This is the last month of the Japanese fiscal year and we are going out with a new exhibition that was created to mark the 11th Anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in the Tohoku Region. The travelling exhibition has been making its way around the globe and it is now finally in Los Angeles. Make sure to RSVP for the preview or just drop on by our office when it officially opens to the public.

Winter term for our JF Nihongo courses will also end this month and we are gearing up to start registration for Spring Term this week. Make sure to check out our website and register if you plan to learn Japanese with us.

Our Arts & Culture mini-grant program will be supporting three events this month including two performances, one in Colorado, and an exhibition. If you are interested in shakuhachi, calligraphy, or art, we have something for you to enjoy.

And as always, we will continue our trio of wellness events so don't forget to join us on Facebook every Wednesday at 12:30PM PT.

This exhibition was planned to mark the March 11 anniversary of the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami. The Tohoku region, known for its beautiful mountains and seascapes as well as its rich local culture and history, suffered damage and destruction of unprecedented proportions. Much was lost, and manufacturing and handicraft culture were hard hit. This exhibition reminds us once again of the distinctive appeal of Tohoku’s heritage of arts and craft. The displays present works of various genres―ceramics, lacquerware, textiles, metalwork, wood and bamboo crafts, etc.―allowing visitors to enjoy the diverse and exquisite world of Tohoku traditions.

Spring is here. Goodbye, snow. Flowers grow.

Hello, Japanese language class!

Registration starts from March 3!

Whether at work or at home, let's refresh yourself for 15 minutes on your lunchtime together with us! Karate Exercise will be offered via JFLA Facebook LIVE!

World class instructors from Kyokushin Karate of Los Angeles will give you a set of beginner’s level exercises from their basic movement with their English instruction.

There will be one 15-minute session starting at 12:30pm. Just go to JFLA's Facebook page. Achieve the unity of body and spirit!

Bilingual Yoga will be offered this month via JFLA Facebook LIVE!

No need to change clothes or use a yoga mat; you will be seated in a chair at home and receive an instruction from our instructor in bilingual (English and Japanese). Easy and relaxed!

There will be one session starting at 12:30pm. Just go to JFLA's Facebook page. Refresh and recharge yourself with us at home!

Meditation with Japanese Singing Bowl will be offered this month via JFLA Facebook LIVE!

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 will be one session starting at 12:30pm. Just go to JFLA's Facebook page. Stretch and refresh yourself with us at home!

In collaboration with Amazon Crossing, The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles invites you to watch the vido presentation program "World of Kamusari Series: Discussion with Shion Miura".

As the prologue, there is a video introducing the town of Misugi, Mie Prefecture, where both novels are set and movie "Wood Job" based on "The Easy Life in Kamusari", which was film there, and interviews with people who live in Misugi like Yuki or Yoki in the novels. Following these, in the feature program, the award-winning author of "The Great Passage", Shion Miura is joined by translator Juliet Winters Carpenter to discuss her rapturous novels, Kamusari series (The Easy Life in Kamusari / Kamusari Tales Told at Night) where the contemporary and the traditional meet amid the splendor of Japan’s mountain way of life to English readers. The discussion is moderated by Allison Markin Powell, award-winning translator and member of PEN America’s Translation Committee.

World-renowned shakuhachi master Kaoru Kakizakai will be invited from Japan to perform shakuhachi with Los Angeles based shakuhachi player Shawn Schroeder, koto player Yuki Yasuda, and the LA Koto Ensemble. Admission is free.

Kyoto-based artist Tomoko Kawao for a public performance of her internationally acclaimed calligraphy process. Following the event, visitors are invited to explore Her Brush: Japanese Women Artists from the Fong-Johnstone Collection, a show that celebrates notable women artists working in painting, calligraphy, and ceramics in 17th through 20th century Japan.

Hammer Projects are single-gallery exhibitions highlighting the work of contemporary artists from around the globe, often presenting new work at a pivotal moment of an artist’s development. A Berlin-based artist Chiharu Shiota (b. 1972, Osaka) will be the inaugural artist featured in the Hammer’s redesigned lobby and will envelop the area with a unique and visceral installation.

(Examples: Speech Contest, Quiz Contest, Japan-themed Festival for Learners, etc.)

Deadlines: September 1, 2023

More info: https://www.jflalc.org/grants-jle-contest

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(Examples: Conferences/Seminars/Workshops for Teachers, Teaching Material Development, Research Projects, etc.)

Deadline: 2 months before the project start date

More info: https://www.jflalc.org/grants-jle-project

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Deadline: April 10, 2023

More info: https://www.jflalc.org/grants-jle-courses

Deadlines: March 15 and September 15, 2023

More info: https://www.jflalc.org/grants-jle-materials

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If your Japanese language program is in danger of being cut due to COVID-19, we will send a support letter to stakeholders (Superintendent, Principal, Dean, etc.).

Please contact us for details.