A Free E-Newsletter for Friends of Japan & Teachers of Japanese
We just sent off a group of 14 U.S. educators and administrators to Japan for a 10 day trip through the Japan Foundation Invitational Group Tour for U.S. Educators 2013. This program started in 2008, with the goal of providing participants from all over the country with the opportunity to experience the Japanese education system by visiting public schools, eating kyushoku (school lunch) with students, cleaning the classrooms together, and exchanging opinions and thoughts with their counterparts in order to deepen their understanding of Japan. Many of the principals and superintendents from the Board of Education from many regions of the US have never been to Japan nor have they been exposed to Japan-related matters. However, from past participants' feedback, we know that they were impressed with their experiences, and we were so happy to hear that they enjoyed meeting people in my home country! As a result, we found out that some of the participant's school districts started offering new Japanese language courses after the completion of the program. The Japan Foundation always treasure the opportunity to foster people-to-people exchanges in order to develop deep and long lasting friendships between the people of Japan and the U.S. as well as the world. Later this week, we will be sending off a group of 32 U.S. high school students as part of the 2013 JET Memorial Invitation Program (JET-MIP) for a 16-day visit to Japan. We are now preparing for another busy summer, and I sincerely hope you will enjoy this warm and beautiful season.
Misako Ito, Director
On Thursday, July 11, 2013, The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles (JFLA) will host the opening reception of Handcrafted Form, a world-traveling exhibition of hand-crafted objects made by traditional master artisans of Japan, in partnership with the nearby Craft and Folk Art Museum (CAFAM). The exhibition will run for six weeks until Wednesday, August 21. There will be no charge to see this exhibit at any venue.
Join us for a festive market featuring Japanese culture, art, and handmade craft. Many local artists will be showcasing their work influenced by Japanese style and traditions, in conjunction with the Handcrafted Form: Traditions and Techniques exhibition. Learn about Japanese culture and find unique crafts by local artisans. Sales will benefit CAFAM.
Audience favorite film Leonie from our Japanema matinee series is back by popular demand, to be preceded by a special lecture by Professor Masako Iino, former President of Tsuda College.
Since 2008, the Japan Foundation has invited U.S. administrative leaders in primary and secondary educational institutions to visit Japan on an exchange and observation mission. From June 30 to July 10, 2013, 14 educators from the United States will have the opportunity to exchange ideas and build professional networks with educators and administrators in Japan. Participants will visit educational institutions and government organizations, as well as experience Japanese cultural activities firsthand in Tokyo, Saitama, Sendai, Kyoto, and areas devastated by the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami. Through this program, we hope enhance the relations between the participants and the people of Japan with the goal of establishing or expanding Japanese language education in the U.S. with the support of the educational leaders and their respective educational institutions.
On July 6, 32 U.S. high school students from all over the country including Alaska, Guam, and Hawaii will gather in Los Angeles to kick off the third annual JET Memorial Invitation Program to commemorate the work of Taylor Anderson and Montgomery Dickson. After the orientation, they will travel to the Japan Foundation Japanese Language Institute Kansai for intensive Japanese language training before heading to the Tohoku region. There they will visit the cities of Rikuzentaka and Ishinomaki to participate in exchanges with Japanese students from all education levels and take part in a homestay in Sendai. They will then return to Kansai and reflect on their experiences while creating presentations to express their understanding of the themes of this program. A weekend homestay is also scheduled in Osaka. Afterwards, they will return back to Los Angeles for a wrap-up meeting before returning home. We look forward to meeting all the participants for the start of this exciting program.
We will be offering an exclusive Summer Study Group for past JF Nihongo Students only, during the summer. Our instructor will be there to help you study! Bring your own class materials for review and prepare for the next course you would like to take.
Led by professional sushi chef Andy Matsuda of the Sushi Chef Institute, this course is designed for children 8 and up with accompanying adult. The entire menu is fun and easy for children to make at home with family. No prior Japanese language experience necessary.
We provide an exciting opportunity for teenagers to interact directly with native speakers, on location in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. Designed for 14-18 year-olds with no prior Japanese language experience, this course offers a great start for those planning to study Japanese.
Registration for the 2013 Japanese Language Proficiency Test will be open from Monday, August 26th through Friday, September 27th, 2013, with the test date on Sunday, December 1st, 2013. Starting this year, the American Association of Teachers of Japanese will be in charge of all test administration roles. For more information, please visit their website below.
In mid-February, we started accepting applications for several grant programs that we organize annually in support of Japanese language Education in the United States. The remaining grants include the Japanese Language Contest Grant (2nd Deadline: 9/3/2013), Japanese Teaching Materials Purchase Grant (2nd Deadline: 9/16/2013) and Japanese language Education Grant (Deadline: 2 months prior to project start date).
The International Research Center for Japanese Studies (Kyoto, Japan) is pleased to announce an opening for a foreign scholar to reside at the Center and participate during the Japanese academic year 2014-2015.
UCLA modern Japanese history professor William Marotti brought his academic research on a fascinating but little-known artistic period to a broader audience when he visited the Japan Foundation, Los Angeles to give the lecture "Art, Protest, Revolution: Avant-Garde Madness in 1960s Japan."
5700 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 100
Los Angeles, CA 90036
jflainfo@jpf.go.jp
323.761.7510
