On December 17, the Japan Information Center's Director Tajima visited the University of Nebraska at Omaha and met with Director of International Programs Merry Turner, Japanese instructor Reiko Loukota of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature, and others to discuss Japanese language education and other topics. University of Nebraska at Omaha hosts over 1,000 foreign exchange students from over 100 countries and has established an exchange program with Shizuoka University in Japan.

From left, the photo shows Assistant Director of International Student Services Lori Arias, Director of International Programs Turner, JIC Director Tajima, and Professor Loukota.

On December 16, JIC Director Tajima visited the Omaha Lauritzen Gardens, and met with Visitor Service Director Jennifer Evans and Annual Campaign Director Kimberley Davis to discuss plans for a Japanese Landscape Gardening project, and their exchange with Shizuoka, Omaha's sister city.

From right, the photo shows Annual Campaign Director Davis, Visitor Service Director Evans, and JIC Director Tajima.

On December 1, JIC Director Tajima visited Washington High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and participated in a Japanese class. Students from several high schools in Cedar Rapids that offer Japanese language instruction, including Washington High School, Kennedy High School and Jefferson High School, gathered to offer messages of welcome in Japanese to Director Tajima.

The upper photo shows Director Tajima and Washington High School Japanese teacher Julie Cain, the lower photo shows a student greeting Director Tajima in Japanese.

On November 21, Consular staff visited to the St. Louis Nihongo Kyoshitsu (Japanese School) in suburban St. Louis, Missouri to offer Consular Services to local Japanese residents.

Around 90 local residents came for services like passport renewal, updating family registers, requesting different types of certificates, overseas voter registration, and so forth. The consular staff was accompanied by Principal Matsudaira of the Chicago Japanese School, dispatched by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). Principal Matsudaira offered support to the school by holding a career and college guidance session with parents, and an educational training workshop with instructors from the school.

The upper photo shows Consul Yada greeting local residents. The lower photo shows Principal Matsudaira offering guidance to parents.

On November 14, Japan Information Center Director Tajima and Vice Consul Yajima attended the 21st Midwest Kendo Federation Tournament, held in the suburbs of Chicago. They cheered on 150 kendoists gathered from all over the Midwest as they sparred each other. There are currently over 350 kendoists active in the Midwest.

Director Tajima is pictured second from the front on the left side of the photo, presenting a medal to a winner, with Vice Consul Yajima standing before him.

On November 7, JIC Director Tajima visited the Japan House at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and presented remarks at their Autumn Open House. The Japan House invites people from the local community to Japanese cultural events every autumn and spring, with the aim of promoting understanding of Japan.

From left, the photo shows Professor Kimiko Gunji, director of the Japan House, Indiana Kendo Club members Mr. Sugawara (6th Dan) and Mr. Imafuji (5th Dan) who presented a kendo demonstration at the event, and JIC Director Tajima.

On November 6, Consular staff visited Madison, Wisconsin to offer Consular Services to local Japanese residents. Around 20 local residents came for services like passport renewal, updating family registers, requesting different types of certificates, overseas voter registration, and so forth.

The photo shows Consul Nakano explaining how to receive consular services to Japanese residents.

On October 31, the Japan Information Center hosted an information session for JET Program applicants. The JET Program is short for The Japan Exchange and Teaching Program, and gives college graduates the opportunity to teach English in elementary, junior and senior high schools in Japan as Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) or they can assist with local internationalization activities as a Coordinator for International Relations (CIR). About 60 JET applicants attended this session and eagerly listened as former participants explained different aspects of the program to them.

The photo shows Chicago JET Alumni Association member Naomi Schrock using a Powerpoint presentation to talk about life in rural Japan.

On October 29, Japan Information Center Director Tajima participated in the Chicago's Principal for a Day program at Percy Julian High School. Director Tajima helped teach a Japanese Class with Former JET Program participant and Percy Julian High School Instructor Xian Barrett. Japanese Language student Mattea Carter drew this portrait of Director Tajima to celebrate his visit to the school and presented it to him as a gift. Thanks, Mattea!

