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.

Japanese Test; Chicago & St. Louis Events

JAPANESE LANGUAGE TEST

The annual Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) is being offered at De Paul University in Chicago this December. This is the only location in the Midwest. Registration dates are August 1st – October 5th. This test is the most common standard for measuring Japanese language ability. Four levels are offered from beginner to advanced. See website for more details.
Official JLPT site


CHICAGO – FESTIVAL

Mitsuwa Summer Festival
Events include dancing, taiko, watermelon smash, ramune drinking contest, and an airline ticket giveaway.
Mitsuwa is a large Japanese grocery store with a bookstore and food court attached, just outside of Chicago. The food court has very authentic Japanese fast food including curry and ramen.
August 4th, 2pm – 8pm
100 E. Algonquin Rd. Arlington Heights, IL.


ST LOUIS ART MUSEUM – PAINTINGS & FILM

"Untamed Beauty: Tigers in Japanese Art," through Sept. 9; St. Louis. Prowl through prints and paintings at the St. Louis Art Museum. In connection, a taiko performance will be held at the museum on July 27th, 6:00 – 8:00pm.


Kenji Mizoguchi
Five films from the legendary director (previously mentioned in the DVD post) are being shown at the St. Louis Art Museum.
July 20 – August 17, every Friday at 7 PM. See museum calendar for details.

Chicago Events

FILM & DISCUSSION

White Light Black Rain, a new HBO documentary about the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, will be screened at the Gene Siskel Film Center with a Q & A featuring director Steven Okazaki and a panel including the navigator of the Enola Gay.
Tuesday, July 31. Reception at 5:30 pm. Screening starts at 6:30 pm.
Reservations required. RSVP to: 1-888-845-3680


DANCE – BUTOH

Butoh dancer Natsu Nakajima will be holding a workshop and two free events. “She been a primal force in butoh since the 1960's and continues to hold dynamic presence through her teaching, solo work, and company, Mutekisha.”

WORKSHOP: 3-day, 15 hr. Sept. 1,2,3 (Labor Day weekend) 11AM-4PM,
$175 until Aug. 25 ($225 after) Register with $75 deposit.
The Spareroom, Chicago - 4100 W. Grand Ave., 2nd flr. (near North and Pulaski) Contact Nicole 773/387-8418, info@blushingpoppy.org

Free public events:
Artist talk
Tuesday, Sept. 4th 7-9PM, Silverspace Studio - 1474 N. Milwaukee Ave., 3rd fl. No reservations required.

Butoh Class
Wednesday, Sept. 5th 6-9PM, Silverspace Studio. Reservations required. Contact Nicole 773/387-8418, info@blushingpoppy.org


PICNIC

Japanese American Service Committee (JASC) Resettlers’ Picnic
“The old-fashioned community picnic brings together all segments and generations of the Japanese American community and their friends. Burgers, hot dogs and soft drinks will supplement the BYO obento (food) and beer (alcohol allowed, just no glasses, glass containers or bottles). Games and prizes for the children and contests for the adults will be held.”
Saturday, August 4. LaBagh Woods Grove #1, entrance on Cicero just north of Foster, Chicago. Free Admission

Education & Exchange Opportunities

It's still the middle of summer, but its a good time for students, families, and educators interested in Japan to start thinking about educational exchange opportunities that will be available in the next year.


WORLD YOUTH SHIP

The U.S has been invited to participate in the Japan-based 20th Ship for World Youth (SWY20) scheduled to start on January 15, 2008, and end on March 5, 2008.
- National Leader applications due August 2, 2007
- Participating Youth applications due August 14, 2007

For more information visit: http://www.swyusa.com/index.html


JAPAN AMERICA STUDENT CONFERENCE

The 59th Japan-America Student Conference will be held in Tokyo, Akita, Hiroshima, and Tokyo from July 26 to August 20. The American Orientation takes place in Naperville, Illinois, July 22 - 25.

The JASC program is an educational and cultural exchange for university students created to deepen the ties between the U.S. and Japan. It is the oldest student-run exchange between Japan and the United States and allows delegates to work together with leaders in business, academia, and government on current social, economic, and political issues.

For more information: http://www.jasc.org/59th/overview.htm
The website should have information about applying for next year’s conference in early fall.


LABO SUMMER EXCHANGE

As a former participant in Labo’s summer homestay program and a year-long intern, I can endorse the Labo exchange as a great opportunity for teenagers to experience life with a Japanese family for one month.

Labo is a Japanese nonprofit organization built around informal English education and international exchange programs. Generally, U.S. exchange has been organized through 4-H clubs. It is also possible to be a host family for a Labo student during the summer.

Exchange overview: http://www.labo-exchange.com/intl_exchange_fdn.html
Summer program: http://www.labo-exchange.com/japansummer.htm


JET & TEACHING EXCHANGE

On July 28, the Consulate General of Japan at Chicago will send off approximately 200 new participants of the 21st annual Japan Exchange and Teaching Program. All participants will work in Japan as English teachers and cultural ambassadors on behalf of the United States.
http://www.jetprogramme.org/

The Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund (JFMF) Teacher Program, sponsored by the Government of Japan, provides American primary and secondary school teachers and administrators with fully-funded short-term study tours of Japan.
http://www.iie.org/Content/NavigationMenu/FMF1/JFMF/JFMF.htm

Tanabata & August events

CHICAGO – CONCERT


Go!Go!7188
Rock group Go!Go!7188 will be playing a very brief U.S. tour that includes a stop at the Empty Bottle in Chicago. Joining them are Comorevi ButtEr fly and Doses. An art exhibition by illustrator Tokyo Alice will also be part of the show.
Empty Bottle, August 8, 9:00 pm, 21+


TWIN CITIES – PICNIC

JET Alumni / JAS Minnesota BBQ Picnic
There will be hamburgers, hot dogs, and drinks supplied by JETAA. Feel free to bring something to share if you like. Families with children are most welcome (there is a playground nearby).
RSVPs would be appreciated. Visit http://www.mn-japan.org/ for more info.
Monday, August 6th from 6pm
Boom Island Shelter A, 700 Sibley St NE, Minneapolis



Tanabata decorations
NYC EVENT REVIEW – 77 Boadrum

To celebrate Tanabata on July 7th, Japanese rock legends Boredoms’ musical leader, known these days simply as Eye, and other members led a spiral group of 77 drummers for 77 minutes in a remarkable performance in New York City. Here's a New York Times article about it. A google search for “77 Boadrum” will yield extensive blog coverage of the event, including photos and video.

