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Tiger Okoshi
Yamaha Artist
How long have you been working in Boston?
My wife and I arrived in Boston in July 1972 during our honeymoon. After we traveled across the U.S. on a Greyhound bus from the west to Boston, my mind suggested to not to go back to Japan…
Thus, I graduated from Berklee College of Music summa cum laude in 1975 and started a journey where I went on to perform at Carnegie Hall, NY with Gary Burton in 1976. Performed with the legendary Tony Bennett. Joined the world known jazz big band, Buddy Rich Orchestra in 1977 and toured all over the U.S. Then joined the Gary Burton quartet and toured all over Europe, Japan and U.S. from 1977~1979. I received the Best Composer & Arranger of the year award in the Collegiate Jazz Festival at the University of Notre Dame with performances by the MIT Jazz Orchestra in 1979.
Then I started to win many awards such as Boston Music Awards, Victor Hit records, etc., and started to tour the U.S and Canada and Japan with my original Fusion band “Tiger’s Baku.” We are the mystical creature "Baku" who goes around the world to eat people’s bad dreams.
I experienced the Great Hanshin earthquake in 1995 in my hometown of Ashiya city which greatly changed my perspective on life, and joined Berklee as a faculty member in 1995 where I still teach to this day.
Click here to read the full interview!
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Happy New Year from JSB! Thank you for your support last year. We wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous 2025.
明けましておめでとうございます。昨年もお世話になりました。今年もどうぞよろしくお願い致します。
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Fundraising Goods
Support JSB by purchasing a Kyoto-Boston sister cities-themed tote bag designed by Randall Imai or a Boston-Japan T-shirt/sweatshirt designed by Marie Romano!
Click to see all our goods and to place orders. All proceeds go towards fundraising for the Japan Society of Boston.
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By taking advantage of this special offer, you will automatically be entered for a chance to win an Otokoyama hand towel and mini sake happi! (pictured above) | |
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Otokoyama Sake Sale
Join us in celebrating the 35th anniversary of the sister partnership between Massachusetts and Hokkaido!
To honor this special occasion, Tippsy, your go-to source for Japanese sake, is offering JSB newsletter readers an exclusive 20% off their Otokoyama sake using the special link below. With a history spanning over 340 years, this Hokkaido brewery’s sake was a favorite of the Tokugawa shogunate.
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Japan - Massachusetts
Sister Cities Page
In addition to Boston and Kyoto, did you know the state of Massachusetts has 13 sister city relationships with Japan?
Massachusetts's sister state/prefecture partnership with Hokkaido is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year!
Check out our new webpage below to learn more.
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The JSB College Hub
The JSB College Hub is our webpage for Japan-related college events, opportunities, and resources for young adults pursuing Japanese studies!
Check out the hub below for more information, to view our current listings, or to submit an event or opportunity!
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おうちごはん！Ouchigohan
New Year's Osechi-Ryori
Sunday, January 12th, 2025 - 5:00PM EST
Online
Celebrate Japanese New Year, or “Oshogatsu” with the Japan America Society of Washington DC and make some of the special foods, known as “Osechi-ryori“.
Beautiful and full of symbolism for luck and fortune in the coming new year, families gather for a wonderful homemade feast. For our special Japanese New Year Ouchigohan session, we will make 3 items to enjoy: Yawata maki: rolled beef with carrots and string beans simmered in Teriyaki Sauce, refreshing Namasu salad with shredded daikon and carrots, and a delicious apple Kinton made with sweet potato and apple mash, twisted into a “pouch of gold.”
We will also play a popular New Year’s game, “Fukuwarai” – The Lucky Laugh game. We look forward to welcoming in the New Year with you and our Ouchigohan Family! Only one registration needed per household.
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Kamishibai Storytime at Boston Children's Museum
Sunday, January 26th, 2025 - 1:30 & 2:30PM EST
Boston Children's Museum
308 Congress St, Boston, MA 02210
The Japan Society of Boston will be performing a traditional kamishibai, or paper theater storytelling, of the classic Japanese children's story "Buying Mittens" or「手袋を買いに」(tebukuro wo kai ni) by Nankichi Niimi at the Boston Children's Museum.