On October 24, Consul Yada and Chicago Futabakai Japanese School’s Mr. Tomita (an instructor dispatched by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)) visited the Kansas City Japanese School. Mr. Tomita offered support to the School by presenting them with some sample lesson plans.

Pictured at center in the photo are Consul Yada and Mr. Tomita exchanging views on overseas education with members of the school’s steering committee and the student’s parents.

On October 23, our staff traveled to Kansas City, Missouri to offer consular services to the local Japanese residents. Over 50 people came for services like passport renewal, overseas voter registration, certificate applications, and so forth.

The photo shows Consul Yada explaining to one area Japanese resident how to fill out the necessary forms in order to receive consular services.

On October 17, consular staff visited the Minnesota Japanese School in the suburbs of Minneapolis, Minnesota to offer consular services to local Japanese residents. Over 80 local residents came for services like passport renewal, updating family registers, requesting different types of certificates, overseas voter registration, and so forth. The consular staff was accompanied by Mr. Motoki, a teacher at the Chicago Japanese School dispatched by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), who offered support to the Minnesota Japanese School by presenting them with some sample lesson plans.

The upper photo shows Consul Yada performing consular services. The lower photo shows MEXT dispatch instructor Mr. Motoki presenting a model lesson.

On October 17, the Japan Information Center's Director Akira Tajima went to Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory for the Milwaukee Chapter of Ikebana International's 50th Anniversary Celebration. He offered his congratulations to the club and participated in the ribbon cutting ceremony.

On October 9, Deputy Consul General Kato attended Chicago Futabakai Japanese School’s Culture Festival as a guest. Deputy Consul General Kato was deeply impressed by the school’s children as he watched the plays and musical performances they presented.

The photo shows Deputy Consul General Kato offering a speech of encouragement to the children at the beginning of the Culture Festival.

On October 2, consular staff visited Indianapolis, IN to offer consular services to local Japanese residents. Over 100 local residents lined up for services like passport renewal, overseas voter registration, and so forth.

Consul Hayashi is shown at left in the photo, performing consular services.

On September 19, consular staff visited the Omaha Japanese School in Omaha, Nebraska to offer consular services to local Japanese residents. Approximately 50 local residents took advantage of services like passport renewal and overseas voter registration.

The consular staff were accompanied by Mr. Shoji Matsudaira, principal of Chicago’s Futabakai Japanese School, who spoke about the importance of educating Japanese children who live abroad, and shared his ideas for lesson plans that could be implemented at Japanese schools.

The upper picture shows Consul Yada, center, performing consular duties. The lower picture shows Mr. Shoji Matsudaira (center), principal of Chicago Futabakai Japanese School, presenting his remarks.

On September 19, Deputy Consul General Kato attended the Futabakai Japanese Saturday School’s Sports Festival, and cheered on the participating children.

On September 19th, JIC Director Akira Tajima attended the Greater Kansas City Japan Festival. This festival has been a local tradition for over ten years, boasting close to 4,000 attendees last year alone. The festival is beloved by the people of the greater Kansas City area as it introduces many aspects of Japanese culture through lectures, J Pop and traditional Japanese music performances, kimono exhibits, calligraphy, Japanese candy making workshops, vendor stalls and more. There are even plans to construct a Japanese garden at the Johnson County Community College, where the festival was held, in the near future.

The photo depicts Overland Park City Council Member Terry Goodman, Johnson County Community College President Terry Calaway, and the Greater Kansas City Japan Festival Executive Director Francis Lemery.

On September 19, Consulate staff members and their families, along with the Japanese Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Chicago (JCCC), were volunteer participants in the Annual Adopt-a-Beach Cleanup, organized by the Alliance for the Great Lakes.

