Program)
2018-20 Cycle: Six Young Native Japanese Language Teachers to beDispatched to the United States
The Japan Foundation dispatched six native Japanese Assistant Teachers (ATs) to K-12
institutions in cities across the United States which offer Japanese language courses. TheJapanese Language Education Assistant Program (J-LEAP) program will allow these ATs toreside and teach in their respective cities for two years until the end of July, 2020.
J-LEAP, now in its eight year, is a program that was launched by the Japan Foundation in 2011 aspart of an initiative to strengthen U.S.-Japan youth exchange programs. ATs are invited to the U.S.
to "team teach" in Japanese language classrooms with Lead Teachers (LTs) for up to two years. JLEAP was proposed during the Japan-U.S. summit in November 2010 between former Prime
Minister Naoto Kan and President Barack Obama. Upon arriving in Seattle, WA in July 25th, thesix ATs participated in a five-day orientation and training session until July 29th after which they
departed for their respective host cities. During the orientation, the ATs were joined by theirrespective LTs as well as the six AT/LT pairs from the previous year.
Starting in November, we will be publishing reports from one AT every month in Breeze so pleasebe sure to check back and read about these J-LEAPers' experiences!
Participant List