Regional Events

CHICAGO

TAO Wadaiko Group Performing at Chicago Human Rhythm Project
From Nov. 23–25 Japanese drumming group, TAO will perform at the Harris Theater in Millennium Park. TAO specializes in the art of wadaiko, a traditional form of Japanese drumming rich in rhythm and movement. Don't miss this exhilarating performance!
November 23 - 25, 2007
Harris Theater for Music and Dance
205 E Randolph Drive (Millennium Park)
Chicago, IL 60601

FILM

Honey and Clover – This quirky romantic comedy revolves around the lives of five art school students. Adopted from the popular manga. U.S. premiere.
November 30 – December 6 at Facets Cinematheque.


MINNEAPOLIS

Ken Moylan – New Work: Japan Series
Remarkable paintings and mixed media pieces incorporating classical Japanese themes and images.
October 27 - December 1
Thomas Barry Fine Arts
530 N 3rd Street #B-10
Minneapolis, MN 55401
612.338.3656
Gallery Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 11-5


MILWAUKEE

Messenger of Friendship: The Adventures of Kasumi Tsukuba Doll

Kasumi Tsukuba is a torei ningyo – a doll of gratitude – sent to the United States from Japan in 1927 as a goodwill gesture. After 80 years of rotating between display and storage she returned to Tokyo’s Yoshitoku doll factory, where she was created, to undergo restoration. She has now been fully rejuvenated and returned to Milwaukee after a tour of Ibaraki, Japan, her "home" prefecture.
November 3, 2007-June 30, 2008
Milwaukee Public Museum
800 West Wells Street, Milwaukee


IOWA – LECTURE

On Saturday, November 10 from 1 to 3 p.m. noted Japanese professor of architectural engineering, Dr. Sadamasa Komaki, will present a lecture on the buildings of Japan's northern island of Hokkaido. Hosted by the Japan America Society of Iowa.
November 10th, 1:00-3:00 (Saturday)
Living History Farms
2600 111th St.
Urbandale, Iowa, 50322
Contact John Wetherell at 515-280-7480 for more information.

News and events!

A festival scene from "Tonoharu"

Lars Martinson, a JET program participant from 2003 - 2006 in Fukuoka and Minnesota native, is creating a graphic novel partly based on his experiences called Tonoharu. The first volume has just been awarded the prestigious Xeric grant for self-publishing. If you're interested in comics, education in Japan, manga, or the JET program, check out his blog!


CHICAGO EVENTS


Reminder: Ms. Sirota Gordon's presentation about her involvement in Japan's constitution is this Friday. This should be very interesting!

Sessue Hayakawa: Transnational Star
Professor Daisuke Miyao will discuss the impact of this silent-film era Japanese actor. Two of Hayakawa's films will be shown: "Forbidden Paths" and "The Devil's Claim".
Friday, October 26, 2007, 7pm
Film Studies Center, The University of Chicago
5811 South Ellis Ave., Cobb Hall 307

Art of Kendo and Iaido
Iaido is a martial art using metal swords in prescribed forms.
October 28, 1 - 3 pm. Reservations required.

Iwao Matsushima: Core formed glass exhibit
November 1 - 4
SOFA Chicago, Navy Pier

JET Program informational meeting
Learn about opportunities to teach and work in Japan through the JET program
Saturday, November 3, 1:00 - 5:00 pm, Japan Information Center


MINNESOTA EVENTS


I'm going to MSP tomorrow to do some information sessions for the JET program. Anyone interested is welcome to drop in. Here is the schedule:
Thursday, October 25:
12:00 - 1:00pm: Macalester Campus Center
4:00 - 5:30pm: U of M - Folwell Hall, room 334

Friday, October 26:
9:30 - 11:00am: U of M - Folwell Hall, room 426
12:00 - 1:00pm: MCAD Student Center

Noisy Minneapolis-based Japanese rock bands on tour! Check 'em out.

