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The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles Newsletter
November, 2017: Breeze Issue #121https://www.jflalc.org/pub-breeze121

Greeting From The Director
Greetings! As the fall deepens and the nights get longer, it is the best season to visit us andsee how movie subtitles are made or a sumi-e painting being created right in front of youreyes! While you can enjoy a movie on your handheld device or flip through an art book at
home, you will never be able to appreciate the amount of time and energy that is put into
these works of art unless you see it firsthand.
Speaking of time and energy, it takes so much time and energy for a nation to establish
goodwill with other nations, but in this age of fake news and viral videos, it takes only one
newsfeed to cast a dark shadow over a good relationship. To be honest, sometimes I feel likewe have to start all over again right after I thought we have accomplished something great. I
hope one day a new technology will be invented to transmit the blood, sweat and tears shedon a piece of art that you are watching on your smartphone. But until then, it will be ourmission to provide you with a deeper understanding of the various cultural aspects of Japan.
For those Japanese language educators who are going to Nashville, TN, for the ACTFL/AATJ
conference this month, please visit our booth at the exhibit hall. My colleagues and I would
love to have a chat with you!
Sincerely,

Hideki Hara, Director

JFLA Lecture Series 43
The Art of Subtitling: Working behind the Scenes
Tuesday, November 7 @7PM (JFLA Auditorium)
Free Admission, RSVP Required
With the growing popularity of Japanese movies and animation, the demand for Japanese to
English visual media translation is skyrocketing.
For audiences who cannot understand the original language, subtitles play a vital role in making
movies entertaining. To translate dialogue into good subtitles requires special techniques to drawout the original meaning as well as the entertainment value of the movie with only a limited
number of words.
In talking about how movie translation fulfills an important role behind the scenes, a professionalfrom the industry will introduce the actual process of translating and its enjoyment. During thelecture, we will demonstrate good and bad translations using professional subtitling software andvideo clips from a couple of Japanese movies. This lecture is co-presented by Japan Visualmedia
Translation Academy (JVTA).

Read MoreOmnibus Film Based on 3 Classic Rakugo Tales
Rakugo Eiga（らくごえいが）[110mins, 2012]
Directed by Mikihiro Endo, Issey Matsui, Yuichiro Sakashita
Date: Wednesday, November 8 @7PM (JFLA Auditorium)
In Japanese with English subtitles
Free Admission, No RSVP Required
This film features Japan's traditional art, "rakugo" as its theme. It is a modern adaptation of threerakugo tales presented in three short films ("Before After" based on the rakukgo "Nezumii" or"Rat", "Life Rate" based on the rakukgo "Shinigami" or "The Reaper", and "Sarugoke ha Tsuraiyo"
based on rakugo "Sarugoke" or "Monkey Widow"). It is quite the challenge to not only turn rakugo
into film, but to set such stories in modern society. However, the efforts of graduate school
creators from the Tokyo University of the Arts, made it possible.
Traditionally, rakugo starts with a warm-up talk called "makura", before the main story is told. Atthis screening, we will present recorded English makura and rakugo live film by a famous
Japanese rakugo storyteller, Sanshiro Katsura instead.
Japanese Trailer (No Subtitles)

A God Incarnate. A City Doomed.
Shin Godzilla（シン・ゴジラ） [120mins, 2016]
Directed by Hideaki Anno
Wednesday, November 22 @7PM (JFLA Auditorium)
In Japanese with English subtitles
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
to spread 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 worstnightmare comes to life when a massive, gilled monster emerges from the deep and begins
tearing through the city, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake. As the government
scrambles to save the citizens, a rag-tag team of volunteers cuts through a web of red tape touncover the monster's weakness and its mysterious ties to a foreign superpower. But time is
not on their side-the greatest catastrophe to ever befall the world is about to evolve rightbefore their very eyes.
Watch Trailer

JFLA Lecture Series"Yakuza: Origin and Structure of Japan's Organized Crime Syndicates"
Lecturer: Silke Higgins (San Jose State University)
Wednesday, November 1 @7pm
Free Admission, RSVP Required
This lecture is a three-part presentation. Part I takes the form of a historical overview, tracing theorigin of the Yakuza from the early days to World War II, emphasizing the political and sociocultural constructs that propagated the growth and spread of these traditional groups. PartII provides insight into the organizational structure of modern Yakuza crime syndicates,highlighting membership. Part III concludes the presentation with a brief examination of the mostprominent laws aimed at controlling the Yakuza in Japan, as well as internationally.

