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The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles Newsletter
June, 2018: Breeze Issue #128
https://www.jflalc.org/pub-breeze128

Greetings!
Every three years, the Japan Foundation conducts a global survey on the state of Japanese
language education worldwide. The last survey in 2015 told us that the number of students in
the US was growing steadily while the number of teachers are declining, which prompted us
to beef up our efforts to assist teachers as well as our advocacy efforts to the educational
stakeholders in the country. We are looking forward to getting in touch with Japanese
language teachers and educators once again this year to find out what has and has notchanged in the past three years, in order for us to formulate our strategies in the upcomingyears. Indeed, it is a tough time for language education as a whole. According to a recent
survey done by the Modern Language Association, the overall number of language learners in
American higher education has been declining for years. As a cultural organization, language
occupies a central place in almost all the exchange programs we organize. Granted that you
do not have to be perfectly fluent in a foreign language in order to understand people fromdifferent cultural backgrounds, but language offers such abundant points of entry to the hearts
and minds of other nations. And just like curiosity is the mother of invention, our kids' curiosity
toward foreign languages could well be the mother of world peace. Please help us build an
updated and accurate database of Japanese language education in the US this year so we
can move forward during this insular time.
Sincerely,

Hideki Hara, Director

BambooExhibit: May 27 - September 9
Craft and Folk Art Museum$7 | free for members
BAMBOO explores the evolution of Japanese bamboo basketry from a purely functional art form
into complicated, distinctly Japanese sculptural forms of variable scale. A major selection ofhistorical and contemporary works from the Los Angeles-based Cotsen Collection are central tothe exhibition, as well as a large-scale, interactive bamboo installation by Japan-based artist Akio
Hizume.
This exhibition is supported by The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles 国際交流基⾦ロサンゼルス
⽇本⽂化センター, with additional support from the Pasadena Art Alliance.

Bilingual Yoga at Lunchtime
Wednesday, June 6
12:30/1:00PM (2 sessions, 20 min/session)
Just Show Up!
Wellness Wednesdays: We offer Wellness programs on Wednesday at lunchtime!
June 6 is Yoga day! In this program, there is no need to change clothes or use a yoga mat; youwill 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 as
your body.
There will be two free sessions beginning at 12:30pm and 1:00pm. No reservation necessary, all
are welcome.
Read More

Impressions of the Seas: Gyotaku Fish Prints Art Exhibitionin collaboration with LACMA
June 21, 2018 - July 13, 2018
Pre-Opening Event: Gyotaku Lecture & Demonstration
Wednesday, June 20, 2018 7-9pm
Admission Free, Reservation Required
Japanese gyotaku (lit. 'fish rubbing') is the unlikely marriage of fish, sumi ink, and washi paper.
Once used to record the size of an impressive catch, it has been elevated to a fine art through theefforts of gyotaku masters. "Impressions of the Seas: Gyotaku Fish Prints" by Dwight Hwang
features a selection of prints depicting freshwater, coastal and open ocean specimens alongside
objects which detail the gyotaku printmaking process.
At a pre-opening on June 20, a brief lecture by the curator and live demonstration by the artist
followed by a reception sponsored by Sotheby's Institute of Art.
Read More

Lecture: Squids, Our Long-Term Friends Save the World
Thursday June 28, 2018 7pm
Admission Free, Reservation Required
Along with tuna and salmon, squid is one of the most popular, and its presence in Japaneseculture cannot be overstated. With its high-protein and rich amino acids, squid has many benefits.
Squid also has the potential to be developed as a marine resource and could be ideal in improving
the global food shortage which faces us today.
In this lecture, squid lover and biologist Dr. Tomano, who has researched squid both in Japan andUS, will talk about the long-term relationship between Japanese and squid, its amazing life, andthe benefits of squid as food.
In the following reception, there will be a sample of Japanese delicacies using squids offered toattendees.
Read More

