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.

Shiwasu, the old Japanese name for the month of December, means “priests run around.” It is so called because the priests (along with everyone else) are so busy this month preparing for the end of the year and the New Year festivities.

The National Holidays in Japan this month are the birthday of the current emperor, which is December 23, and the End of Year holidays on December 29, 30 and 31.

Another important observation in December is New Year's Eve - called Omisoka in Japan. Families busily clean their house and make final preparations for the all-important Oshogatsu - the first 3 days of the New Year. As midnight approaches on Omisoka, Buddhist temples around the country begin ringing out the old year - sounding the temple bell 108 times. This practice is based on a belief that humans have 108 earthly passions they have to overcome in order to attain enlightenment, and each ring is thought to drive away one such passion.

Street Fashion: A Fun Look at the Lighter Side of Japanese Culture

Tokyo street fashion hit America in a big way when Gwen Stefani launched her “Harajuku Lovers” fashion line in 2005, but FRUiTS magazine has been cataloging the wild and weird world of Tokyo street fashion since 2007, capturing the weirdest, wackiest, most colorful costumes to grace the streets of Harajuku and Shibuya. Check out Fruits (#180012) and Fresh Fruits (#180013) for a “best-of” selections of photos from this pioneering magazine.

Curious about the history of street fashion subcultures? Japanese Schoolgirl Inferno: Tokyo Teen Fashion Subculture Handbook (#180014) is a humorous, illustrated guide to forty years of street fashion, starting with “Sukeban” bad girl style in the late sixties and seventies, up to cutesy, candy-colored “Decora Chan” style in the aughties.

If you’re interested in the high fashion side of things, Tiffany Godoy’s Style Deficit Disorder: Harajuku Street Fashion Tokyo (#180009), gives an extensive overview of the Tokyo designers and boutiques that helped fuel the street fashion scene in both past, present and future, with plenty of inspiring photos.

Lastly, The Tokyo Look Book (#180011) might inspire you to put together some wild style of your own, with advice on where to shop, profiles of important designers, and detailed photos and interviews with real people in the Tokyo street fashion scene.

The JIC Library is open from 9:15am to 5:00pm Monday through Friday most weeks, and offered a vast selection of books in Japanese and English pertaining to Japan. Come check it out!

This coming December 23 marks a time of festivity and celebration in Japan for the Emperor's birthday, a national holiday, and one of only two occasions each year that the public is allowed into the Imperial grounds. There, crowds are greeted by the Imperial family, and can admire the pristine garden from up close. Typically, the Emperor also gives a brief address to the assembled throngs.

For more information on the Royal Family, please visit The Imperial Household Agency.

Time for a direct address, e-Japan Journal readers. Chicago's Gene Siskel Film Center has just added two Japanese films to their December schedule, and they particularly want you, yes you, reading this right now, to attend. I'll get to the discount details (special only for our readers) below, but first let's discuss the films. Running December 3rd to 9th, Summer Wars is the 2010 Japan Academy winner for Best Animated Feature (and you know there's stiff animated competition in Japan). It's the story of a rogue bit of AI that shuts down world communications, and a squad of young prodigies who must stop it.

The second film, Kuroneko, will be showing from December 17 to 23. A classic 1968 ghost story from director Kaneto Shindo (Onibaba), this new print offers viewers the chance to watch the story of marauding samurai lured into a haunted house in sharp new black and white.

Be sure to read below to claim your e-Japan Journal special!

Date	Dates and Times vary, please visit the below links!
Place	Gene Siskel Film Center 164 North State Street Chicago, IL 60601 (Map and Directions)
Info	Admission: $10. EXCEPT! $7 for e-Japan Journal readers. For the December 6 and 7 showings of Summer Wars, when buying your ticket give the friendly box office employees the code "JICSW" to receive the discount. Likewise Kuroneko: at the December 20 and 21 screenings, use the code "JICKURO" in person, and save! Summer Wars Info and Showtimes Kuroneko Info and Showtimes

It is too late to register (and if we're being honest with ourselves, too late to start studying), but remember: the Japanese Language Proficiency Test is this coming Sunday, December 5. So if you registered in Atlanta, Chicago, Fayetteville, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Boston, or Washington, D.C., don't forget to arrive on time and well-rested. Good luck!

