*Visitors (over 12 years old) will be required to present proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours in order to enter the venue and attend this screening.
*Face Mask is required during the presentation
Video to New Media Art in Japan / 1980s is a project exploring the interconnected histories of experimental film, video, and new media in contemporary Japanese Art. Following on the heels of the launch of Japan’s first video art collective, Video Hiroba, Japanese artists took advantage of explosive innovations in moving image technology of the 1970s to create arresting new methods of visual expression and presentation.
This presentation highlights artwork drawn from the archive of video artist Nakaya Fujiko’s Video Gallery SCAN, Japan’s first dedicated video art space opened in Tokyo’s Harajuku district in 1980. Nakaya, herself, was an already well-established multimedia and video artist, as well as a founding member of Video Hiroba prior to her establishment of Video Gallery SCAN.
This exhibition is curated by Kio Griffith, contemporary artist, independent curator and lecturer at UC Santa Barbara, and A. Colin Raymond, PhD candidate, researcher of Japanese video art, UC Santa Barbara.
Makuko
(108mins, 2019)
Directed by Keiko Tsuruoka
Saturday, December 11, 3PM
JESUS
(77mins, 2018)
Directed by Hiroshi Okuyama
Saturday, December 11, 5:30PM
Free Admission, NO Registration REQUIRED
*Visitors (over 12 years old) will be required to present proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours in order to enter the venue and attend this screening. Visitors are required to put face mask on during the screening.
Makuko --- Drama directed by Keiko Tsuruoka, whose student films The Town of Whales and My First Love earned acclaim at overseas film festivals. Based on Yellow Elephant's Kanako Nishi's novel by the same title.
JESUS --- The first feature-length film by 22-year-old promising new director, Hiroshi Okuyama, who also wrote, shot, and edited the film. It screened at the 66th San Sebastian International Film Festival where it won the New Directors Award.
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 (www.facebook.com/JFLALC). Achieve the unity of body and spirit!
We are looking for Japanese language learners to create and submit their own versions of JF’s “Kind World” rap song using plain-form Japanese!
“Kind World”, a JF original rap song using plain-form Japanese as its lyrics, has been released. The raps were created with the thought of using easy Japanese (Japanese that everyone can easily speak and understand) to encourage a more inclusive, diverse, and kinder world. This project was created by the Plain Japanese Tourism Initiative in cooperation with the Yamawaki Keizo School of Global Japanese Studies Seminar at Meiji University, and supported by The Japan Foundation (JF).
We are asking non-native Japanese speakers to submit videos in which they perform their own original plain-form Japanese rap lyrics using the audio we have provided as a backing track. Those who do not live in Japan but are studying Japanese are more than welcome to participate, and videos may be submitted either as a group or individually.
The submission deadline will be Wed., Dec. 15th (Japan time), after which we will select the top ten raps to be included in our global mix video!
We interviewed five individuals who have learned Japanese to varying degrees at different points in their lives for a variety of reasons. This has led them to meet amazing friends, explore new career paths, and see the world from new perspectives. For the interviewees, Japanese will continue to be a part of their lives. We hope these videos will encourage you to consider learning Japanese, too!
Click here to contact us with any questions or to inform us of your intention to apply to one of these programs.
Whether at work or at home, let's refresh yourself for 15 minutes on your lunchtime together with us! Meditation with Japanese Singing Bowl will be offered 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 (www.facebook.com/JFLALC).
COLORFUL: A Conversation with Eto Mori and Julie Lythcott-Haims
Click Here to Watch
In collaboration with Counterpoint Press, The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles invites you to listen to internationally-acclaimed author Eto Mori discussing her bestselling book, Colorful, which is now available in English! Joined by New York Times bestselling author Julie Lythcott-Haims, the authors discuss not just their crafts and writing practices, but also the tragedy of depression and suicide amongst youths.
Whether at work or at home, let's refresh yourself for 15 minutes on your lunchtime together with us! Bilingual Yoga will be offered 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).
There will be one session starting at 12:30pm. Just go to JFLA's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/JFLALC).
Fiscal Year 2021-22
Japanese Language Learners Event Grant
Deadlines: 3/1, 9/1/2021
Japanese Teaching Material Purchase Grant
Deadlines: 3/15, 9/15/2021
Salary Assistance Grant for Japanese Language Courses
Deadline: 4/10/2021
Japanese Language Education Project Grant
Deadline: Two months prior to the project start date
The Japan Foundation (JF) has started the project “STAGE BEYOND BORDERS—Selection of Japanese Performances,” which presents outstanding Japanese stage performances online for people throughout the world who are seeking opportunities to enjoy Japanese stage performances amid the spread of COVID-19.
Performing arts is one of the earliest forms of entertainment that through strangers and various environments stirs the imagination about ongoing stories and provides hopes and hints about the real world. The Japan Foundation’s online project “STAGE BEYOND BORDERS—Selection of Japanese Performances” is expected to encourage hope for all people who enjoy performing arts by presenting outstanding Japanese stage performances beyond borders in multiple languages. The Japan Foundation hopes to cultivate new fan bases for performing arts and also approach theater professionals in order to hold performances at overseas theaters once interactions among people are allowed to resume.
Please visit the following website for upcoming performances: https://stagebb.jpf.go.jp
Select DETAILS below to see past performances!
Thank you to all of the amazing artists who made Music Mondays possible! We offered this virtual live concert series during lunch time every Monday from April 2020 to May 2021 via JFLA Facebook LIVE. From traditional Japanese music to contemporary Jazz to J-Pop, over 80 talented performers from the U.S. and Japan contributed this program by playing their repertoire dedicated specially to you.
And thank you to all of you who viewed Music Mondays. We hope we were able to cheer you up over the past year. You can still view the performances anytime with the playlist. Please enjoy!