May is bringing us wild flowers from the past few months of showers as well as more rain later this week. We will not let the weather deter us from hosting in-person events in our office and in Costa Mesa this month. This includes an acting workshop here at JFLA as well as a casual conversation café, followed by a anime screening in Costa Mesa. We welcome you to attend any of these upcoming events.

We still have our logo contest going on as well as our Tohoku exhibition that will end the first week in May so come on out if you haven't seen it yet. Although the school year is coming to a close for many teachers and students this month, we still have some grants available for the upcoming school year so take a look below if you are interested in applying.

Just like the showers we received, we hope you will support us like the rain supports our drought!

Our popular Japanese conversation event "Tea Time" is going to Costa Mesa! Let's get together and enjoy talking with native Japanese speakers. All levels and all ages are welcome! Japanese language experience is not necessary - this event is open to everyone. This time, we will have the event at Newport Beach Higashi Buddhist Honganji Temple, in collaboration with the Orange County based non-profit organization Nova Vita Foundation. We are excited to meet new people in OC!

From visionary director Masaaki Yuasa, hailed by IndieWire as "one of the most creatively unbridled minds in all of modern animation," comes a revisionist rock opera about a 14th-century superstar whose dance moves take Japan by storm.

By playing a role, using a gestures and facial expressions, acting is a fun way to learn natural Japanese! In this workshop, Japanese actor, Naoyuki Ikeda, will teach you how to react naturally in Japanese, and give chance to speak spontaneously using basic Japanese phrases, as well as teach you quotes 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 of Japanese and we welcome those who have no Japanese language experience.

Don't be shy to participate and speak through the screen! Relax, have fun, and you will be able to act in Japanese in no time!

In 1869 (154 years ago), 22 Japanese from Aizu, Wakamatsu (modern-day Fukushima, in the Tohoku Region) arrived in Placerville, California. They were the first Japanese immigrants in the US. With them, they brought Japanese green tea trees and mulberry trees, and opened the "Wakamatsu Tea and Silk Farm Colony.”

Nao Magami, who nurtures the descendants of those original tea trees in Sonoma County, California, will talk about the history of the tea trees as well as the beneficial properties of Japanese green tea. Try a cup of green tea and imagine the soul of the last Samurai from Tohoku in the atmosphere of the exhibition "Beautiful Handcrafts of Tohoku, Japan."

The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles is launching a logo contest to celebrate forty years of promoting Japanese language and culture throughout the United States! We encourage participants to create designs inspired by JFLA’s history as a gateway to “Your Japan” right here in America!

The contest is open to all ages. Winners will be decided by an internal committee of Japan Foundation, Los Angeles staff that takes public feedback into consideration. One winning design will be used for promotion throughout the year, including event signage and social media posts. Winners will receive a prize and can opt-in to being interviewed and featured on our website and social media.

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.

(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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Deadlines: 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.