A Free E-Newsletter for Friends of Japan & Teachers of Japanese
I am glad to see many of our visitors enjoying JAPANEMA Matinee during the past month, in particular the several documentary films we showed, which depict how people in the Tohoku region have been coping with the aftermath of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. Many of the viewers left us their comments after the movie saying they were "very impressed to see the Japanese people's endeavors to search for hope in the middle of desperation," etc. This month we are working with AFI FEST, to screen the film "Like Someone In Love," directed by Abbas Kiarostami, who is highly respected in Japan and has films viewed all over the world. Please make sure to come out to support AFI FEST as well as JAPANEMA screenings at JFLA.
Misako Ito, Director
The Japan Foundation is now accepting applications from host schools for the 2013 Japanese Language Education Assistants Program (J-LEAP). Click Here if you are interested in inviting a Native Japanese Teaching Assistant to your school next year.
We are currently conducting a survey on the current condition of Japanese language education worldwide. If you are a Japanese language teacher in the United States including Guam, the Mariana Islands, and Puerto Rico we ask for your cooperation and support. Click Here for the results of the previous survey conducted in 2009.
We would like to congratulate Sophi Charles (FL), Jessica Lee (WA), and Benjamin Johnson (MD) for being selected as finalists for the photo exhibit "Nippon Through My Eyes." This is the first time we organized a photo exhibit as a part of the 2012 JET Memorial Invitation Program. Thank you to everyone who came out to view this exhibit and voted for your favorite photo.
As part of " Nikkatsu at 100," JFLA is organizing a Vintage Movie Poster Exhibition in our auditorium. This exhibit features posters from nine prominent movies from the Nikkatsu Archives. These movies are also being screened as part of the celebration with seven being shown at USC and the following two movies: "Million Dollars Smash and Grab" and "The Guys Who Put Money On Me" being shown during JFLA's JAPANEMA, free Japanese movie screenings.
For those who registered, we plan to have all vouchers and vital information sheets sent out by the first week of November. They should start arriving in your mail box by the end of the second week of November, except for those who have foreign addresses. Test voucher and vital information sheets will also be available on your JLPT Online Account shortly. The vital information sheets will also be available on the JLPT USA website shortly. There is less than one month remaining until the test day so please be ready!
In the morning, we walked down to the ticket booth for our tickets and then it was into the terminal for our flight to Tohoku. This was my first experience flying domestic in Japan and I was surprised when we didn't have to remove our shoes or take out our laptops at the security checkpoint, which was much more convenient compared to the states. The plane ride to Hanamaki took about 90-minutes and when we got there, we boarded a bus for a two-hour ride to Rikuzentaka.
This is the third part of an eight part series that will highlight the experiences of 32 participants of the 2012 JET Memorial Invitational Program. Through this program, participants travelled to Japan in July of 2012 for a two week study tour of the Tohoku area, focusing on the cities of Rikuzentakata and Ishonomaki. These were the cities that Montgomery Dickson and Taylor Anderson were assigned to during their tenure as JET Assistant English Teachers. Sadly, they lost their lives during the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in March, 2011 and this program was created to commemorate their work. Participants took part in exchanges with local elementary, and high school students as well as local community members with the purpose of fostering friendship and goodwill between both countries. This month, we will be featuring the essays of the following participants:
For the 2012-2013 school year, we invited 10 additional teaching assistants to various schools around the country as part of the Japanese Language Education Assistant Program (J-LEAP). For the next five months, we will feature reports from all the participants describing their experiences as teaching assistants at American high schools. This month, we will introduce Tae Okuda, assigned to Verdugo Woodlands Elementary School in Glendale, CA, and Yukiko Homma, assigned to Sheridan Japanese School in Sheridan, Oregon.
Prior to the three-day event at the University of Southern California, the Japan Foundation with the support of the Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles organized a private VIP reception for "Nikkatsu at 100" event on Thursday, October 25th. We had over 70 guest in attendance with special guests speakers including Naoki Sato, President and CEO of Nikkatsu; Hideo Nakata, Director of Ring; and Akira Lippit, Professor of Cinematic Arts at USC. The festivities continued the next day at USC as several of the best movies from the Nikkatsu Archive and the Japan Foundation's Film Library were shown. We congratulate them on this momentous achievement and thank everyone who came out to support our event.
On Monday, October 15th, 42 students from the immersion program at El Marino Language School visited JFLA for a kite making workshop with Japanese Kite Master Mikio Toki. The students learned about traditional Japanese kites and even got a chance to design and make their own kite to take home. There was also a large assortment of kites on display including those of various shapes and sizes with various designs themes. When the students returned to their school, the teachers allowed them to fly their hand made kites on the school's playground. If you are a teacher in the greater Los Angeles area and would like to schedule a class visit to JFLA, please contact culture@jflalc.org for more information.
We offered a special workshop titled "Making Sushi in Japanese" on October 3rd as part of our JF Nihongo Courses. This is our first workshop for adults who are interested in learning Japanese through cultural activities like making sushi. Eighteen participants learned Japanese vocabulary and basic expressions related to sushi making and eating at Japanese restaurants that serve sushi, as well as table manners, while making sushi through a well-known sushi chef, Andy Matsuda, owner of the Sushi Chef Institute. At the end of two hour class, participants were able to make a plate of various sushi, which they enjoyed for dinner. They also went home with a bottle of Marukan sushi vinegar, Kinjirushi wasabi, and Takaokaya tea as gifts. We will continue providing unique culture & language workshops as well as regular courses in the months to come.
5700 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 100
Los Angeles, CA 90036
jflainfo@jpf.go.jp
323.761.7510
