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An Online Newsletter Showcasing Our Programs for the Month of August 2026! |
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Welcome to the August edition of Your Japan! Our dual exhibition, Kinetic Stillness: Sculptural Ceramics Exhibition and Tea Ceremony with Pacific Plastics, continues through September 19 at JFLA, so be sure to visit and experience these thought-provoking explorations of contemporary ceramics, sustainability, and Japanese tea culture. As part of the exhibition, we are offering special Japanese tea ceremony sessions in the tea room installation located in our Courtyard Gallery. Seating is limited, so we encourage you to reserve your spot early. In partnership with LACMA, we will also present a special tea ceremony demonstration, tasting, and curator walkthrough inspired by the exhibition. Be sure to RSVP for both sessions to enjoy this unique collaborative program. Beyond the exhibition, August features a variety of opportunities to engage with Japanese arts and culture. Join us for a lecture performance exploring bonsai in the age of AI, or take part in our growing Tea Time! × JFF Theater conversation café, where participants enjoy a Japanese film together before practicing their Japanese in a relaxed and welcoming environment. You can also enjoy Japanese cinema from home with JFF Theater, which adds five new films beginning August 5, including acclaimed mysteries, heartfelt dramas, and classic J-horror favorites. Finally, catch up on the latest in Japanese-language education as we welcome a new group of J-LEAP Assistant Teachers and Lead Teachers preparing to begin the school year across the United States, and read about the second group of educators who participated in our 2026 Special Training Program at The Japan Foundation Japanese-Language Institute, Urawa.
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NEW EXHIBITION Two exhibitions remain on view through September 19. Ceramic artists spotlight programs will be organized throughout the exhibition, and the tea house will be activated through Japanese traditional tea ceremony demonstrations on Saturdays (more details coming soon). Please check on our website for more information. Kinetic Stillness: Sculptural Ceramics Exhibition This exhibition brings together seven Japanese and Japanese American artists who approach ceramics not as vessels for utility or tradition, but as sculptural sites of flux. Tea Ceremony with Pacific Plastics (TCwPP) This exhibition showcases ocean-inspired tea utensils created by the collective in collaboration with various artists, an upcycled tea room, and a small zen garden made entirely from shopping bags and salvaged ocean plastics. |
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PERF
Today, we live in an age of instant access to information and history: through Instagram Reels, TikTok, or a few seconds of social media scrolling. It has been called one of the great revolutions in human history, though it may be better understood as one in a series of media, cultural, and technological turning points since the start of the twentieth century. Bonsai, too, has been swept up in these successive waves of cultural change: having passed through the modernization of the Meiji era and gone viral in the age of social media, it now stands at a new critical juncture in the age of AI. Over the past decade, artist Takashi Horisaki's #InstaBonsai series—born from his reflections on Instagram and realized in ceramic and photographic forms—has explored the multiple, layered meanings of bonsai as they cross borders and eras. Horisaki will present a lecture performance titled "Bonsai in the Age of AI Reproducibility: Meiji Modernization, SNS, Chat GPT and Beyond," presented in conjunction with Kinetic Stillness: Sculptural Ceramics Exhibition, on view at the Japan Foundation, Los Angeles from Thursday, June 18 through Saturday, September 19, 2026.
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TEA CEREMONY
As part of the ongoing exhibition Tea Ceremony with Pacific Plastics, we are pleased to invite you to special tea ceremony sessions. Seating is limited. Please reserve your seat via the RSVP above. |
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DEMONSTRATION AND CURATOR WALKTHROUGH LACMA: 11:00AM - 12:00PM (PT) JFLA: 2:00PM - 3:00PM (PT) Kaoru Kuribayashi, Arts and Culture Program Coordinator at JFLA, will lead a demonstration and tasting focused on tea, ceramics, and everyday ritual inspired by works on view in the David Geffen Galleries at LACMA, from 11am to 12pm. After exploring the galleries, participants are invited to continue the experience at JFLA, just a 5min walk from LACMA, for a curator walkthrough of the current tea house installation and Japanese ceramics exhibition from 2 to 3pm. Attend both programs for an immersive afternoon of tea, ceramics, and art. |
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CONVERSATION CAFE
Join us at The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles (JFLA), for an afternoon of film and lively discussion! We are planning to show the documentary film Tsukiji Wonderland (Dir. ENDO Naotaro, 2016) on JFF Theater, then discuss it in Japanese. In this fun new Tea Time! series, practice your language skills while enjoying unique films from Japan. Space is limited, so RSVP as soon as possible! KNOW BEFORE YOU VISIT: Ages: 18 and up; under 18 with an accompanying adult Notes: JFLA will select family-friendly films, but please familiarize yourself with each film to ensure it is appropriate for you. The film screening and Tea Time! take place in spaces where art is being exhibited, so please treat the art respectfully.