We will be doing readings at 1:30 and 2:30 pm on Sunday, January 26th. All museum guests, please gather at the Floor 3 Bridge in front of the Machiya Japanese House for bilingual storytime in English and Japanese, followed by a tour of the machiya to check out their new year's decorations!
Registration is not required for this event, but tickets to the museum must be purchased for entry to the museum. However, tickets are just $1 on Sundays after 1pm. See more information about the discount on their website.
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JSB Language Room
Friday, January 17th, 2025 - 6:00 PM EST
（日本時間では1月18日土曜日午前8時）
Online
Practice your Japanese (or your English) at our next online Japanese / English language exchange. Our monthly language room is sponsored by Temple University, Japan Campus (TUJ). TUJ is the oldest and largest foreign university in Japan.
Theme: 干支 Zodiac
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Lecture and Demonstration with the Taiko Drummers from Kodo
Saturday, March 8th, 2025 - 6:00 PM EST
Boston Latin School
78 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston MA 02115
Join Japan Society of Boston and the Celebrity Series of Boston on March 8th at the Boston Latin School for a unique and exciting lecture and demonstration by Kodō, the award-winning Japanese Taiko Ensemble.
At this session, members of Kodō will introduce an in-depth story behind their artistry and musicality, as well as diving deeper into one particular performer, Moe Niiyama, as she talks about her taiko journey for the first time in the United States. The session will also have musical elements that will engage with the audience rhythmically, and there's no substitute for the feeling of the in-person experience. Be there when they fill the Boston Latin School with their propulsive music and movement!
Kodo's upcoming Symphony Hall Concert will be on Sunday, March 9th at 5pm. Tickets are available at the Celebrity Series of Boston website.
JSB members can get 10% off on up to 4 tickets, valid from noon on Oct 29, 2024 through Feb 19, 2025 using discount code on the member only portal.
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The following events and clubs are limited to Japan Society of Boston Members. Interested in joining but not yet a member of the Japan Society of Boston? Consider becoming a Member today! *Please note that online only members can attend the online member only events, but not the in-person member events.
Join our community of hundreds of Japan enthusiasts from Boston and beyond and support the Japan Society of Boston's mission to inspire curiosity, connection, and community. We are sustained by your donations.
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Member Shinnenkai
Thursday, January 23rd, 2025 - 7:00 PM EST
Online
We would like to invite all JSB members to join us for our new year's gathering, or shinnenkai 新年会.
In Japan, shinnenkai are parties held among friends or co-workers in January to celebrate the new year and wish each other good fortune for the coming year.
We will start with a fun mini Japanese language lesson and then split members into small breakout rooms for casual conversation. Make a new friend or see some familiar faces and share about your wishes for 2025! We welcome you to enjoy food or drink during the event.
This event will be on Zoom so that our online-only members may participate. Those looking for an in-person gathering may look forward to a Connect with JSB dinner next month.
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JSB Film Club
Wednesday, January 29th, 2025 - 6:00 PM EST
Online
In Drive My Car, an aging, widowed actor takes a directing job in Hiroshima where he's required to get a chauffeur for insurance reasons. He hires a 20-year-old girl and, despite their initial misgivings, a very special relationship develops between the two.
Directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, and based on Haruki Murakami's 2014 short story of the same name, this acclaimed film won three awards including Best Screenplay at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. It has gone on to win several other awards including Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards.
Watch the Trailer. Films should be viewed in advance of our meetings.
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Between the Lines
Thursday, February 6th, 2025 - 6:00 PM EST
Online
Join us to discuss some of the greatest classics of medieval Japanese literature, written by women authors!
To kick off the year, we will be reading the classic Izumi Shikibu Diary by Izumi Shikibu, considered by many to be the greatest woman poet of the Heian period.
You may find a copy of the book here.
This book may be accessed for free by creating an Internet Archive account or please email joanneha@japansocietyboston.org for a pdf version.
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JSB Book Club
Wednesday, February 26th, 2025 - 6:00 PM EST
Online
Do you love Japanese literature? The JSB Book Club will be meeting to discuss The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa.
