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An Online Newsletter Showcasing Our Programs for the Month of July 2025! |
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In July, our spotlight remains on the captivating exhibition by Ibuki Kuramachi. The artist will also present a live performance, and later this month, we’ll host a special meditation with art event to further explore the themes of her work. In addition, we’re excited to offer three in-person lectures at our office, covering a diverse range of topics: Japanese modern music, lacquer design and woodworking, and the cultural legacy of Godzilla. Online, we’ll wrap up our Japan and Kami lecture series with Kami in Anime, the final chapter of this popular series. Our on demand Japan Film Festival is onling with reviews of the three movies and you can still sign up for our digital library. We’re also thrilled to announce our anime voice acting workshop, presented in partnership with the Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles and JVTA. Last year’s session was a huge success, and we look forward to welcoming both returning and new participants. Finally, with mixed emotions, we announce the closure of our Japanese language classes here at JFLA. Since launching in 2012, we’ve had the pleasure of supporting hundreds of enthusiastic learners. While this chapter comes to an end, we encourage all those passionate about the language to continue their journey at one of the many excellent language programs available in Los Angeles. One quick note: We've noticed that Google Maps has been incorrectly marking our location. Please make sure your search directs you to Mid-Wilshire, between Masselin and S Curson Ave. The entrance is located on Courtyard Place. You can find a map and street view of our building below for easy reference.
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EXHIBITION m/Other is a meditation on kinship, the maternal principle, and Otherness—not as fixed categories, but as shifting, unstable forces. Moving between the human and non-human, organic and synthetic, Ibuki Kuramochi reimagines the maternal as a site of both intimacy and alienation, power and dissolution. Inspired by Donna Haraway’s philosophy of companion species, this exhibition draws on Japanese custom to ask: What does it mean to mother—not a child, but an idea, a creature, a memory, a wound? Here, the uterus is not merely biological, but a conceptual matrix—a haunted space of inheritance, trauma, and transformation. The Japanese tradition of preserving the umbilical cord becomes a symbol of kinship that extends beyond bloodlines, into interspecies care and nonlinear histories. Kuramochi’s practice is grounded in Butoh—a form born from postwar collapse—whose physical language functions as a code for navigating grief, mutation, and metamorphosis. Through video, performance, and installation, she invokes the body as a porous vessel entangled with memory, ancestry, and technology. In m/Other, the figure of the mother flickers—ghost, cyborg, companion, absence. Among them is the artist’s aging dog, whose presence, tender and temporary, informs the exhibition’s meditation on care. The “/” signals rupture and multiplicity, opening space for fragmented lineages and speculative kinships. m/Other invites us to mourn, remember, and reimagine what care might mean now—across generations, species, and time. |
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JFLA LECTURE This talk introduces the topic of Japanese sheet music cover design from 1920-1950 as the nexus of visual art, film, and popular song. It posits the humble, disposable and seemingly obscure music sheet as perhaps the most sensitive lens for capturing modern popular arts in Japan during the tumultuous period before, during and just after WWII. The lecture includes snippets of Japanese music and film. |
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ANIME EXPO WORKSHOP We're excited to announce that our Voice Acting for Japanese Anime Workshop at Anime Expo® will include practicing with these popular titles! 1. mono 2. The Elusive Samurai 3. Wind Breaker Join us in voicing your favorite anime in Japanese! We'll learn vocal warmups and tips and tricks from a professional voice actor before tackling the ultimate challenge: voicing short scenes together! Don’t worry about your Japanese language learning experience or level; everyone is welcome! Co-hosted by Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles, Japan Foundation and JVTA. |
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PERFORMANCE As part of the m/Other exhibition, Ibuki Kuramochi presents a performance that explores kinship, motherhood, and Otherness—not as fixed roles, but as ongoing acts of care and connection. The performance includes a video documenting a live piece she created with her dog, filmed on March 1st 2025 at LA Art Share. The title m/Other refers to both “mother” and “other,” highlighting how care and connection can take many forms. In this work, the idea of motherhood goes beyond giving birth—it includes caring for a memory, a loved one, or even a wound. The piece is influenced by feminist scholar Donna Haraway’s companion species theory and Kazuo Ohno's Butoh philosophy. At the center of the work is Kuramochi’s late dog, who was a constant companion. His presence deeply shaped the project, and his passing continues to resonate throughout it. In March, she performed The Otherness Child beside him—a piece honoring their bond during his final days. In this new performance, Kuramochi dances with a transparent dog that represents his memory. The performance is set to Yurikago no Uta, a Japanese lullaby her mother used to sing to her. She sang the same lullaby to her dog as he passed away, turning it into a requiem. Since his death, she continues to feel his presence. He appears in dreams, and she sees him as her invisible performance partner—her spirit guardian. |
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JFLA LECTURE & DEMONSTRATION Selected two young artisans from Kyoto, Japan will demonstrate their skills and give a talk about their passion and ambition for Japanese arts and crafts. This program is in collaboration with the Five Senses Foundation. About Five Senses Foundation Five Senses Foundation (FSF) is based in Seattle, WA, and supports, preserves, and celebrates traditional Japanese arts. Its larger mission is to inspire people, especially youth, to live harmoniously with nature. Understanding and practicing these arts – today threatened with extinction – leads to a more sustainable and mindful lifestyle, while combating dehumanizing prejudices and enhancing cross-cultural understanding. The Collaboration Between Five Senses Foundation and the Traditional Arts Super-College of Kyoto (TASK) The Summer Short-Stay Scholarship Program is FSF’s principal program. The program features a cultural/student exchange with TASK, the leading Japanese institution for traditional arts in Japan. The program’s mission is to help these students become traditional Japanese arts “ambassadors” and leaders in their artistic fields. During their short-stay in the US, students are exposed to a variety of local people/places, including a corporate campus tour, visit to local museums and art studios, and private art collection tours. The students also give presentations at local events to demonstrate their skills, mastery and dedication. |