The Japan Foundation in Los Angeles has all the information you need about taking the test in the US, including site-specific fact sheets. Go here: http://www.jpf.go.jp/jfla/jlpt_index.html If you're anything like me, you'll want a study guide: http://www.jlpt.jp/e/samples/forlearners.html

For the month of December, Navy Pier will be the center of Chicago's holiday and seasonal festivities as it once again hosts the Winter WonderFest. As in years past, many of Chicago's foreign consulates will be sponsoring activities and decorating trees that are displayed throughout the pier. And the Consulate General of Japan at Chicago is no exception: a Japanese-themed Christmas tree will be on display through Sunday, January 2.

Moreover, on Sunday, December 12, St. Matthew's Japanese Preschool and Chicago Okinawa Kenjinkai will be entertaining audiences all afternoon with a program of music and dance. Be sure to arrive by 2:30 so you don't get crowded out!

Date	Performance on Sunday, December 12, 2:30 to 5:30
Place	Navy Pier 600 East Grand Avenue Chicago, IL 60611 (Map)
Info	Winter WonderFest at Navy Pier Chicago Okinawa Kenjinkai

As part of their wonderful exhibit of Japanese-style ceramics, the Elmhurst Art Museum, along with the Japanese Consulate at Chicago and the Urasenke Chicago Association, will be holding a Japanese Tea Ceremony on Saturday, December 11. It's open to the public, and a great opportunity to see the truly fascinating pottery exhibit.

Date	Saturday, December 11, 2:30 to 3:30 PM
Place	Elmhurst Art Museum 150 Cottage Hill Avenue Elmhurst, IL 60126 (Map and Directions)
Info	Admission: FREE! Event Flier

The Japanese American Service Committee's annual winter festival is back again this December! Come for a chance to see handmade Japanese crafts of every variety; stay warm by eating lots of Japanese cuisine; and entertain your kids with an extensive program of Japanese performing arts.

Date	Saturday, December 4, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM	Courtesy of Japanese American Service Committee
Place	Japanese American Service Committee of Chicago 4427 North Clark Street Chicago, Illinois 60640 (Map)
Info	Free! This year's event info is not up yet, but go here for details about the 2008 Holiday Delight. The events and crafts are much the same!

There is still time to register for the Japan America Society of Chicago's annual dinner. RSVP by December 10 (December 3 for Corporate Groups) to reserve your spot at this lavish dinner and silent auction!

Each winter, the Midwest Buddhist Temple in Chicago invites the local community to witness the creation of mochi, or sweet rice cakes, on their grounds. A staple of New Year's feasts, the sticky rice paste in a mochi cake is made by pounding it repeatedly with a heavy mallet. I will say without hesitation that it is absolutely one of the best things in the world for a pre-adolescent child to watch. Plus, afterwards the temple will be selling the freshly made mochi, which are delicious. Be sure to arrive before 10:00 AM; it's been known to get crowded!

Date	Saturday, December 18, 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Place	Midwest Buddhist Temple 435 West Menomonee Street Chicago, IL 60614 (Map and Directions)
Info	Scroll down to the bottom for information on the event: Midwest Buddhist Temple

Like many of co-director and Chicagoan Tatsu Aoki's projects, Taiko Legacy 7 is a skillful braiding of disparate musical threads drawn from the traditional music of many different countries. Featuring performers from across Chicago, including the Fujima Ryu dance troupe and the Japanese American Service Committee's Tsukasa Taiko group, it's a musical melange that has earned its place as a semi-tradition at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Chicagoan Jack Beem has been collecting contemporary Japanese prints since the 1960s, and, through January 9th, the Art Institute of Chicago is featuring an exhibit drawn exclusively from Mr. Beem's collection. With prints made in a wide variety of styles, and from every decade since the 1960s, the exhibit is a wide and deep survey of Japanese printwork in the late 20th century.

