The e-Japan Journal is the electronic webletter of the Consulate General of Japan at Chicago (CGOJ) and the Japan Information Center (JIC). We hope it proves useful, interesting, and exciting as a window into Japanese culture in the Midwest. As always, your feedback, comments, and suggestions are encouraged and can be sent to our editor, Daniel Drake, at jic@japancc.org. |
 Satsuki, the old Japanese name for the month of May, means "rice sprout month," for this is the traditional time for planting the young rice in paddies.
Satsuki is replete with holidays and is a very popular time for travel in Japan. May 3 is Constitution Memorial Day, May 4 is Greenery Day, and May 5 is Children's Day, this forms a string of vacation days known as Golden Week. Golden Week actually begins on April 29, which is currently known as Showa Day.
Although not an official holiday, the 2nd Sunday in May is commonly observed throughout Japan as Mother's Day. |
| |
| |
Many years ago, Dr. Kazuo Kawasaki, currently Professor at the Graduate School of Engineering at the University of Osaka, dedicated his life to designing products that improve the way we all lead our lives. Recipient of a raft of awards for the innovation and humanity of his designs (including artificial organs, computer monitors, knives, and, most famously, Sarah Palin's rimless eyeglasses), Dr. Kawasaki will be in Chicago for a two day engagement to give lectures on his creative philosophy.
First, the Japan America Society of Chicago (JASC) will be holding their 79th Annual Dinner on Thursday, June 4th. The evening will begin with a short cocktail reception from 6:00 to 7:00 PM, followed by dinner and the keynote speech by Dr. Kawasaki, enititled, "Japanese Designs - From Eyeglasses to Artificial Organ Technology."
|
Then, on June 5th, Dr. Kawasaki will be speaking at the Illinois Institute of Technology's Institute of Design on the topic of "Progressive Inclusive Design." His talk promises to touch on the intersections of design, technology, and humanity, and how to use such an understanding when creating any number of products.
| Friday, June 5th, 2:00 to 4:00 PM (registration from 1:30 to 2:00 PM) |
Institute of Design
Illinois Institute of Technology
350 N. LaSalle Street
Chicago, IL 60610
(Map)
|
Free!
For more information, please contact Ms. Kojima at the Japan Information Center. |
|
| |
As part of their annual Summer Screenings Series, and in cooperation with the Japan Information Center, Cinema/Chicago will be showing Hirokazu Kore-eda's film "Hana" free of charge on Wednesday, June 10th at 6:30 PM. Kore-eda, the director of 2004's acclaimed "Nobody Knows," brings to vivid life the story of a samurai sent on a mission to avenge his father's death, but deeply conflicted about the violence his task demands.
| Wednesday, June 10, 6:30 PM |
|
Claudia Cassidy Theatre, Chicago Cultural Center
77 E. Randolph Street, 2nd Floor
Chicago, IL 60602
(Map) |
It's Free!
Chicago Film Festival
|
|
| |
On Sunday, June 14th, the extremely popular Japanese writer and all-around contemporary chronicler Mariko Hayashi will be speaking at the Hyatt Regency Woodfield in Schaumburg. Her talk, entitled "The Time to Write Novels," will certainly bring out her trademark wit and good humor. Be warned (or delighted, I suppose): the event is to be held entirely in Japanese.
| Sunday, June 14th, 2009, 1:00 to 2:30 PM (sign-in to begin at 12:30) |
|
Hyatt Regency Woodfield
1800 East Golf Road
Schaumburg, IL 60173
(Map) |
| This event has been organized by the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Chicago (JCCC). JCCC members can attend for $15, while non-members will be charged $25. For tickets and more information, please contact jccc@jccc-chi.org. |
|
|
| |
Chicago's Annual Japan Festival, presented by the Mid-America Japanese Club in Arlington Heights, will soon be underway. With a them of Edo-Tokyo, this year promises to be as exciting as ever. Two main stages will play host to classical dance, taiko drumming, martial arts demonstrations, and more. Additionally, this year Kanjuro Shibata XXI, a master bowmaker from Kyoto, will be on hand for a demonstration of traditional bowmaking. Admission is free, so you really have no reason not to be here.
| Saturday, June 13th, 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM; Sunday, June 14th, 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM |
|
2121 S. Goebbert Road
Arlington Heights, IL 60005
1 block East of Mitsuwa Market Place
(Map)
|
FREE! FREE! FREE! Lots of food and games on hand.