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Banner Image: Cosplay at Lucca Comics & Games 2017 - Characters of Spirited Away, by SYRIO |
ONLINE LECTURE SERIES From the mysterious river spirit in Spirited Away to the shinigami realm of Death Note, anime has become a powerful vehicle for exploring Japan’s ancient spiritual traditions. Join us for an illuminating lecture examining how contemporary anime brings Shinto kami—the divine spirits of Japan's indigenous religion—to life for global audiences. This presentation will analyze the cultural significance and artistic interpretation of kami across anime, exploring how traditional Japanese spirituality is reimagined, adapted, and sometimes transformed for modern storytelling. Whether you're an anime enthusiast, student of Japanese culture, or curious about the intersection of ancient beliefs and popular media, this lecture offers fresh insights into how sacred meets secular in Japan’s most influential animated medium. This session is perfect for fans of Studio Ghibli, supernatural anime, and Japanese cultural studies. This is the final lecture in a four-part series that will explore the various relationships that exist between Japanese culture, Shinto, and its deities. |
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WELLNESS Refresh and recharge with a sound bath! The singing bowl used for this program harmoniously combines the healing qualities of both the Tibetan singing bowl and the Japanese traditional singing bowl. Choose a space near your favorite artwork in the exhibition "m/Other: IBUKI KURAMOCHI SOLO EXHIBITION", relax and feel your stress dissipate into thin air as the sounds of the singing bowl lead you into a meditative state. There is no admission fee, but a reservation is required. We will provide a chair and small cushion for you to sit on, but you are welcome to bring your own cushion or yoga mat. |
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IN-PERSON LECTURE Why did Godzilla emerge to attack Japan in 1954? How and why did the monster later become a savior that defends Japan from other monsters---and then, even later, begin attacking Japan again? Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski, authors of Godzilla: The First 70 Years (Abrams Books, 2025), explain the creative decision-making behind the scenes at Toho Studios that has shaped and influenced Godzilla's evolution from atomic avatar to kaiju hero and back again, across the monster's seven-decades-long history. Copies of Godzilla: The First 70 Years (retail $75) will be available for purchase from on-site vendor Chevalier's Books. This large format, heavily illustrated volume is a tribute to Godzilla’s creators and costars—the filmmakers, special-effects wizards, cast members, even the stuntmen inside the monster suit—and an appreciation of the behind-the-scenes artistry involved in bringing Godzilla to cinematic life. The authors will sign books purchased at the event, as well as copies brought from home. |
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JAPANESE CLASS Launched in 2012, our Japanese language class program has brought the joy of learning to many. Now, after years of meaningful connections and growth, we’ve made the difficult decision to close the program. |
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ON DEMAND We’ve picked out standout Japanese films you can watch for free, now streamingon JFF Theater for a limited time!
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New Video Interview Series: My Keisho Nihongo, Your Keisho Nihongo Being a Keisho Nihongo/Japanese-as-a-Heritage-Language (JHL) learner, as opposed to a Japanese-as-a-Foreign Language (JFL) learner, can carry with it a set of unique challenges when there is a lack of local access to specialized education and community. Bicultural identity, especially in countries rich in diversity like the U.S., can factor into these learners' language acquisition and can be difficult for them to navigate. In this interview series, we talk with Keisho Nihongo learners about the personal challenges they faced and what helped them overcome those challenges. We hope that the advice, perspectives, and unique stories offered in these interviews will help and motivate other Keisho Nihongo learners throughout the U.S. William Kimmel: https://youtu.be/cQ-hhFGQUrk Luke Palermo: https://youtu.be/Y3EopxyplYs |
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General Invitation to Join JF USA Digital Library We recently renewed and added many new books in coordination with our New York and Toronto offices for our patrons in the US and Canada. There have also been an uptick in the number of applicants as well, which shows that this is a very popular service. We have also updated the application survey and the confirmation emails are still going out once a week on Wednesdays by 6:00PM 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. |
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2025-2026 Japanese Language Grants Now Available! Grant for Nationwide/Statewide/Region-wide Events for Learners Grant for Nationwide/Statewide/Region-wide Projects for Teachers Grants for Individual Japanese Language Programs Advocacy Support Letter Click Here to contact us and select Anything Related to Japanese Education. |
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Japanese Language Education Update 138
This month, we are excited to announce a new site with comprehensive portal for anyone involved in Japanese language education in Japan. Whether you're learning Japanese, looking for a language school, or aiming to become a certified Japanese language teacher, this site has everything you need in one place! Also now available is the latest issue of the Japan Foundation Journal on Japanese-language Education. This edition features articles and reports authored by Japanese-language education specialist, professionals assigned abroad, and staff members working on the Japan Foundation's language education projects. If you are interested in contributing to the next issue, submission guidelines are now available. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, August 27, 2025 By 10:00 a.m. 14 (JST). In the meantime, you can read the latest journal or download the necessary forms to submit an article here! |
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5700 Wilshire blvd, Suite 100
Los Angeles, CA 90036
jflainfo@jpf.go.jp
323.761.7510
