The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles Newsletter
Director Greeting
Greetings!
 
With the new exhibition Every Living Thing: Animals in Japanese Art having a strong showing at Los Angeles County Museum (LACMA), a lot of events at JFLA this fall are focused on animals – animal movies, animal lecture, and animal conversation cafe (just joking!). Seriously though, the more animal-themed artworks I saw in the exhibition, the more curious I became toward the artists who created them. Why did they choose the particular animals? What did they want those animals to express to the viewers? Given what is going on these days in the human world, I cannot help feeling we have so much to (re)learn from animals…

Having said that, we will continue organizing events for humans with different cultural backgrounds to learn from each other. We even invite human assistant teachers from Japan to teach Japanese language to American kids. If you would like to host them as a Lead Teacher and receive training for team-teaching, please hurry up and apply for the Japanese-Language Education Assistant Program !

Social psychologist Roy F. Baumeister once called human species a ‘cultural animal’ and argued that our brains are 'hardwired' for culture. If so, why not make the best use of it and make ourselves worthy to be included in every living thing!

 
Sincerely,
 
 
Hideki Hara
Director
“This is My Japan” Video Project
What is your Japan?

We have received more than 30 excellent videos from a wide range of people since the start of this campaign.

Shared Videos (New)

Please help us out by sharing a video of Your Japan with us, following the guidelines below:

How to share Your Japan
• Take a one minute video with your phone/video camera.
• Show something that is a symbol of your Japan, or of your memory related to your story.
• Within one minute, tell your story in English.
• Conclude the video saying “This is My Japan”.
• Send your video to us!
• Take a video with your friends and say “This is My Japan!” all together at the end.
• See the example, below.

The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles will post your video on our Facebook and Instagram.

We look forward to seeing Your Japan!

Contact us: jflainfo@jflalc.org

Events
SPECIAL EXHIBITION
EVERY LIVING THING: ANIMALS IN JAPANESE ART
Through December 8, 2019
Every Living Thing: Animals in Japanese Art  celebrates one of the most distinctive and compelling aspects of Japanese art: the depiction of animals. Underpinned by Japan's unique spiritual heritage of Shintō and Buddhism, the Japanese reverence for nature—and the place of animals within that realm—is expressed in sculpture, painting, lacquer-work, ceramics, metalwork, cloisonné, and woodblock prints.
 
This exhibition is co-organized by the Japan Foundation, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the National Gallery of Art, Washington with special cooperation from the Tokyo National Museum. This exhibition is part of Japan 2019, a series of events highlighting Japanese arts and culture in the U.S. throughout 2019.
 
For more information, please visit the  LACMA’s website .
JFLA LECTURE SERIES
In Conjunction with LACMA's Every Living Thing: Animals in Japanese Art Exhibition
TROTTING TO PARADISE: THE ANIMAL IN THE ART OF JAPAN
Thursday, October 3 @7:00PM
Free Admission, RSVP Required
Through December 8, 2019, LACMA hosts an exhibition entitled, Every Living Thing: Animals in Japanese Art. On display, animal imagery dating from the 6th to the 21st centuries treats themes such as zodiac animals, animals from nature, the supernatural, and religion, myth and folklore, work or leisure. In turn, this lecture will explore the broad application of animal themes to express ideas ranging from sacred power, geomantic direction, virtue or vice, seasons and poetry, then empirical observation and contemporary expression .

WELLNESS WEDNESDAY
MEDITATION WITH JAPANESE SINGING BOWL
Wednesday, October 2
12:30PM, 1:00PM (20 Min Sessions)
Free Admission
Mid-week fatigue is a familiar foe to many of us. Why not maximize your relaxation and join us for a Sound Bath at Lunchtime!

The singing bowl used for this program harmoniously combines the healing qualities of the Tibetan singing bowl and its Japanese traditional singing bowl. Relax and feel your stress dissipate into thin air as the sounds of the singing bowl lead you into a meditative state.
There is no charge and no reservation required. All are welcome to come, sit, listen, and refresh!

FREE JAPANESE FILM SCREENING
NOBODY to WATCH OVER ME
(118 mins, 2009)
Directed by Ryoichi Kimizuka
Wednesday, October 9 @7:00PM
Free Admission, No Registration Required
A deep drama depicting the fears of a modern day society, it portrays the distress of the family of a juvenile criminal and the conflicts of the detective ordered to protect them. A film by Ryoichi Kimizuka, the writer and director of  "Bayside Shakedown"  series.