Website: http://www.japanfest-chicago.org/ |
|
| |
Trombonist Megumi Kanda, the first ever female principal trombonist of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and an alumnus of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, will be playing a recital at the First Presbyterian Church of Arlington Heights. With Mio Nakamura accompanying on piano, Ms. Kanda will play an ambitious program featuring works by Gröndahl, Guilmant, and Larsson, among others. We are very excited to have her joining us this summer.
| Saturday, July 25, 2:30 PM (Doors open at 2 PM) |
|
302 N. Dunton Ave
Arlington Heights, IL 60004
(Map) |
It's Free!
More Information
|
|
| |
 The 16th Annual Midwest Forum on Japan-U.S. Information & Cultural Exchange was held on Friday, May 29th, 2009, at the Japan Information Center, Consulate General of Japan at Chicago. Each year since 1994, this forum has been convened with the participation of the Honorary Consuls General and representatives from Japan-related organizations in the 10-state jurisdiction of the Consulate General of Japan at Chicago.
This year, in cooperation with the Japan America Society of Chicago, observations on the change in Japan-America relations under the Obama administration, as well as the change in global relations with the economic crisis, were discussed. Additionally, participants gave presentations on the Tokyo Bid for the 2016 Olympics and Japanese language education in the United States. |
| |
This is it! You get no more warnings! As announced in at least two recent webletters, the application period for the annual Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) scholarships is open, but not much longer. Until June 15th, applications for scholarships for research, professional training, or undergraduate work at Japanese institutions of higher learning are being accepted.
These scholarships are offered annually to non-Japanese residents in the Consulate's ten-state jurisdiction, and offer a unique opportunity to study a number of different subjects in Japan.
More information can be found here:
http://www.chicago.us.emb-japan.go.jp/JIC/monbusho.html |
| |
The advent of the H1N1 Virus has brought the question of the efficacy of the world's health care apparatus into focus. This is certainly true in Japan, where the government has gamely stepped up and unleashed the full force of its flu-fighting functions. This can, unfortunately, cause some manner of confusion and disarray at customs for foreign travellers. Herewith, a primer on the current situation of the H1N1 Virus in Japan: the number of cases, a site for updates, and an outline of quarantine procedures.
|
| |
| Following are some of the upcoming events taking place in our 10-state jurisdiction. For a complete listing of all events known to the JIC, see the Calendar of Events on our website. |
| |
In cooperation with the Saint Louis Art Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago will be exhibiting a stunning collection of 32 Japanese folding screens over the course of the summer. Ranging from a 500-year-old screen to pieces made in the last decade, this is a rare opportunity to see such a large collection in one place, and is essential viewing for anyone interested in art, Japan, or screens.
And if you live further afield of Chicago, the exhibit will be travelling to the Saint Louis Art Museum in October.
Friday, June 26th to Sunday, September 27th, 2009 in Chicago
October 18, 2009 to January 3, 2010 in Saint Louis
On the evenings Thursday, July 9th and Thursday, July 30th, there will special lecture events relating to the exhibit. Stay tuned for more information!
|
|
The Art Institute of Chicago
Regenstein Hall
111 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60603
(Map) |
Japanese Screens at the Art Institute of Chicago
|
|
| |
The surprise winner of this year's Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, Yojiro Takita's "Departures" (Okuribito) will be showing for a limited engagement at Chicago's Landmark Century Centre Cinema. The story of an unemployed cellist who begins to work as an "encoffineer" at a funeral home to make ends meet, "Departures" is a comic yet moving story of the spaces between life and death. It was a surprise box office smash in its native Japan.
Showtimes vary--see website below |
Copyright © 2008 by Shochiku Company, Limited. All Rights Reserved.
|
Landmark Century Centre Cinema
2828 N Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60657
(Map) |
Theater Information (With Showtimes)
|
|
| |
Through its extensive collection of Japanese art, including lacquerware, textiles, furniture, ceramics, prints, and more, this exhibit at the Lentz Center for Asian Culture at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will examine the use of patterns, both simple and complex, in Japanese art.