Birthday Suits weekend tour:
October
26 Green Bay, WI @ Eagles Club
27 Chicago, IL @ Peter Jones Gallery "Artec Festival"
28 Madison, WI "Just Coffee's 5th Year Anniversary Party"

France Has The Bomb weekend (Hideo plays guitar in this band)
November
1 Madison, WI @ The Inferno
2 Chicago, IL @ The Note
3 Milwaukee, WI @ Frank's Power Plant

Chicago Events

Pictures from the Boris concert, Sept. 30

THEATER

One more bunraku related event to report: A bunraku lecture and demonstration on Monday, will be held October 8, 2:00 - 4:00pm at McCormic Auditorium, Norris University Center, Northwestern University. This event is free and open to the public.


ART

Gallery Talk:
Satoru Aoyama: Ancient Pixels
Friday, October 19, 5:30pm
Chicago Cultural Center, Michigan Avenue Galleries
78 E. Washington Street
Free

The artist will discuss his machine embroidered art, which will be on display at the Cultural Center October 13 - December 30.

more October Events

BORIS preview in today's Chicago Tribune. Sunday at the Empty Bottle - don't miss it!


EVENT - ST LOUIS


Treasured Tales: Shin-nai Narrative Song and Kuruma Ningyo Puppetry
"Traditional Japanese Narrative Song by Tsuruga Wakasanojo XI and Puppetry by Nishikawa Koryu. As part of a three-city tour these two masters will perform the light-hearted travelogue “Yaji Kita,” and the dark love story “Kurokami” at UMSL."
October 19, 2007 (Friday) 8:00 pm
J. C. Penney Auditorium at the University of Missouri-St. Louis (click for PDF map)


PRESENTATION - CHICAGO

"The Only Woman in the Room: A Memoir" - Beate Sirota Gordon
Beate Sirota Gordon was one of twenty members of the Constitutional Assembly created in Japan in February 1946 by Doublas MacArthur to draft a new constitution. She was chosen to write the women's rights clause for this constitution and participated in the famous secret session between American and Japanese officials that determined the articles to be included in the new constitution, which ensures gender equality and a peaceful role for Japan in world affairs.

Ms. Sirota Gordon will speak about her contributions to the constitution and the recent debate over constitutional revision in Japan. Coffee and dessert will be served following the Q&A. This is sure to be a fascinating presentation!

Friday, October 26, 5:30pm - 8:00pm
Japan Information Center
Free admission. To make a reservation please call (312) 263-3049 by October 24. More info should be available soon on the JASC events page.


CONCERT


Polysics - first U.S. tour for the experimental Japanese pop/rock group. This should be a great tour - Polysics are a lot of fun!

October 22, 2007 - Milwaukee, WI - The Eagles Ballroom
October 24, 2007 - Chicago, IL - Congress Theater
October 25, 2007 - Detroit, MI - The Fillmore

Full tour schedule and more info at Japanator.


MISC.

From a reader: A chance to trade something (of slightly greater value) for an antique set of hinamatsuri dolls. If possible, she is hoping to trade with someone in Iowa. Visit the trading blog.

Minnesota Events

Two MSP events I missed earlier today:

Schoolgirls and Mobilesuits: Culture and Creation in Manga and Anime
Annual 3-day workshop at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design
September 28-30

The Genius of Shibata Zeshin: An exhibition of Japanese masterworks
Oct 13 - Jan 6
Minneapolis Institute of Arts

Upcoming Events

Lots of great events coming up this fall. There is still time to puurchase tickets for the Chicago bunraku performance on October 8th. Don't miss out--this will be an amazing event.

FYI for readers who use Livejournal: A JMM feed is available for your friends page. User name japanmediamdwes. Check it out here.


CHICAGO EVENTS

FILM
Akira Kurosawa: Doc Films at the University of Chicago presents a Wednesday series by "The Emperor" of Japanese cinema. Ten films will be shown, starting tonight with Seven Samurai. Check the Doc Films calendar for a complete schedule.


