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.

Yayoi, the old Japanese name for the month of March, means "new life" and indicates the coming of spring.

The only national holiday in Yayoi is Shunbun no hi, or Vernal Equinox Day, on March 20th or 21st. The deep appreciation for nature traditionally shown by Japanese people makes this day especially important. After Shunbun no hi, we know that the blossoming of the sakura (cherry blossoms) is not far away.

While all that nature stuff is great, little Japanese girls know that the true excitement of Yayoi is on March 3rd - the Hina Matsuri (Doll Festival), or Girls' Day. Families with young daughters set up displays of the imperial court around mid-February, prepare special foods, and offer prayers for the girls' happiness. As soon as March 3 has gone, however, the display is put away, owing to an old superstition that the longer it lingers, the older the daughter will be before she marries.

Celebrate Women's History Month at the JIC Library in March!

March is Women's History Month, so why not explore some books about the lives of Japanese women? Social science books about women's issues in Japan can be found under Call #434, but there are many books about women throughout the library. Here are a few to check out this month...

Published in English in 2010, The New Paradox for Japanese Women: Greater Choice, Greater Inequality at Call #434009 is a cutting-edge, in-depth exploration of the role of women in a rapidly changing Japanese society. "Tachibanaki Toshiaki, a leading economist with a sociological wit, vividly describes the multiple realities of women...the Japan myth of a workaholic businessman and a full-time housewife is no longer the case."

The Secrets of Mariko: A Year in the Life of a Japanese Woman and Her Family at Call #434010 explores the life of one real Japanese housewife through the eyes of American Journalist Elisabeth Bumiller, who has also studied the lives of women in India. This book gives readers an up-close view of what it is like to be a woman in Japan, as well as an insight into the realities of daily life in Japan.

Many young Japanese women work as low-level clerical staff known as "office ladies" before marriage or starting careers. In Office Ladies and Salaried Men: Power, Gender and Work in Japanese Companies at Call #434011, Sociology professor Yuko Ogasawara explores "the subtle and not-so-subtle ways in which these women manipulate men and subvert the power structure to their advantage."

During the 1980s bubble years of Japan, expensive bars called hostess clubs were an important part of corporate culture. The hostesses were modern day geisha: beautiful, well dressed women who would pour drinks, light cigarettes and flirt with the businessmen who would come to the clubs to relax after work. Many American women found part-time jobs at these clubs, including anthropologist Anne Allison, who presented her findings in Nightwork: Sexuality, Pleasure and Corporate Masculinity in a Tokyo Hostess Club at Call #471052. Allison's academic study provides a fascinating glimpse into the deeply private world of the hostess club, the lives of the women who work there, and their male clientele.

You may know about Kabuki, the traditional theater where men play female and male roles alike, but have you heard of Takarazuka, the all-female revue founded in 1913? In Takarazuka: Sexual Politics and Popular Culture in Modern Japan at Call #471057, anthropologist Jennifer Robinson "explores how the Revue illuminates sexual politics, nationalism, imperialism, modernity, and popular culture in twentieth-century Japan." And they were great performers, too! Just look at the photo above to see proof of that.

Happy reading!

On February 22, the Japan America Society of Indiana threw a grand celebration for Dr. Eiichi Negishi, 2010 Nobel Prize in Chemistry Laureate and professor at Indiana's own Purdue Univerisity. Please click here for a look at the Consul General's experiences at the Gala, or head over to the Japan America Society of Indiana's site for more pictures and details!

Dr. Koichi Wakata, astronaut extraordinaire and friend of the Consulate, has just been appointed the next Captain of the International Space Station. Beginning in 2013, Dr. Wakata will rocket to the ISS for a six-month engagement. He is the first Japanese person ever to command the station. Check this Japan Times article for more details, and go here to read about Dr. Wakata's visit to Chicago in June of 2010.

Another friend of the Consulate, jazz pianist Hiromi Uehara won a Grammy at February's awards ceremony for her work as part of the Stanley Clarke Band. An internationally-reknowned musician, Ms. Uehara has played from Paris to Moscow to Chicago. Click here to read about Consul General Hisaeda's meeting with her in March at a concert, and head on over here to read more about the Stanley Clarke Band.

Together with the Consulate's Japan Information Center, the University of Chicago's East Asian Studies Department kicks off March with a panel discussion at the scenic Gleacher Center (right on the river!) But more than the chance to enjoy scenic downtown Chicago, the talk will give attendees the opportunity to hear four experts from Japan and the United States discuss the future of the world's three largest economies: Japan, China, and the United States.