Below, Eye talks about the role played by Tanabata and Japanese history in planning this event:

"It’s a quite primitive concept. It’s related to where Japanese people came from. There is a river called Amur River, in Russia. Amur River is huge, gigantic river, almost like sea. We Japanese come from the north of the river.

"North means above, above means cosmic. If you go further up in space, there is a river. A river of stars in heaven. We came from this place. Japanese people have an idea of this subconsciously.

"Amur sounds like the Japanese word Ama. Ama means sky, cosmos, the universe. We see the Milky Way as a river of stars, we imagine it’s like a river in the sky.

"In Japan, we have the Star Festival on July 7. It is the middle of the rainy season. If we get lucky, we can see Milky Way in clear sky. Every Japanese person knows a romantic myth related to July 7.

"July 7 is supposed to be only day in the year you can see two stars on each edge of the Milky Way. People think one side as a girl, other side as a boy, and they are meant to be a couple. They can only see each other, once a year, on July 7, by crossing Milky Way. Where did that myth come from? It came our Japanese ancestors who lived near the sacred Amur River.

"The original inhabitants of Japan had a philosophy called Animism, which believes there are numerous gods in nature. They worshiped the gods in nature. I feel sympathy for that way of thinking.

"The people coming from Amur were the opposite, rather powerful and systematic. As new settlers the Amur people needed to get along with original inhabitants, so they declared themselves messengers from the sun, messengers of Amaterasu, the sun god. The Japanese people today came from Amaterasu. We come from the sun.

"7 is the number when we try to express sun as sound. When I glance at the sun, I see number 7."

Chicago Events - July

CONCERT

Yoko Noge and the Jazz-Me Blues Band
A Chicago-based jazz/blues artist, Yoko Noge will perform her last Monday-night set before the HotHouse sadly closes its doors in mid-July.
July 7th - 8:30 pm, 21 & older, 31 E Balbo Ave.


BOOK EVENTS

The Sushi Economy - Presentation & Signing
Author Sasha Issenberg will give a presentation on his new book that chronicles globalization and “the far-flung global network of fanatics, chefs, tuna ranchers and pirates that make up the culinary phenomenon that revolves around sushi.”
Wednesday, July 18, 6:00 – 8:30 pm. $20 for Japan America Society members, $30 non-members. Sushi, appetizers, and drinks included. Visit link above for reservations & more info.

Hello Kitty: The Global Brand with Nine Lives - Presentation & Signing
Ken Bolson, a business reporter with the New York Times, explores the phenomenal success of Japan’s most famous cartoon cat. “There will also be a discussion of the Japanese concept of "kawaii" and how Kitty became the emblem of the cute movement starting in the 1970s. In short, there will be something for businessmen, Japanophiles and those just curious about the mysterious Hello Kitty.”
Friday August 3, 6:00 – 8:30 pm. $15 Japan America Society members / $20 non-members. Visit link above for reservations & more info.


DANCE

Butoh Sorbet
Butoh is a unique and challenging form of modern dance from Japan. This event will feature solo performances by Vangeline, Ginger Krebs, and Nicole LeGette.
Friday, July 13th, 9PM, $10 donation. The Spareroom, 4100 W. Grand Avenue.


FILM - At Facets Cinematheque

July 06 – 12: The Glamorous Life of Sachiko Hanai
July 13 – 19: Hula Girls

Japanese festivals across the region

Summer is here and it's time to enjoy festivals. Maybe you can't make it to any matsuri in rural Japan, but there is fun to be had in your area. Don't miss out!

Gion Matsuri in Hita, Japan

TWIN CITIES

Dragon Festival: Dragon boat races on Lake Phalen in Minneapolis! An Asian celebration with martial arts, ethnic food, arts and crafts.
July 14 - 15, Phalen Lake and Park, Minneapolis.

Como Japanese Lantern Festival: Held at the Como Japanese Garden, the festival features bon odori, food, arts, and entertainment before the floating lanterns are lit at dusk. Organized by the St. Paul Nagasaki Sister City Committee and JAS Minnesota, this event has grown considerably over the past decade and is well worth checking out.
August 19, 4 - 9 pm. $5 per person or $10 per family.


KANSAS CITY

Kansas City Kurashiki Week: This year, a huge delegation of 400 people from Kurashiki will visit to celebrate and strengthen the sister-city relationship with Kansas City, now in its 35th year.
July 25 - August 1. Visit link above for more details.


ST. LOUIS

The Missouri Botanical Gardan's Japanese Festival includes sumo wrestling, a geisha presentation, calligraphy exhibit, traditional tea ceremonies and candlelight walks in the Japanese garden.
4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis
Sept. 1 and 2, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sept. 3 (Labor Day), 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
$10 adults, $7 seniors, $3 children ages 3 to 12. $3 for garden members.


...and if you happen to be in Los Angeles, the 67th annual Nisei Week Festival is held August 18 - 26.