Acclaimed writer Yoko Ogawa's 1994 science fiction novel takes place on an island reminiscent of settings from George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four and is influenced by the melancholy and dream-like tones of modernist writer Franz Kafka.
Find a copy here. You are welcome to read any translation.
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Signature Content from JSB | |
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Member Highlight
The Japan Society of Boston is pleased to introduce you to the wonderful members of our community through this blog series. Each month we feature a JSB member and ask them to share with us their Japan Story.
This month: Michael Costello
"I am continually impressed by Japanese cultural activities, especially the seasonal
festivals that occur throughout Japan. Also, attending Kabuki-za performances is
something I look forward to whenever I am in Tokyo."
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JSB Meets JET Alumni
As part of our partnership with the United States Japan Exchange and Teaching Alumni Association (USJETAA), the Japan Society of Boston features a new JET Alumni in our monthly blog!
This month's JET Alum is Rachel Eio (Osaka 1997-1998).
"Osaka is an incredible place to spend time- its vibrancy, fast pace, and food culture are renowned all over Japan. The Hanshin Tigers is a popular baseball team and watching a game at Koshien cannot be beat."
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Famous in Japan
Studying individuals from around the world who are famous in Japan, both past and present.
This month we are featuring Kazuko Okakura, a scholar whose work focused on the research and preservation of Japanese and Asian art. His influence can still be felt today in local institutions such as the Museum of Fine Arts where he worked as the director of the Chinese and Japanese Art Department.
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Other Japan-Related Events | | |
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Join Ko-Kyoto for a special Kakizome (書初め) Calligraphy Workshop. Kakizome is a traditional New Year’s activity in Japan where we write our first characters of the year, often our New Year’s resolution.
Plus, Ko-Kyoto will offer exclusive discounts on their beautiful traditional Japanese items. JSB members always receive 10% off in store with their membership card.
Nagomi Bento will also be serving a delicious bowl of Zoni (お雑煮), a special New Year’s soup with rice cakes. They'll be making their own unique version, so come taste the tradition!
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Japanese Women's Leadership Initiative
Applications open now through Wednesday, January 15th, 2025
JWLI Fellowship is a women’s executive leadership program and invests in women leaders (“Fellows”) to be action-oriented leaders. It includes a four-week program in Boston and a two-year mentorship that transforms the Fellows to be women leaders with confidence to lead, skills and knowledge to manage, and an Action Plan to make social change in Japan.
Boston Program Dates: May 5, 2025 – May 30, 2025
JWLI is operated by the Fish Family Foundation.
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YAMATO: The Drummer of Japan
Saturday, January 25th, 2025 - 8:00 PM EST
Berklee Performance Center
Yamato’s new show, Hito no Chikara (The Power of Human Strength), is a thrilling, high-energy interpretation of the centuries-old Japanese taiko tradition that incorporates over 40 drums along with bronze cymbals, vocals, and bamboo flutes, showcasing virtuosity, strength, spirit, and endurance.
See the trailer for the performance here. Tickets are now on sale.
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Karuta Workshop
Hosted by the Consulate General of Japan in Boston and Boston Nakamaro Karuta Club.
Learn about waka poems and play the traditional Japanese card game, Karuta.
You can RSVP through the QR code embedded in the flyer or email Infocul@bz.mofa.go.jp.
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Artist Talk with Yoshida Ayomi
Tuesday, March 4th, 2025 - 6:00 PM EST
Harvard Art Museums
This event encourages but does not require registration; see further details below.
Join Harvard Art Museums for an in-depth discussion featuring artist Yoshida Ayomi in conversation with curatorial fellow Lillian Wies. Yoshida’s work deals with themes of legacy, transience, and the environment, and she is known for her large-scale, intricate installations that incorporate traditional Japanese printmaking techniques while also pushing the boundaries of the medium. Yoshida is the fourth generation of the Yoshida family of artists, each of whom has significantly shaped modern Japanese painting and printmaking.
Free admission, but seating is limited and registration is encouraged. You can register by clicking on the event on this form, beginning Saturday, February 22, after 10am.
The lecture will take place in Menschel Hall, Lower Level. Doors will open for seating at 5:30pm from the Broadway entrance. See page for more details.
Co-sponsored by the Harvard Art Museums and Harvard University’s Edwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies.
