Your Japan #54 - October

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An Online Newsletter Showcasing Our Programs for the Month of October, 2023!

At the end of September, we took our Samurai Acting event on the road to Fairbanks & Anchorage, Alaska, and it was a huge success at the University of Anchorage in both cities. Thank you to all our partners and participants who came out to make this event possible. We also started our new exhibition titled "Expressions of Life: The World of Self-Taught Artists With Disabilities" and it will be on display until December 16th so drop on by to see these unique pieces of art.

We also announced the winner of our 40th Anniversary Logo Contest and you can see the winning design above. It was submitted by NATHALIE SÖDERQVIST and you can learn more about her interest in Japan through a brief interview we conducted here.

For October, we announced our Program Guidelines for the 2024 Fiscal Year, so make sure to apply if you are interested in our training programs or Arts & Culture Programs. We will also be organizing many other events this month to support Japanese language like Tea Time and Shamisen at Cal State Dominguez Hills, as well as Arts & Cultural events like Onigiri Action. In addition, we will be supporting other events in Southern California including the Hollywood Film Festival, Irvine Global Village Festival where we will have a booth with the Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles, and the 25th Annual Fall Benefit Event. We are also supporting Cinema Kabuki in Billings, Montana and the 14th Annual Aki Matsuri in Henderson, NV. If you are anywhere near these locations, please come out and experiences Japanese Art & Culture!

We leave September behind and move into October with it's shorter days and cooler evenings, but we hope you will take advantage of the nicer weather and experience our Japan related events!

ART EXHIBITION
EXPRESSIONS OF LIFE:
THE WORLD OF SELF-TAUGHT ARTISTS WITH DISABILITIES
September 26th to December 16th 2023
Hours: Mon-Sat 12:00PM–6:00PM
Closed: Sundays and Holidays (10/7, 10/9, 11/10, 11/11, 11/23, 11/24)
Venue: JFLA
-Admission Free
In commemorating the 40th anniversary of its operation, the Japan Foundation, Los Angeles proudly presents the art exhibition titled Expression of Life: The World of Self-Taught Artists with Disabilities. This exhibition features over 35 vibrant artworks from Katayama Studio's collection. It is one of the earliest art studios in Japan dedicated to supporting self-expression and art activities for individuals with disabilities. The studio has been doing so for two decades. 

Featuring 12 artists' work, ranging from calligraphy to oil painting, we hope these free-flowing and lively art pieces will convey diverse perspectives on creativity and life.

Read More >

CONVERSATION & MINI-CONCERT
TEA TIME & SHAMISEN
Saturday, October 28th
11:00AM ~ 12:30PM
Cal State Dominguez Hills
Free To Attend RSVP Required

We're having our ever popular “Tea Time” Japanese conversation tables at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH)! Come and explore the campus, as well as meet new friends! All Japanese levels are welcome -- Japanese language experience is not necessary; this event is open to everyone. As a special treat, don't miss award-winning Shamisen player Mike Penny's performance for this occasion! We're excited to meet all of you!

Learn More >

 

TABLE FOR TWO Celebrates World Food Day 2023 #OnigiriAction 
- Unite the States with Onigiri (Japanese Rice Balls) -
Aims to Provide One Million Meals to Children in Need

TABLE FOR TWO USA (TFT) invites everyone to participate in their 9th Annual ONIGIRI ACTION campaign to provide 1 million school meals to children around the world from Wednesday, October 4 to Friday, November 17, 2023. During the campaign, through the generosity of our partner organizations, every rice ball related post on the campaign website or social media with #OnigiriAction will provide five school meals to children in need. TFT will enhance school meals in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods in the U.S. by adding fresh vegetables and fruits as well as provide school meals to children in East Africa.

Read More >

 

THE JAPAN FOUNDATION PROGRAM GUIDELINES FOR FY2024

The Japan Foundation offers programs in Japanese language as well Arts & Culture. Please read below for information for each category.

JAPANESE TRAINING PROGRAMS - NOW AVAILABLE!

➤TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAM 
(DEADLINE: 8:00PM PST, NOV. 29th)
The Japan Foundation Japanese-Language Institute, Urawa organizes training programs on Basic Training, Japanese Language, and Comprehensive Japanese Teaching Methods Program for Japanese-language teachers outside of Japan.
More Information>

➤JAPANESE LANGUAGE PROGRAM FOR SPECIALISTS IN CULTURAL & ACADEMIC FIELDS 
(DEADLINE: 8:00PM PST, NOV. 29th)
This program provides specialists (Researchers, Postgraduate Students, Librarians, Museum Curators, etc.) who need a good command of Japanese language to conduct field work and research through an intensive residential training course on the Japanese language.
More Information>

ARTS & CULTURE PROGRAMS - NOW AVAILABLE!

The Japan Foundation Los Angeles office (JFLA) accepts applications for projects that take place within the 13 states west of Rocky Mountains listed below for the JFLA Grant throughout the year. This grant aims to support projects that will enhance further understanding of Japanese arts and culture.
Click below to download the online application forms and guidelines.

