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.

Nagatsuki is the old Japanese name for the month of September. It is a shortened form of Yonagazuki, which means "long-night month." Why the long nights? A popular activity in Yonagazuki is tsukimi, or moon viewing, in which people set up decorations of dumplings and gaze for hours at the harvest moon.

There are 2 national holidays in Nagatsuki. Keiro no hi, or Respect for the Aged Day, is observed on the 3rd Monday of the month. A relatively recent holiday - only official since 1966 - Keiro no hi has few particular customs associated with it. Though, cultural programs and other events spotlighting the elderly are often held. The other official holiday this month is Autumnal Equinox Day. In addition to observing the change of the seasons, Japanese often visit the graves of ancestors, cleaning them and leaving flowers and food.

The Japanese asteroid explorer Hayabusa (Falcon) returned to Earth on June 13, 2010 following a seven-year, approximately six billion kilometer round-trip journey to the asteroid Itokawa. The HAYABUSA is the first spacecraft to land on a celestial body other than the Moon and then return to Earth.

For an explanation of its mission, and some cool graphics that illustrate how the vehicle was slingshot back to Earth, click here for a short PDF.

The Midwest U.S. - Japan Association's annual meeting will be this coming weekend in Detroit. Under the theme "Powering the Future: Transformation & Growth Strategies," participants from Japan and the Midwestern member states (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Wisconsin) will meet to discuss issues economic, environmental, political, and beyond. Guests include Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, Japanese Ambassador to the United States Ichiro Fujisaki, and many other notable public and private figures.

Date	Sunday, September 12 - Tuesday, September 14 All day, for specific schedule times, see the link below
Place	Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center 400 Renaissance Drive Detroit, MI 48243 (Map)
Info	Event Information and Registration

Together with the venerable Urasenke Chicago Association and the newly eighty-years venerable Japan America Society of Chicago, the Consulate will be hosting a Japanese tea ceremony and flower workshop at the Japan Information Center in Chicago on September 29th.

This is an excellent opportunity to view some truly skilled practitioners of chanoyu, the contemplative Japanese art form, and learn a little about its meaning and history. Additionally, participants who bring a vase or similar flower-vessel will have a chance to learn about chabana, or tea ceremony flower arrangements, and try some arranging of their own.

Be sure to RSVP at the web address below!

Date	Wednesday, September 29 6:00 - 8:00 PM
Place	Japan Information Center Consulate General of Japan at Chicago 737 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 1000 Chicago, IL 60611 (Map)
Info	Cost: $10 Event Information and Registration

The 2010 Greater Kansas City Japan Festival, an extravaganza of Japanese art, music, dance, food, performance, pop culture, and, this year, "Candy Artist" Miyuki Sugimori, kicks off at ten in the morning on Saturday, October 10th. Held at Overland Park, Kansas' Johnson County Community College, this annual tradition already boasts a schedule more packed than last year, and promises to be a great end to the summer festival season, at the beginning of the fall.

Date	Saturday, October 2, 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM	Photo Credit: Andrew Allen Courtesy KC Japan Festival
Place	The Carlsen Center Johnson County Community College 12345 College Blvd Overland Park, Kansas, 66210 (Map and Directions)
Info	Cost: $10 for adults, $5 for children, free for children under 5 Kansas City Japan Festival

Valparaiso University's Brauer Museum of Art has kicked off the school year, and their 2010-2011 season, with an opening exhibit featuring work by famed Japanese printmaker Sadao Watanabe, supplemented by a collection of recent kimono fashion drawn from the collection of a Valparaiso resident. These two exhibits, titled "Heeding the Voice of Heaven: Sadao Watanabe Biblical Stencil Prints" and "Everyday Art: Casual Kimono from Mid-20th Century Japan," together offer a great chance to see the effect postwar Westernization had on more traditional Japanese arts.

Be sure to visit the links below to see the schedule for the array of supplemental events, including a gallery talk with a Valparaiso art professor.

Date	Through Friday, November 19
Place	Brauer Museum of Art Center for the Arts, Valparaiso University 1709 Chapel Drive Valparaiso, Indiana 46383 (Directions)
Info	Exhibit Information Museum Schedule Free admission, donations welcome.

This year, the Japan America Society of Chicago celebrates its 80th Anniversary, and has hosted many exciting events all year long. The Board of Governor's Annual Dinner is no exception, with 2008 Nobel Laureate in Physics Dr. Yoichiro Nambu delivering the keynote speech. Be sure to RSVP early, as there is limited seating and high demand!

Date	Thursday, September 16, 6:15 - 9:30 PM
Place	The Fortnightly of Chicago 120 East Bellevue Place Chicago, IL 60611 (Map)
Info	Event Information, including online event registration. Tickets are $125 per person.

If you frequent the Art Institute of Chicago, you may have noticed lately that much of the museum's collection of Japanese art has not been on display. Fortunately, it has not been misplaced. Rather, the Art Institute has been renovating their galleries in order to present the public with the Roger L. and Pamela Weston Wing and Japanese Art Galleries, the new and improved home of Japanese art at the AIC.