Friday, May 1st, 2009 to Thursday, July 30th, 2009 |
Image courtesy of the Lentz Center for Asian Culture
|
Lentz Center for Asian Culture
University of Nebraska – Lincoln
Hewit Place - Lower Level
1155 Q Street
P.O. Box 880252
Lincoln, NE 68588
|
It's Free!
The Lentz Center for Asian Culture
|
|
| |
This one is just what it sounds like. Want to get a year's worth of language learning packed into one summer? Then you're going to love intensive language classes. For less than the cost of a semester's tuition, you can become conversant in Japanese after one hot summer's commitment to the language.
|
| |
Monthly Economic Report (May, 2009)
http://www5.cao.go.jp/keizai3/getsurei-e/2009may.html |
| |
North Korean Nuclear Issue
http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/asia-paci/n_korea/nuclear/index.html
Fifth Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM5)
http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/asia-paci/palm/palm5/index.html
Statement by Mr. Hirofumi Nakasone, Minister for Foreign Affairs, on the Approval of the Diet on Conclusion of the Agreement on relocation of United States Marine Corps from Okinawa to Guam
http://www.mofa.go.jp/announce/announce/2009/5/1191709_1134.html
"A Japan-Europe Partnership to Surmount Global Challenges"
Policy Speech by H.E. Mr. Taro Aso, Prime Minister of Japan
http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/europe/speech0905.html
Address by H.E. Mr. Taro Aso, Prime Minister of Japan, at the Gathering with the Japan-China Future Business Leaders: "My Message to Inspire and Encourage the Future Leaders of Japan and China"
http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/asia-paci/china/address0904.html |
| |
Here are three questions regarding news stories about Japan in May. The first person to send us the most correct answers wins a little Japanese prize. Don't forget to send us your mailing address with your answers!
-
Why might Koji Suzuki's new horror novella cause readers to "wipe" the sweat off their foreheads?
-
Why is Jenn Barr like Takeru Kobayashi, albeit in a different sport?
- What new product is Starbucks trying to "wiggle" into the Japanese market?
To submit your answers by email, click here: jic@japancc.org and write "Japan News Quiz" in the subject line.
Answers from the April Quiz:
Whoops! There was an error with the email address in last month's News Quiz, so if you submitted answers, they never got through to me. Alternately, no one submitted answers...In either case, I'm going to repost last month's News Quiz and give everyone a second chance to answer it! Good luck.
-
Why was Tokyo Tower green and gold on April 9th?
-
What's gotten fashion designer Junya Watanabe feeling a little presidential?
- What island off the coast of Nagasaki just reopened?
|
| |
 Tokyo Food Page
Before the internet, I ate exclusively at McDonald's when I was in Japan. I was unwilling to risk stumbling into a subpar bar or an unknown restaurant. That has all changed. The Tokyo Food Page exhaustively chronicles dining in Japan, offering restaurant reviews for Kansai, Kanto, and points in between, tours of food markets, and listings of every izakaya, snack bar, cafe, or wine bar you could hope to find. And, for those of us downsizing our budgets, there is an extensive list of recipes. |
| |
I'm going to keep the weather-related salutations to a minimum this month, as the unreasonably cold May in Chicago has me feeling a little sour.
But hello and happy May/June!
We here at the Consulate General of Japan at Chicago are gearing up for a busy summer in the Midwest, filled with lectures, art exhibits, and festivals. There's a new Hayao Miyazaki film on its way across the Pacific, a trombone recital from Milwaukee's first female principal trombonist, scores of language and culture classes, and St. Louis' always-gigantic Japanese Festival.
But as far as I'm concerned, that's still not enough! So here I will once again renew my call for information on any and all events in your area. Let me know!
Events we host aside, the Japan Information Center will also be doing many things this summer, chief amongst them our school and summer camp visits. As a free service to the public in our area, the JIC often travels to local public schools or education programs to make presentations aobut Japanese culture, society, arts, language, or anything else you can think of. If you're interested in having us give one of our presentations at your school or library or summer camp, please visit our website.
Stay warm, and I'll see you in June,
Daniel Drake, Editor
|
| |
| You are receiving this email webletter because you have signed up to receive information about Japan and Japan-related events from our office. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, please click the link below. |
|
|
|
Satsuki, the old Japanese name for the month of May, means "rice sprout month," for this is the traditional time for planting the young rice in paddies. 