➤EXHIBITIONS ABROAD SUPPORT PROGRAM 
(DEADLINE: 8:00PM PST, NOV. 29th)
This program is designed to provide financial support for museums and art institutions overseas that organize exhibitions introducing Japanese art and culture to audiences overseas. In addition, this program is designed to support overseas international exhibitions such as biennials/triennials introducing Japanese artists and their works.
More Information>

➤TRANSLATION AND PUBLICATION SUPPORT PROGRAM 
(DEADLINE: 8:00PM PST, NOV. 19th)
This program is designed to provide partial financial support for overseas publishers intending to translate and publish works originally written in Japanese. The program aims to foster better understanding of Japanese culture by encouraging overseas publishers to translate and publish Japanese works. The grant covers part of the translation and publishing costs (e.g., costs for paper, typesetting, platemaking, printing, and binding)
More Information>

➤ISHIBASHI/JAPAN FOUNDATION FELLOWSHIP FOR RESEARCH ON JAPANESE ART 
(DEADLINE: 8:00PM PST, NOV. 29th)
This program aims to support the development of professionals specializing in the study of Japanese visual arts by providing an opportunity for curators and researchers from abroad to conduct research in Japan, and by so doing, promote the study of the field and the introduction of Japanese art overseas.
More Information>

Los Angeles Office Supported Events

GLOBAL STAGE
Hollywood Film Festival 2023
October 6th - 7th
Venue: TCL Chinese Theatre
Tickets: Free/$10/$25/$50

Welcome to the Global Stage Hollywood 2023. Satoshi Tsumabuki joins for the Los Angeles premiere of "A Man" (10/6). A full red carpet opening will be followed by the screening. After the film, there will be a Q&A with Tsumabuki-san on stage. There are more films -- documentaries, short films and anime – will be screened all day Saturday.

Learn More >

 

CINEMA KABUKI
“Onna Goroshi Abura No Jigoku (女殺油地獄)”
October 10th 7:00 ~ 10:00PM
Venue: Babcock Theatre (Billings, MT)
Tickets: Free

As part of Fall 2023 Japan Semester at Montana State University, Billings, Cinema Kabuki will be shown at historical Babcock Theater in downtown Billings (https://arthousebillings.com/).

Learn More >

Irvine Global Village Festival
October 14th 10:00AM ~ 6:00PM
Venue: Great Park  (Irvine, CA)
Tickets: Free

Irvine Global Village Festival incorporates the best of Irvine’s historic fall festivals and includes kids' activities, local and global cuisine, a global marketplace, music, art, and exhibits. JFLA together with the Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles, Japan Business Association of Southern California and other Japanese organizations, will have Japanese cultural booth. Please come to see us! 

Learn More >

 

THE 25TH ANNUAL FALL BENEFIT EVENT
October 15th 5:30PM
Venue: Japanese American National Museum (Los Angeles, CA)
Tickets: $100

Aurora Japanese Language Scholarship Foundation will host the 25th Annual Fall Benefit Event with pianist Dr. Makiko Hirata & drummer YOYOKA and family.

Learn More >

 

JAPANESE FESTIVAL 2023
14th ANNUAL AKI MATSURI 
October 21st 11:00AM ~ 9:00PM
Venue: Water Street Plaza (Henderson, NV)
Tickets: Free

Aki-Matsuri - the event of the year in the Japanese American community in Las Vegas, NV. Come enjoy food, live entertainments, and cultural explosions!

Learn More >

 

There are a variety of settings in which Japanese language for children with Japanese backgrounds (Japanese Heritage Learners) is taught and learned in the United States. These children may live in areas with little access to Japanese-language classes, much less ones with curricula tailored to their unique experiences and skillsets.

To help serve their needs, JFLA has launched keishonihongo.org, an online platform for parents and teachers of Japanese heritage language learners. 

Keisho Nihongo pools from the knowledge of The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles, and the Keisho Nihongo Special Advisory Committee, consisting of three experts in the field of Japanese heritage language education. The site includes a nationwide map of heritage language programs, in addition to a curated list of educational materials and resources for teachers and guardians. There is also a community forum and a page highlighting exemplary heritage language programs.

Keisho Nihongo is available in both English and Japanese, so please visit today!

General Invitation to Join JF USA Digital Library 

Our digital library system in coordination with our New York and Toronto office is still going strong and we recently added more volume to popular books so there is less of a wait time. We have also been incrementally adding new books as well so make sure to signup for an account below and also let your friends know about this free service.

Starting in 2023, we will be sending out updates once a week on Wednesdays by 6:30PM pacific time. If you register and do not receive a welcome email from us within a Wednesday of registering, please contact us so we can help you out. We hope you will enjoy this service from the Japan Foundation, Los Angeles!

Click Here to Complete the Signup Survey (If the link doesn't work check back later!)

2023-2024 Japanese Language Grants Now Available!

Grant for Nationwide/Statewide/Region-wide Projects for Teachers
Japanese-Language Education Project Grant
(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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Advocacy Support Letter

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.

Japanese Language Education Update 118

If you are interested in participating in our training programs in Japan next year, make sure to view our program guidelines above. There have been some changes to both programs including the reduction of the teacher training programs from four to three in our region as well as only one long term program for the training program for specialists. The deadline this year is at the end of November and we will again be using the online portal for applications. If you have any questions, please make sure to contact us and select "Anything Related to Japanese Language Education" from the drop down menu. Our Japanese language grants ended last month, but you can still apply for the Project Grant and we will have more information available in January/February of 2024 for next years' grants.

You can still order give away goods including posters so if you haven't ordered any from us in the past year, you can do so at the following link. Posters do not count towards your limit so if you are interested in just receiving posters, you can do that as well.

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the japan foundation, los angeles

5700 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 100
Los Angeles, CA 90036-

jflainfo@jpf.go.jp

323.761.7510

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