FREE WEEKEND FILM SCREENING
MAMESHIBA
(106 mins, 2018)
Directed by Toru Kamei
Saturday, October 12 @6:00PM
Free Admission, No Registration Required
A film adaptation of the TV series which depicts the journey of a middle aged man with a two-month old puppy in search of his mother who has run away from home. The film has a rich lineup of established actors from TV dramas, films and stage performances under their belts, including Jiro Sato who stars in this film.

WELLNESS WEDNESDAY
BILINGUAL YOGA AT LUNCHTIME
Wednesday, October 16
12:30PM & 1:00PM (20 Min Sessions)
Free Admission
Wellness Wednesdays: We offer Wellness programs on Wednesday at lunchtime!

October 16 is Yoga day! In this program, no need to change clothes or use a yoga mat; you will be seated in a chair receiving relaxing instruction from a bilingual (English and Japanese) instructor. Learn simple Japanese phrases during the instruction and stretch your mind as well as your body.

There will be two free sessions beginning at 12:30pm and 1:00pm. No reservation necessary, all are welcome.

FREE FILM SCREENING @SMC
AMIKO
(66 mins, 2018)
Directed by Yoko Yamanaka
Friday, October 18 @7:00PM
Santa Monica College Main Campus
Humanities and Social Science Bldg. #165
Free Admission, No Registration Required
Born in 1997, Yoko Yamanaka's debut film was achieved through her own efforts at the end of her teen years. Assembling the cast and staff through social media, the witty story of a complicated girl's romantic escapade created a stir. Invited to the 68th Berlin International Film Festival, the film has also played at festivals all over the world.

FREE JAPANESE FILM SCREENING
OUR HOUSE
(80 mins, 2018)
Directed by Yui Kiyohara
Wednesday, October 23 @7:00PM
Free Admission, No Registration Required
In this thriller, two different storylines about a girl who has lost her father and a woman who loses her memory intersect in the same house. Yui Kiyohara made this graduation film at Tokyo University of the Art's graduate school with mentorship from directors Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Nobuhiro Suwa.

FREE WEEKEND FILM SCREENING
SPEAK LOW
(110 mins, 2018)
Directed by Akira Yamamoto
Saturday, October 26 @2:00PM
Free Admission, No Registration Required
This film depicts a man and woman who cannot draw their vision with unarticulated anxiety of future. Sara and Ryo, a young, unmarried couple in their late twenties, leave Tokyo to spend a few days of their paid holidays in Atami, a tourist town of faded splendor.

LET'S CHAT IN JAPANESE!
HALLOWEEN "SPOOKTACULAR" TEA TIME
Tuesday, October 29 @7:00 - 9:00PM
Free Admission, Registration Required
Put your Halloween costume on and join our Halloween themed conversation café, Tea Time! You will enjoy Japanese snacks and tea while you chat with native Japanese speakers. All levels are welcome! Japanese language experience is not necessary—this event is open to everyone, ages 18 and up!

3RD ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL EVENT
EVENING TIME WELLNESS WEDNESDAY
YOGA & MEDITATION
Wednesday, October 30
7:00PM - 8:00PM (60 Min Session)
Free Admission, RSVP Required
Japanese Incese will be provided by  Nippon Kodo

Celebrating its third year anniversary, we will offer an evening version of “Wellness Wednesdays”. Usually we offer either yoga or meditation during the lunchtime biweekly on Wednesdays. For this special program, both instructors will join together and you will experience both Yoga and Meditation in one session! While enjoying a hint of Japanese incense (You can even take one home!), stretch your body and mind in the yoga session first! And then, relax and feel your stress dissipate into thin air with the sounds of the singing bowl! Cushions will be provided and there’s no need to change your clothes or bring a yoga mat .

WORKSHOP
ACTION IN JAPANESE!
LEARN NATURAL JAPANESE THROUGH ACTING
Friday, November 1 @7:00PM
Free Admission, Registration Required
Let’s play different roles by using various gestures and facial expressions! Action in Japanese is a great way to learn conversational Japanese!
In this workshop, Japanese actor, Naoyuki Ikeda, will teach you how to react like Japanese people in natural settings, and learning to speak spontaneously using basic Japanese phrases as well as quoting actual phrases from popular Japanese movies.
He will also share his cross-cultural experiences as a Japanese actor working in Hollywood.