Yakuza Movie Screening"Outrage" (109mins, 2010)
Directed by Takeshi Kitano
Thursday, November 2 @7pm
Free Admission, No RSVP RequiredIn a ruthless battle for power, several yakuza clans vie for the favor of their head family in theJapanese underworld. The rival bosses seek to rise through the ranks by scheming and making
allegiances sworn over sake. Long-time yakuza Otomo (Takeshi Kitano) has seen his kind go fromelaborate body tattoos and severed fingertips to becoming important players on the stock market.
Theirs is a never-ending struggle to end up on top, or at least survive, in a corrupt world where
there are no heroes, but constant betrayal and vengeance.

Lecture and Demonstration
The Light in the Shadow: Expression of Sumi Ink
Thursday, November 9, 7PM (JFLA Auditorium)
Free Admission, RSVP required
Suibokuga (⽔墨画), also called sumi-e (墨絵), is a form of art that uses black sumi ink to paint on
washi paper. This seemingly simple monochrome art form requires various brush stroke
techniques which create and express the subtle nuances of light and shade onto a sheet of paper.
Artist Yoshio Ikezaki has been creating contemporary monochrome art works using sumi-etechniques and some of his works are currently on view as part of the "ATMOSPHERE IN
JAPANESE PAINTING" exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).
Read More

Special Lecture Series: Deities in Japanese Art
Session 3: Bodhisattva
in Collaboration with LACMA
Tuesday, November 14, 7PM (JFLA Auditorium)
Free Admission, RSVP required
The bodhisattvas are deities who have achieved enlightenment themselves but have delayed theirown exit from the cycle of rebirth to guide others to enlightenment. Japanese Buddhism is full ofthese strange yet wonderfully virtuous attendant deities, from the monk-like bodhisattva of thehells to the horse-headed bodhisattva of compassion.
Read MoreMeditation With Japanese Singing Lin Bowl
Relax With Sound During Lunch
Wednesday, November 15 @12:30/1:00PM (JFLA Auditorium)
Just Show Up!
Mid-week fatigue is a familiar foe to many of us. Why not maximize your relaxation and join us fora 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 More2017 ACTFL Annual Convention and World Languages Expo
November 17 - 19 (Music City Center)in Collaboration with LACMABooth: #231, Part of the Japan Pavilion
Visit our booth to meet our staff as well as select J-LEAP participants, who will be helping us
promote SpeakJapan. We will be giving away a wide range of goods so don't miss it!

FY2018-19 Program Guidelines Available NOW!
Deadlines: Multiple for Arts and Culture / December 1st for JapaneseLanguageFor information on Arts and Culture Programs, please visit:
Support Program for Translation and Publication on Japan
Application Deadline: November 20, 2017
Exhibitions Abroad Support Program
Application Deadline: December 1, 2017
For information on Japanese Language Programs, please visit:
Training Program for Japanese-Language Teachers at the Japanese Language Institute,
Urawa
Colleen Laird: 2017 Short-Term Participant Report
Program for Specialists in Cultural and Academic Fields at the Japanese Language
Institute, Kansai
There are multiple programs including long-term, short-term, training program on a specific theme,
project-based training program and graduate program (Master's Course) for teachers and 2-monthand 6-month courses for the specialist program. Your application must ARRIVE at JFLA on or
before December 1, 2017 for Japanese Language Programs. Please also notify us of your intent
to apply in advance.
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 to
two 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 MoreJapanese Language Education Update #48:
American Association of Teachers of Japanese / Japan Foundation, Los
Angeles
The 2015 survey conducted by the Japan Foundation on the state of Japanese language
education indicates a 9.7% increase in Japanese language learners in the United States(compared to 2012), however the number of Japanese teachers has decreased by 8.8%. As aresult Japanese programs are disappearing as teachers retire and schools cannot findreplacements. AATJ and the Japan Foundation are collaborating to encourage the development ofnew Japanese teachers to meet this need. Starting this year AATJ and JFLA are trying a newoutreach model: combining leadership training with local Japanese language teachers'
association meetings.
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.
Asako Sakamoto, Robert Service High School (Anchorage, AK)
Yui Kimura, Cranford High School (Cranford, NJ)

Staff UpdateIf you have been to our events during the past two weeks, you will most likely have noticed a newface in our office. His name is Shimpei Ishii (left) and he is our new Deputy Director replacing theoutgoing Tomoki Sakuta (right), who was recalled back to Tokyo for a new project. Although histime here was short, Tomoki was responsible for renovating our office and upgrading our hall witha new AV system. We wish him the best of luck in Japan and hope you will come out to our next
event to meet Shimpei!