Date	Monday, March 7, 5:30 PM, Recepetion from 5:00 PM
Place	University of Chicago Gleacher Center, Room 600 450 N Cityfront Plaza Drive Chicago, IL 60611 (Map)
Info	Event Flyer This event is FREE! However, please RSVP by phone or email ahead of time to reserve a space. Call 773-702-8647 or email tcouch@uchicago.edu for your RSVP.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln's annual Japan Fest returns again this March, this time bringing music and dance performances from U of N students, a taiko drum concert, and a screening of the popular rock movie, Linda Linda Linda. The film will screen at the Ross Arts Center, while the earlier performances will be at the campus' City Union.

Date	Friday, March 11, 3:30 - 9:00 PM
Place	Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center 313 N. 13th Street Lincoln, NE 68588 (Map)
Info	Free and open to the public

This year marks the Consulate's 25th Annual Japanese Language Speech Contest, our Silver Anniversary! And while it is too late to register at this point, we invite anyone and everyone to come to the auditorium of the Japan Information Center on Saturday, March 26th to listen to contestants from across the Midwest perform the speeches they've been working on for months. Plus, someone goes home with a plane ticket to Japan!

Date	Saturday, March 26, 9:30 AM - 4:30 PM	24th Annual Japanese Language Speech Contestants
Place	Japan Information Center Consulate General of Japan at Chicago 737 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 1000 Chicago, Illinois 60611 (Map)
Info	Visit our website for more details.

So! It's not too late after all!Last month's Japanese Language Speech Contest in Shawnee Mission, Kansas was cancelled, but fortunately rescheduled through the hard work of the Heart of America Japan America Society, the Olathe School District International Studies Program, and the University of Kansas Center for East Asian Studies. Which can only be good news, because it gives any stragglers that missed the first time a chance to register. The schedule of events is much the same, with kanji and kana bees, poetry, haikus, speeches, and Japanese food. The only difference is the change of date and the change of venue (please note new venue below).

Date	Saturday, March 26, 10:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Place	Olathe Northwest High School 21300 College Blvd Olathe, KS 66061 (Map)
Info	Event Scehdule Please visit the Heart of America Japan-America Society's website for more details.

The University of Chicago's Ninth Annual Japan at Chicago Conference will this year be tackling the question of literature in Japan in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War. Presenters from the University of Chicago, Princeton University, Waseda University, and more, will convene to examine the flurry of discourse that fell in literary circles after the war as Japanese scholars of the time debated the pressing questions left to them by their empire and the American occupying forces.

Date	Friday, March 4, 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM Saturday, March 5, 10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Place	University of Chicago International House, Coulter Lounge 1414 E. 59th St Chicago, IL 60637 (Map)
Info	For more information, including a detailed schedule, please visit the U of C's conference website: Rethinking Hihyō

Japanese R&B duo Skoop On Somebody returns to Chicago after their successful North American debut here back in August, 2010. And this time, they'll be playing alongside singer-songwriter Akiko Yano at a charity conference to benefit local educational, cultural, and community organizations. Come join the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Chicago for an exciting night of contemporary Japanese music.

Date	Saturday, March 5, 6:30 - 8:30 PM
Place	Northwestern University Pick-Staiger Concert Hall 50 Arts Circle Drive Evanston, IL 60208 (Map)
Info	Tickets: $15 for students, $20 for balcony seats, $40 for floor seats Event Flyer

Shamisen savant Hiromitsu Agatsuma will once again be embarking on a tour of the Midwest, and his first show date brings him to Knoxville, Iowa. All week long, from March 21st to the 25th, Mr. Agatsuma will be holding music workshops with local public school students, and then, on Saturday, March 26th, he will be performing his unique blend of traditional shamisen music and contemporary forms live!

Date	Concert: Saturday, March 26, 7:00 PM
Place	Knoxville Middle School 102 North Lincoln Street Knoxville, IA 50138 (Map)
Info	Tickets: $7 Click here for more information

At the age of 46, the famed animator Satoshi Kon died suddenly in the summer of 2010. Yet in his short life, he created some of the most exciting animation of the last 25 years, including the modern classic Millenium Actress. In tribute to Mr. Kon, this year's Asian Film Festival and Conference at the University of Notre Dame will focus on five works of Japanese animation, two of them Kon's (the aforementioned Millenium Actress and his last film, Paprika), and the other three contemporaneous works that both show his influence and nod towards the directions feature animation may take in the future. In addition to the five screenings, there is a free panel discussion on Saturday, March 26th at noon, which will go into more detailed discussion of each of the films.

Date	Friday, March 25, screening begins at 6:00 PM, to Saturday, March 26
Place	Unviersity of Notre Dame DeBartolo Performing Arts Center 100 Performing Arts Center Notre Dame, IN 46556 (Map)
Info	2011 Asian Film Festival & Conference

The Kashu-Juku troupe has performed Noh theater for generations, and they are masters of the subtle gestures and musical cues that define the form. They will be performing one night only at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, so buy your tickets now, before it's sold out.