If you are interested in being one of the first to experience the new galleries, then you may want to attend the Opening Gala on September 25th, a black-tie affair with cocktails, Japanese cuisine, and an auction to benefit the Japanese Art Shinkokai Fund. For more information, including tickets and pricing, please see the link below.

Otherwise, the galleries will be open to the public starting on September 26.

Date	Saturday, September 25, 7:00 - 10:00 PM	Image courtesy of Kim Scarborough via Wikipedia
Place	The Art Institute of Chicago 111 South Michigan Avenue Chicago, IL 60603 (Map)
Info	Gala Information

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's wonderfully authentic Japanese tea house will be opening their doors for the Fall Open House on October 2nd. Open to all interested parties, not just U of I students, this year's Open House is a chance to witness a tea ceremony, get a tour of the serene gardens by their designer, James Bier, and watch calligraphy master Shozo Sato practice his art, for free.

Date	Saturday, October 2, all day Garden Tours at 1:00 and 3:00 PM Calligraphy Demonstrations at 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM	Photo Credit: Japan House, UIUC
Place	Japan House 2000 South Lincoln Avenue Urbana, Illinois 61802 (Map and Directions)
Info	Japan House Fall Open House

Pop and jazz musician Akiko Yano, who could maybe be called the Japanese Carole King, has been recording for more than thirty years including notable stints collaborating with Ryuichi Sakamoto and Studio Ghibli. And she's coming to the US! As part of her unique demae concert approach, wherein the shows are ordered and delivered much like at a carry-out restaurant, she will be playing two shows in Madison, Wisconsin.

Warhorse (as opposed to venerable) heavy metal and weirdo rock band X Japan, hot off of dominating the stage at Chicago's annual Lollapalooza music festival, will be returning to the Windy City again on Wednesday, October 6 to blow the Riviera Theater's speakers (and the audience's minds). If you missed them in August, don't miss this show.

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

Futenma Replacement Facility Bilateral Experts Study Group Report [PDF]
http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/n-america/us/security/pdfs/futenma-report1008.pdf

Courtesy Call on Mr. Katsuya Okada, Minister for Foreign Affairs, by Admiral Robert Willard, Commander, the U.S. Pacific Command
http://www.mofa.go.jp/announce/announce/2010/8/0824_03.html

Address by Prime Minister Naoto Kan at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony
http://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/kan/statement/201008/06aisatu_e.html

Address by Prime Minister Naoto Kan at the Nagasaki Peace Ceremony
http://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/kan/statement/201008/09aisatu_e.html

The Government of Japan is committed to improving the world. Over the next two issues of the e-Japan Journal, we will be highlighting some of these efforts. This month, click below to learn about what the Government of Japan is doing to

• Combat Climate Change
• Work Towards Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation
• Reach the United Nation's Millenium Development Goals

Here are three questions regarding news stories about Japan in May. What? MAY? It's September! Except no one got the answers in May, so you all get one more chance to win a Japanese prize. And this time, I'll make it two prizes, as an incentive. So, good luck, and don't forget to send us your mailing address with your answers.

1. What vegetable is up and coming in Bibai, Hokkaido?
   
   
2. Why does the "I-Fairy" robot like to hear the words "I do"?
   
   
3. What new innovation will Japanese Playstation 3 owners be the first to experience?
   
   To submit your answers by email, click here: jic@japancc.org and write "Japan News Quiz" in the subject line.

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.

• September 16: Irish Immigrants Support
• October 1: Andrew Jackson Elementary School at the JIC

Japanese Travel Phrases

Returning now to the periodic series of links that can help you on a vacation in Japan, this month's offering is for the adventurous traveller who plans to step away from Tokyo, and from English assistance, but has no Japanese ability. Sure, gesticulating will probably convey that you're hungry, but how do you mime "no meat"?

Well, either you're really good at charades, or you travel over to Fodor's Japanese Travel Phrases, and you learn a few phrases. And how to pronounce them, both phonetically and by listening to the comprehensive list of sound clips. You could also download the wallet reference. And if you're worried about breadth, then you are incorrect to worry, because they cover greetings, directions, food, shopping, and more.

So nihongo wo machigai suru no more with this handy phrase-site.

It's fall!

After a summer hiatus, we are back at the e-Japan Journal. And we have added a few features! Unbeknownst to many of our readers, the Japan Information Center at the Chicago Consulate has a wonderful collection of books, magazines, videos, CDs, and newspapers, in Japanese and English, fiction and non-, and available for a free library loan to any resident of our 10-state jurisdiction. If you've been looking for resources to help your Japanese language study, or if you want to know everything about the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (MAFF), we have the books for you! So, to highlight this collection, we will be updating our readers every month on what's new, what's old, and what's great at the JIC Library.

Happy Autumn,

Daniel Drake, Editor