The JCCC has participated in the annual cleanup since 1994, and has gained respect as one of the organizations that annually draws the largest number of volunteers. This year was no exception as many Japanese participated in the cleanup to protect the environment and to keep Lake Michigan’s beaches beautiful.

The photo shows some of Consulate staff and their family members cleaning up the Dempster-Greenwood Beach in Evanston.

On September 18, Vice Consul Tadanobu Ameya of the Japan Information Center attended a ceremony commemorating “Peace Day” at Daley Plaza in Downtown Chicago. The city of Chicago has designated September 7 as “Peace Day.” Consular representatives from forty countries with consulates in Chicago attended to pray for peace across the world.

On September 10, the Consulate, in collaboration with the Japan America Society of Chicago and the Urasenke Chicago Association, hosted a tea ceremony and Japanese sweets demonstration at the Japan Information Center. Audience members were allowed to participate in the tea ceremony demonstration, followed by a presentation on the ingredients and process of making Japanese sweets. At the end of the event, attendees enjoyed sampling Japanese sweets and maccha tea.

On September 5, the Japan Information Center’s Director Akira Tajima attended the Saint Louis Japanese Festival. This festival has taken place for over 30 years and is the largest of its kind in the Midwest, with approximately 50,000 attendees last year. Taking place over the labor day three-day weekend, the festival highlights many aspects of Japanese culture such as bunraku, sumo, tea ceremony, ikebana and bonsai, an omikoshi festival shrine and vendors, and is much beloved by the citizens of Saint Louis. The festival venue is Seiwa-en, a Japanese garden within the Missouri Botanical Garden, which prides itself on being the largest-scale Japanese garden in the US.

The photo shows Director Tajima with Mr. Bruce Buckland, Honorary Consul General of Japan at St. Louis, who was assisting with festival preparations.

For the 4 days from August 19 to August 22, the Consulate served as the site for absentee voting in the Japanese Diet's 45th Lower House Elections. Over the course of this election, those residents who had completed their absentee voter's registration came to the polls set up by the consulate, and voted.

The picture shows Futabakai Japanese Day School's Assistant Principal Kurita and his wife, who had come to vote.

On July 15, Mid America Japanese Club (MAJC) President Yuzaburo Shimotake visited the Japan Information Center (JIC) to present a thank you letter for JIC’s cooperation with the Chicago Japan Festival on June 13th and 14th.

The photo depicts JIC Director Akira Tajima receiving the thank you letter from President Shimotake.

On June 27 and 28, the Consulate’s Japan Information Center presented a Q&A session for participants of the 23rd annual JET Program, who are scheduled to arrive in Japan on July 26th. Approximately fifty new recruits participated in this Q&A session.

The JET Program stands for the “Japan Exchange and Teaching Program.” This program was created to promote mutual understanding between Japan and other countries, and to facilitate internationalization on a local level in Japan. The program dispatches young people from around the world to teach English and other foreign languages at Elementary, Middle and High schools as Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs), and to work on international exchange efforts at local public organizations as Coordinators of International Relations (CIRs). Participants are literally sent all over the country- anywhere from large cities to small towns, agricultural areas, and fishing villages.

The upper picture shows JIC Director Akira Tajima discussing the importance of preparation to new JET participants. The bottom picture shows former JET Ryan Christie and Tomoyuki Kawakami, English Instructors at the Futabakai Japanese School, discussing how to teach English in a classroom setting.

On June 24, Illinois’s Cook County Treasurer’s Office held an awards ceremony to honor locally-based ethnic and cultural organization for their long-standing efforts to promote cultural exchange. Representatives from approximately 50 cultural organizations, including our Consulate’s Japan Information Center, were honored at this ceremony.

The photo shows Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas presenting a certificate of commendation to the Japan Information Center’s Director Akira Tajima.

On May 29, the Consulate staff held an open house in Indianapolis, Indiana to provide consular services to those in the area. More than 200 people came to the event, and were able to apply for passport and visa renewals, as well as receive related services.

Hard at work in the center of the photo is Consul Nakano.