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Midori Concert
Thursday, March 6th, 2025 - 8:00 PM EST
Meadow Hall - Groton Hill Music Center
122 Old Ayer Rd, Groton, MA 01450
Renowned for the expressive agility of her playing, violinist Midori returns to the Celebrity Series for the first time since 2012 with a program that lends her finely honed touch to songs of mourning and lamentation across cultures.
Drawing on her ability to summon finesse and purity as readily as warmth and power, Midori builds her program around Poulenc’s Sonata for Piano and Violin, dedicated to the memory of Spanish poet Federico García Lorca. Inspired by the poet’s comparisons of countrywide weeping in Civil War-era Spain to the sound of “an immense violin,” Midori expresses a musical tale of loss and bereavement.
Performing Poulenc’s Sonata alongside Che Buford’s new work Spirituals, Brahms’ Violin Sonata No. 1, and Ravel’s “Kaddish” and “Tzigane,” Midori gives voice to expressions of sorrow that depict, as she puts it, “spiritual verities that tie humanity together.”
JSB members can get 20% off on up to 4 tickets, valid from noon on Oct 29, 2024 through Feb 19, 2025 (Boston/Jordan Hall performance only) using the special link or discount code on the member only portal.
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Kodo: Warabe
Sunday, March 9th, 2025 - 5:00 PM EST
Symphony Hall
In Japanese, the word Kodō holds a double meaning. Written one way, it can be translated as “heartbat,” the primal source of all rhythm. Written another way, the characters of the name read “drum” and “child,” reflecting the company’s mission: to play the drums with the simple heart of a child.
For the company’s 40th anniversary, they created two programs, Tsuzumi and Warabe, based on the two syllables of the name. The former program, a thunderous sold-out sensation at Symphony Hall in 2023, was inspired by the “drum” character.
Kodo returns to the Celebrity Series with the latter, Warabe—a soul-stirring program evoking the “child” character. In this performance, Kodo’s drummers, singers, and other traditional instrumentalists look to the group’s classic repertoire and early days, blending simple forms of taiko expression that celebrate their unique sound, resonance, and physicality.
JSB members can get 10% off on up to 4 tickets, valid from noon on Oct 29, 2024 through Feb 19, 2025 using the special link or discount code on the member only portal.
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Temple University Japan Campus High School Summer Program 2025
TUJ invites high school students to a summer of language and cultural experiences in Tokyo. The 8-night program includes a unique mix of Japanese language and elective classes. With adventures in Tokyo, an overnight excursion to Kyoto and TUJ KYOTO, and a trip to DisneySea, this will be your summer to remember!
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GPI US Global Studies Program - Fully Funded Volunteer Opportunity
This upcoming summer 2025, GPI US will be hosting their Global Studies Program in Japan where university students will get the opportunity to become discussion leaders for Japanese high school students.
The Global Studies Program is a 3-week, fully-funded (flight included) volunteer opportunity for students and recent graduates to immerse themselves in Japanese culture while assisting Japanese high school students to develop critical thinking and global leadership skills. In addition, participants will be required to lead discussions on topics that vary from global issues and leadership. All of this will be conducted in English, no Japanese is required. This is a great opportunity for participants to enhance leadership skills and provide educational opportunities for others.
The early application deadline is December 30, 2024, and the regular deadline is January 31, 2025.
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Arts of Japan
Starting May 11, 2024
Museum of Fine Arts Boston
The MFA has one of the most comprehensive collections of Japanese art anywhere in the world. Reimagined galleries explore Japan’s art and visual culture from the 7th century to today, including painting, sculpture, decorative arts, and selections from the Museum’s vast collection of ukiyo-e prints. Evocative spaces include the renovated Japanese Buddhist Temple Room, which opened in 1909, and an adaptation of a traditional tea room, with tatami mats and an alcove. Multimedia displays illuminate performative art forms, such as Nō theater, bringing their drama to life.
The new space for the Museum’s unparalleled Japanese collection—which was the first of its kind in America when established in 1890, and now holds about 100,000 objects—will change regularly, giving visitors the opportunity to see even more works in a setting that honors and celebrates Japan’s rich history and cultural legacy.
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