Date	Tuesday, March 29, 7:30 PM
Place	University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Krannert Center for the Performing Arts 500 S. Goodwin Avenue Urbana, Illinois 61801 (Map & Directions)
Info	Ticket Prices Range from $10 to $28. Click here to buy tickets and read more about the event.

Late Japanese film master Yasujiro Ozu liked his film Floating Weeds so much, he made it twice. Most people (myself included) are only familiar with the color-and-sound version from 1959, and it is a great film. So in an exciting development, Northwestern University will be screening the rarely-screened 1934 silent version, A Story of Floating Weeds, on March 31st. Moreover, befitting a silent film, the screening will feature live accompaniment from guitarist Alex de Grassi!

Date Thursday, March 31, 7:30 PM Place Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art 40 Arts Circle Drive Evanston, IL 60208 (Map & Directions) Info Tickets $8 Click for details and to buy tickets.

Monthly Economic Report (February, 2011)
http://www5.cao.go.jp/keizai3/getsurei-e/2011feb.html

Statement by the Press Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan on Appointment of U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan by U.S. Secretary of State Clinton
http://www.mofa.go.jp/announce/announce/2011/2/0223_01.html

Press Conference by Minister for Foreign Affairs Seiji Maehara 2/18 - Including Cancellation of High-Speed Railway System Construction Project in Florida and Realignment of US Military Forces
http://www.mofa.go.jp/announce/fm_press/2011/2/0218_01.html

Press Conference by Minister for Foreign Affairs Seiji Maehara 2/15 - Including Realignment of US Military Force
http://www.mofa.go.jp/announce/fm_press/2011/2/0215_01.html

Press Conference by Minister for Foreign Affairs Seiji Maehara 2/10 - Including Realignment of US Military Force (Freeze on Futenma-Related Budget) and Japan-US Security Sub-committee
http://www.mofa.go.jp/announce/fm_press/2011/2/0210_01.html

Press Conference by the Deputy Press Secretary, 3 February 2011 - Including Questions concerning a Possible US-Japan Summit Meeting
http://www.mofa.go.jp/announce/press/2011/2/0203_01.html

Result of the Questionnaire Survey on the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction
http://www.mofa.go.jp/announce/announce/2011/2/0202_01.html

Here are three new questions about current events in Japan. The first person to answer the most questions correctly will receive a bit of Consular merchandise.

1. How has Nintendo reached new depths in portable gaming?
   
   
2. Why was Joseph Tame's run in the Tokyo Marathon a little burdensome?
   
   
3. Speaking of marathons, how are researchers in Osaka making them easier than ever for humans to participate in without actually running?
   
   To submit your answers by email, click here: jic@japancc.org and write "Japan News Quiz" in the subject line.

Answers from the February Quiz:
And another hearty congratulations to Larry Smith, who answered all the questions below correctly!.

1. What's happening to Kyushu's Mt. Kirishima? It is a volcano and it is erupting.



2. What does a white stork have to do with the International Space Station? The Japanese cargo ship that is resupplying the ISS is named Kounotori2, which means "White Stork."



3. Why might X-Japan consider adding the letters E, M, and I to its name? X-Japan just signed a deal with record label EMI.

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.

• March 22: Carmel High School at the JIC
• March 28: Apollo Elementary School

e-yakimono.net

Some of the oldest known pottery in the world comes from Japan, circa 10,000 BCE. In fact, so identified is the prehistory of Japan with ceramics, the Jōmon period, covering 14,000 to 300 BCE, is named for the distinctive markings left on clay objects by the cords wrapped around them. All of this is a rambling preamble to say that Japanese ceramics have a long, distinguished, and remarkable history, with a sprawling array of types and styles ranging across the nation. How is one to ever scratch the surface of such a beautiful and fascinating tradition?!

This wouldn't be the "Website Highlight" section if I wasn't prepared to answer you with a highlighted website. And so we come to e-yakimono.net, a compact and deceptively small website that contains all the information any aspiring ceramics expert could desire. Here's a list of museums and galleries focused on pottery, and here's a list of famous figures in the field. But the coup de grace, as far as I'm concerned, is this "Pottery Guidebook," an exhaustive and well-indexed survey of Japanese ceramic styles, practitioners, histories, and regional variations.

As many of you may know (or as you read just a few paragraphs back), March 3 is the Hina Matsuri, or Doll's Festival, in Japan. Probably the coolest celebration of dolls in the world, Hina Matsuri puts American Girl dolls to shame. Each spring, families across Japan set up an elaborate tiered platform draped in red upon which they place several rows of intricately crafted dolls representing different court ranks from the Heian Period. Here are some pictures!

However, the real reason I bring this up (aside from how great these dolls are!) is to link you to this amazing set piece from Akira Kurosawa's 1990 film Dreams. Not his best film, certainly, Dreams still achieves several moments of breathless grace and, in the linked vignette, a sort of terrifying majesty. Also! How cool would it be if your dolls came to life?

Daniel Drake, Editor