Date	Every day through Sunday, January 9
Place	Art Institute of Chicago 111 South Michigan Avenue Chicago, IL 60603 (Map and Directions)
Info	Art Institute of Chicago Exhibit Listing

Monthly Economic Report (November, 2010)
http://www5.cao.go.jp/keizai3/getsurei-e/2010nov.html

Press Conference by the Deputy Press Secretary, 18 November 2010 - Including JAPAN-US Summit Meeting
http://www.mofa.go.jp/announce/press/2010/11/1118_01.html

Press Conference by Minister for Foreign Affairs Seiji Maehara, 12 November 2010 - Including Japan-US Bilateral Summit Meeting
http://www.mofa.go.jp/announce/fm_press/2010/11/1112_01.html

Courtesy Call on Mr. Yoshito Sengoku, Chief Cabinet Secretary, by Mr. James B. Steinberg, Deputy Secretary of State of the United States of America
http://www.mofa.go.jp/announce/announce/2010/11/1109_02.html

Press Conference by Minister for Foreign Affairs Seiji Maehara, 5 November 2010 - Including US Military Realignment Issue (Visit to Tokyo by Nago Mayor and Nago City Council Delegation)
http://www.mofa.go.jp/announce/fm_press/2010/11/1105_01.html

Press Conference by the Deputy Press Secretary, 4 November 2010 - Including United States-Japan 2010 Joint Projects in APEC, Question concerning a possible trilateral meeting between Japan, China and the United States, Question concerning the upcoming visit of President Obama to Japan
http://www.mofa.go.jp/announce/press/2010/11/1104_01.html

Press Conference by Minister for Foreign Affairs Seiji Maehara 2 November 2010 - Including Japan-US Relations
http://www.mofa.go.jp/announce/fm_press/2010/11/1102_01.html

Alright! We got some responses to last month's News Quiz, so here are three new questions about current events in Japan. The first person to answer will receive a bit of Consular merchandise.

1. How many kanji did the Ministry of Education just add to the standard Joyo Kanji list, the first time additions have been made since 1981?
   
   
2. How might a little night music be helping Japanese bananas?
   
   
3. Which Japanese musical artifact will be going for its last "walk" this year?
   
   To submit your answers by email, click here: jic@japancc.org and write "Japan News Quiz" in the subject line.

Answers from the October Quiz:
Congratulations to Carol Gustavson from Shibori Studios! You win some Japanese Consulate trinkets!

1. Why are Paris-Tokyo relations at a low-ebb this month? "Paris" may not refer to the French city, in this instance. After pleading guilty to a drug offense in Las Vegas, Paris Hilton encountered difficulties and delays when arriving in Japan.



2. What was unique about Mami and Keiichi Mizumoto's recent September wedding? The lucky couple won a nationwide lottery, started 10 years ago, which allows only two (one this year) couples the honor of holding their wedding atop the Senmaida rice field in Wajima, Japan. Ms. Gustavson even found this great link with pictures from the ceremony!



3. What record did Sumo wrestler Hakuho just break? Now having won 60 bouts without a loss, he has surpassed any previous yokozuna, even Chiyonofuji's record of 53 bouts undefeated.

The following is a list of all educational visits the Japan Information Center will make in the next month. For more information, or if you would like to register for a cultural presentation, please visit our website.

• December 2: Oak Park and River Forest High School

The Samurai Archives Japanese History Page

I figured we'd have a little fun with this December's Website Highlight, so here, for all of you old-school Japan-nerds who jumped on the Nippon bandwagon long before anime was an international market, back when The Karate Kid was lighting up marquees across this nation, and one of the coolest things about the Nakatomi vaults was the warrior's helmet inside, here is a page so crammed full of samurai facts it makes you embarrassed to remember that stupid ninja thing everyone was into in 2006.

The Samurai Archievs Japanese History Page is really the only place you need to visit before getting 2011's sure-to-be-hot samurai meme off your message board and into the next Twilight sequel. But seriously, it's actually an amazingly detailed, well-researched, sober, and not-bad-looking clearinghouse of samurai information, from academic articles to a compendium of samurai family crests to (yes) a forum. This would be a great place to get started on your samurai dissertation or, let's be honest, to stare at swords and armor and read about old battles.

Almost Happy New Year!

It is again the season for bonenkai, Japan's lovely tradition of almost-mandatory year-end work parties. Last year, I advocated adapting the Japanese approach to winter festivity to American holiday parties, and I have decided this shall be a theme each winter here at the e-Japan Journal. I think I speak for many former and current American expatriates in Japan when I say that the bonenkai revelry is unabashed and goofy in a way that office hijinks rarely are stateside. Here is a survey, with graphs and data and everything, showing just how popular these things are. People go to, like, 5 of these every December. Wow. And here's the Wikipedia entry, so you can study up.

Anyway, Happy Holidays. See you in 2011!

Daniel Drake, Editor