Anime Focus 2007: Chicago International Film Festival presents three new anime features. This year's selections:
Atagoal: Cat's Magical Forest
Brave Story
The Girl Who Lept Through Time
October 6 - 14. In Japanese with English subtitles.

Two other Japanese films will screen at the festival:
Mutsugane Potshot Affair by Nobuhiro Yamashita, director of Linda Linda Linda.
Strawberry Shortcakes by Hiroshi Yazaki.


PRESENTATION

North Korea and Japan: How did we get here?
"Obtain a rare glimpse into the current state of affairs in North Korea, including a fascinating examination of everyday life there."
Wednesday, October 10, 5:00pm
Harold Washington Library, 400 S. State St. Chicago

2008 JET Program Informational Meeting
Learn about opportunities for teaching and exchange in Japan through the JET program.
Tuesday, October 16, 6:00 - 7:30 pm
Japan Information Center, Chicago


EXHIBIT

Hiroshima & Nagasaki A-Bomb Artifacts
October 15 - November 19
DePaul University Cultural Center, The Student Center, Room 105, 2250 North Sheffield Ave. Chicago


MIDWEST EVENTS

THEATER - MINNESOTA

Vengeance Can Wait
The Guthrie presents a staged reading of this edgy new comedy by playwright Yukiko Motoya.
Friday, October 19, 7:30pm
Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis, MN


FESTIVAL - MISSOURI

Greater Kansas City Japan Festival
Saturday, September 29
Carlsen Center, Kansas City, MO

Sept - Oct Events

CONCERTS

Japanese rock/psychedelic/metal band Boris is on tour with Michio Kurihara and Damon & Naomi.

09-30 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle (Adventures in Modern Music)
10-05 Columbus, OH - Wexner Center for the Arts
10-06 Milwaukee, WI - Mad Planet
10-07 Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock

Boris is an excellent band to see live. A full list of tour dates is on the Southern Lord website.

Ensemble N_JP will play at The Renaissance Society, University of Chicago campus, with guests Ko Ishikawa (sho) and Kazuhisa Uchihashi (guitar and electronics)
Mon, Sep 17, 8:00 pm


BUNRAKU

In conjunction with the tour by Japan’s National Bunraku Theater, the Center for East Asian Studies at the University of Chicago is hosting a number of Bunraku-related events.

October 1st – 3 PM: Sounds of Japan Music workshop
October 1st – 7 PM: Bunraku Puppet workshop
October 3rd – 6:30 PM: Lecture and demonstration by the Bunraku Bay Puppet Troupe and Imada Puppet Troupe.

For more information, visit the U. Chicago website.


FILM

September 16th: 1960s avant-garde classic Funeral Parade of Roses by Toshio Matsumoto screens at the >University of Wisconsin-Madison

September 14th – September 20th: Noriko’s Dinner Table, a new horror film by Sion Sono, plays at Facets Cinematheque in Chicago.


FESTIVAL

Saturday, September 22nd, 1 – 5 PM: Japan Festival in Saginaw, Michigan

Events: Bunraku in Illinois

The University of Illinois, Northwestern University, The Consulate General of Japan at Chicago, The City of Osaka Chicago Office, and Japan House (UIUC) are pleased to announce that Bunraku, one of Japan’s best known and most highly prized traditional performing arts, will come to the Midwest in October. The internationally-acclaimed National Bunraku Theatre – the most authentic puppet troupe from Osaka – will come to America for its first major tour in 15 years. For the Midwest, it will appear on stage for the first time ever.

October 6, 2007: Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
October 8, 2007: Cahn Auditorium, Northwestern University - Evanston Campus

For ticket and general information on the Bunraku performances please visit the following website –

http://bunrakumidwest.com/

The press release for this event is located here –

http://bunrakumidwest.com/images/Bunraku_Press_Release.pdf

Regional Events

MISSOURI

“Japanese Fall Festival”
Springfield, Missouri.
September 7 – 9

The Missouri Botanical Garden's Japanese Festival
September 1 -3 (see previous entry)


KANSAS

Anime Festival Wichita
August 18 - 19
915 E 53rd Street N
Wichita, Kansas
(316)832-9387


MINNESOTA

Como Park Japanese Lantern Festival is this Sunday, August 19 (see previous entry).