The Third Murder (124mins, 2017)
Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda
Wednesday, June 13 @7PM
In Japanese with English subtitles
2018 Cannes Film Festival, Competition, Palme d'Or winning
director, Hirokazu Kore-eda turns his own original script into this psychological thriller. Making his
first appearance in a Kore-eda film, Koji Yakusho co-stars with Masaharu Fukuyama, whoreteams with Kore-eda for the first in four years since Like Father, Like Son.
Misumi (Yakusho), who had been previously convicted of murder, is once again indicted for killingand setting on fire the president of the company which laid him off. His lawyer, Shigemori(Fukuyama), begins investigating Misumi in order to file for life imprisonment instead of the deathpenalty. However, as his investigation continues, an uncomfortable feeling slowly develops withinShigemori.
Watch Trailer

PARKS (118mins, 2017)
Directed by Natsuki Seta
Wednesday, June 27 @7PM
In Japanese with English subtitles
Haru, a high school girl comes to Kichijoji looking for Sachiko, the woman mentioned in a love
letter of Haru's late father. Currently living at Sachiko's address is Jun, a female university student
who loves playing guitar. Jun becomes interested in Haru's cause, and together they start tosearch for Sachiko's family house where they meet Sachiko's grandson, Tokio. He tells them that
Sachiko passed away just recently. Later, Tokio finds a reel-to-reel tape in Sachiko's belongings.
Apparently, Shinpei and Sachiko used to play music together, and the tape contains a song sungby the couple. However, the tape is damaged and they cannot hear the song to the end. Tokio,Haru, and Jun decide to complete the song themselves.
Watch Trailer

Japanese Conversation Cafe: Tea Time
Monday, June 11 @7-9PMFree Admission, Register Now
Come join our casual conversation café and meet new friends! You'll enjoy chatting with nativeJapanese speakers. All levels are welcome. Japanese learning experience is not necessary. We
are open to everyone, ages 18 and up.
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. Learners Event Grant previously known as "Speech Contest Grant" (Deadline: 9/1/2018)
2. Teaching Material Purchase Grant (Deadline: 9/15/2018)
3. Japanese-Language Education Project Grant (Deadline: 2 months prior to project startdate)
Read MoreJapanese Language Education Update #55:
Preparation Under Way for the next Japanese Language Education Survey!
We are currently in the midst of preparations for the upcoming Japan Foundation Survey ofJapanese Language Education!
Every three years we conduct a survey to understand more about the state of Japanese language
education in the United States (this survey is also conducted worldwide in other countries).
Through this survey, we learn valuable information such as the number of Japanese language
learners, language instructors, and institutions in the country.
We publicize the results of the survey, which is then used by teachers, researchers, and more to
get a big picture view of trends in Japanese language education. In short, we want to provide
useful information about Japanese language education. The previous survey results can be foundhere and here.
What are the trends in Japanese language education? How does its future look? What aspects ofJapanese education need more attention? These are all questions whose answers would greatly
benefit all in the Japanese language education community and beyond.

Your help is greatly needed. Please keep in touch with us if your school will have a Japaneseprogram this fall but has not done this survey before, or if your school has done the survey before
but there has been a change in contact information. Contact us anyway for any questions about
the survey. You can reach out to us at jflaeducation@jflalc.org. We look forward to hearing fromyou!

Fiscal Year 2018-2019 Japan Foundation Program Participants
The Japan Foundation offers two training programs, one for specialists in a cultural or academic
field at our Japanese Language Institute in Kansai as well as another for Japanese language
teachers at our Japanese Language Institute in Urawa. For the current fiscal year, we will be
providing four postgraduate students with the opportunity to train in Kansai and one Japanese
language teachers to train in Urawa. We hope they are able to make good use of their time inJapan and hope to hear about their experiences in a future issue of Breeze. For information on
the 2019-2020 program cycle, please check back in October.
Teacher Training Program on a Specific Theme (May 29 to July 5)
Ms. Yoshiko Kishi (Case Western Reserve University - Cleveland, OH)
Japanese Language Program for Specialists (Short-term: June 6 to August 1)
Ms. Jinny McGill (Pennsylvania State University)
Mr. Eric Funabashi (The University of Kansas)
Ms. Chloe Willis (University of California, Santa Barbara)
Japanese Language Program for Specialists (Long-term: October 3 to April 3, 2019)
Mr. Yi Shan (Ohio State University)