This workshop is designed for beginners in Japanese and we welcome those who have no experience at all.
Relax and have fun and you will be able to act in Japanese!

Applications
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
FY2020-21 Program Guidelines Available NOW!
Arts and Culture Deadline: Multiple
Japanese Language Deadline: Monday, December 2nd, 2019
For information on  Arts and Culture Programs, please visit our website with additional information on the  JF world-wide website!

New for this year is the  Fellowship for Research on Japanese Art  implemented by the Japan Foundation with the generous funding from the Ishibashi Foundation. This program aims to support the development of professionals specializing in the study of Japanese art by providing an opportunity for curators and researchers to conduct research in Japan, and promote the study of the field and the introduction of Japanese art outside of Japan.

For information on  Japanese Language Programs, please visit:


There are multiple Teacher Training Programs including Basic (long-term), Japanese Language, Japanese Teaching Methods (short-term), and training program on a Specific Theme.

For Specialists, there is a 2-month and 5-month program.

Your application must ARRIVE at JFLA on or before December 2, 2019 for Japanese Language Programs. Please also notify us of your intent to apply in advance.

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
PERFORMING ARTS JAPAN 2020-2021
Deadline: October 31, 2019
Application for Performing Arts Japan (PAJ) touring and collaboratrion grants for the 2020 – 2021 fiscal year is still open through October 31st, 2019 at  5:00 p.m. EST.

15TH HAKUHO JAPANESE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP
Deadline: October 31, 2019
Hakuho Foundation is still accepting applications for the 15th Hakuho Japanese Research Fellowship.

The Fellowship invites leading international researchers of the Japanese language, Japanese language education, Japanese literature and Japanese culture to Japan to conduct residential research.

In providing residential research opportunities, the Fellowship aims to further strengthen the base of international research into Japan and to deepen the understanding of Japan.

2019-20 GRANTS NOW AVAILABLE!
The following grants are still available:

Deadline:  Two months prior to the project start date

News
Now Accepting Lead Teachers/Host Schools for J-LEAP
Would you like your Japanese language program to have an assistant teacher from Japan? The Lead Teacher application period has officially begun! There are two application phases with separate deadlines, the first of which is November 1 st , 2019 .

Check out the Laurasian Institution website for more information and to apply!

This month, we would like to welcome Risako Yui who is currently at Waipahu High School in Waipahu, HI, and Hiroko Ikeda who is currently at North Salinas High School in Salinas, CA !
Japanese Language Education Update 71: JFLA Advocacy Goods
We have a few things we would like to promote/announce to our lovely teacher associations as well as Japanese language teachers:

We are requesting advocacy stories from teachers to know what worked for the classroom for last school year! We would like to provide these stories on our website to show helpful ways to motivate students to further have interest in learning Japanese: Survey Link!

Grants to assist the classrooms are also available ! Further information is listed on our Grants page ! Our monthly E-newsletters (Your Japan) provides latest information about our events and deadline details such as JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test).

There is also a ‘My Japan’ project! There were a few students that previously participated and you can see their videos here ! It’s a great way for students to show and express their passion regards to Japan and what’s important to them. We are always looking forward for more videos so we hope more and more students participate in this project!

We also update our information on the teachers associations on our website . Please let us know if there’s any changes in personnel, website, and/or contact information. We would like to keep updating our website to make sure we have the latest information on our website.

Free advocacy goods such as badges and other resources such as passport folders, travel handbooks, and kanji writing pads are available. If you are interested in receiving free advocacy goods for your classroom or need any additional help feel free to contact us through our website and select Japanese Language Education ! Please feel free to let other teachers know and we hope that JFLA can help further improve the classroom and teacher experience. 
SINCLAIR COMMUNITY COLLEGE RECEIVES JFLA GRANT!
On Tuesday September 17th, Deputy Consul General Yuki Sakai from the Consulate General of Japan in Detroit kindly presented our grant check to the Sinclair Community College (Ohio). Our grant will be utilized for enhancing their Japanese language program. We wish them a success in the upcoming school year!