Chicago Events

Two upcoming events at the Japan America Society of Chicago:

Meishi (Business Card) Exchange
Yokoyama & Associates.
Thursday, August 23 at 5 pm.
150 N. Michigan Avenue, #2800, Chicago

"Building Global Brands in Japan: Lessons Learned From Kellogg's and McDonald's"
Presentation by author Ken G Kabira, Executive Vice President, Lipman Hearne.
August 30 at 5 pm.
190 S. LaSalle Street, 40th Floor (Adams Room), Chicago

To register for either of these events, see the JAS Chicago web site.


FILM

Grave of the Fireflies will be shown at the National Museum of Mexican Art. This classic animated film deals with life during the air raids of World War II.

Screening organized by the radio show Nihon No Rajio ("Japanese Radio"), airing in Spanish on Fridays from 6 -7 pm on WRTE 90.5 FM Radio Arte Chicago.
September 9th, 2007 at 5:00 pm
1852 West 19th Street, Chicago
Nihon No Rajio website (Spanish language)


FESTIVAL

The Japan America Service Committee presents the 37th Annual Fuji Festival and Silent Auction. The festival includes buffet refreshments, entertainment, and dancing, as well as a raffle with a grand prize of $10,000.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Union League Club of Chicago, 65 West Jackson Boulevard
For more information:
http://www.jasc-chicago.org/ff07.html


DANCE

More info about the Fujima Ryu dance mentioned last week:
"On August 25, 2007, Saturday, at 5 p.m., Fujima Ryu of Chicago is proud to present what will hopefully become the first of many performances and lecture series. The presentation highlights Fujima Shunojo, the founder and head of Fujima Ryu of Chicago."

"The lecture will provide an essential base of knowledge; a “How to watch Nihon Buyou“ so that the audience can appreciate the dance without understanding Japanese. Explanations of both dances, as well as contrast between male dance and onnagata, a female dance performed by a male, as well as Nihon Buyou’s origin from Kabuki, and how it differs from Kabuki."


A Fujima Ryu dancer performs Nihon Buyo at the Ginza Festival on Sunday

Abe Fellowship - Research in Japan

RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY

The deadline for this year's Abe Fellowship application is September 1 at 5:00 pm. "The Abe Fellowship is designed to encourage international multidisciplinary research on topics of pressing global concern. The program seeks to foster the development of a new generation of researchers who are interested in policy-relevant topics of long-range importance and who are willing to become key members of a bilateral and global research network built around such topics. Applications are welcome from scholars and non-academic research professionals."

For more information, please visit http://fellowships.ssrc.org/abe/. Applications should be submitted online at http://soap.ssrc.org.

Chicago Events - August

FESTIVAL

The 52nd Annual Ginza Holiday festival will be held at the Midwest Buddhist Temple in Chicago's Old Town this weekend.

435 W. Menomonee St.
Friday, Aug 10, 5:30 - 9:30 pm
Saturday, Aug 11, 11:30 am - 9 pm
Sunday, Aug 12, 11:30 am - 8 pm

"Featured will be four master craftsmen from Tokyo who will demonstrate their centuries-old skills, two taiko drum groups, Japanese classical and folk dances, martial arts demonstrations (kendo, aikido, karate, judo), and various cultural exhibits." Merchandise and food will also be available.
For more information, call 312-943-7801.



Pictures from Saturday's Mitsuwa Festival in Arlington Heights

CONCERT

Rock group Go!Go!7188 plays Wednesday, 9 pm at the Empty Bottle. See previous entry for details.


DANCE

Fujima Shunojo will give a performance and lecture about Nihon-buyo, traditional Japanese dance, hosted by the Japanese American Service Committee. Admission is free.
Saturday, August 25, 5 - 7 pm.
4427 N. Clark St, Chicago
Call 773-275-0097, extension 226 for more information.