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ONLINE CURATOR TALK
Join curators Hollis Goodall and Kaoru Kuribayashi as they introduce and discuss their respective exhibitions at American Museum of Ceramic Art (AMOCA) and The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles (JFLA), during a special online conversation.
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EVENT REPORT
Last month, we started a monthly series of events at our office that combines JFLA’s popular Tea time! Japanese conversation café with Japanese film screenings through JFF Theater. These events start with a public screening of a Japanese film and then break the audience into groups to practice discussing movies and other topics in Japanese. The participants had a great time, and we are looking forward to next month! JFF Theater is a free-to-use movie streaming platform created by the Japan Foundation. All you have to do is set up an account and you can watch Japanese movies online! Public screenings may require special permission, but you can watch them privately anytime. If you would like to learn more about JFF Theater and make an account, please check out the article below!
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ON DEMAND JFF Theater will begin streaming five new Japanese films starting August 5, featuring an exciting mix of mystery, drama, comedy, and horror. Highlights include Midsummer’s Equation (2013), the second installment in the popular Galileo mystery series starring FUKUYAMA Masaharu, and Suspect X (2008), another acclaimed adaptation of HIGASHINO Keigo’s bestselling novels. Audiences can also enjoy the heartwarming comedy-drama The Hotel of My Dream (2024), following an aspiring novelist determined to achieve her literary dreams. For horror fans, the lineup features The Complex (2013), a chilling supernatural thriller directed by NAKATA Hideo, and the J-horror classic One Missed Call (2004), directed by MIIKE Takashi, in which mysterious phone calls predict their recipients' deaths. Don't miss this opportunity to stream these acclaimed Japanese films when they debut on JFF Theater beginning August 5.
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TEACHER TRAINING Last month, Year 14 and Year 15 J-LEAP Assistant Teacher/Lead Teacher (AT/LT) pairs arrived in Seattle to participate in training before heading to their respective host sites across the country! Pairs worked on lesson demonstrations during the J-LEAP training which helped the new Year 15 pairs get to know each other and develop essential co-teaching strategies, and helped Year 14 pairs, now heading into their second year together, refresh and improve on their approaches ahead of the start of AY 2026-27. We are so impressed with these J-LEAPers and excited for their lucky students back home! WHAT IS J-LEAP? 2025 J-LEAP Online Info Session
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Keisho Nihongo Support Programs Applications are now open for the 2026–27 Japanese Heritage Language (JHL) Support Program. Two types of support are available:
In previous years, the application period ran from September through January of the following year. Beginning in 2026, however, the application window will open in April. 2026–27 Application Period: April 1, 2026 – January 31, 2027 This revised timeline is intended to accommodate a broader range of JHL events and to provide schools with greater flexibility in integrating donated materials into their curricula. JHL schools and programs interested in applying for event support or book donations are encouraged to visit the following pages for more information: (Japanese): https://www.jflalc.org/jle-keishonihongo-programsj If you have any questions, please send inquiries to (jared_mcclellan@jpf.go.jp). |
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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 6:30PM 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. Visit Website to Visit Website to Register!
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2026-2027 Japanese Language Grants Now Available! Grant for Nationwide/Statewide/Region-wide Events for Learners Japanese Language Learners Event Grant Grant for Nationwide/Statewide/Region-wide Projects for Teachers Japanese-Language Education Project Grant Grants for Individual Japanese Language Programs Japanese Teaching Material Purchase Grant 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.). Click Here to contact us and select Anything Related to Japanese Education. |
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Japanese Language Education Update 151
Last month, the Japan Foundation, Los Angeles, completed our 2026 Special Training Program for Non-Native Teachers of Japanese in the United States in coordination with our Japanese Language Institute, Urawa. The second group arrived in Los Angeles on June 21 and included 23 K–12 teachers from across the United States (View Participant List Here). The participants attended an orientation hosted by the Japan Foundation, Los Angeles, where they were introduced to the Foundation’s programs and activities. The orientation also featured presentations by Katie Ross, Executive Director of the American Association of Teachers of Japanese (AATJ), who spoke about the organization's activities, and Yo Azama, Lead Instructional Coach at Salinas Union High School District, who provided hands on activities to help participants get to know each other and prepare for their training in Japan. Following the orientation, the group traveled to the Japanese Language Institute, Urawa, where they embarked on an exciting three-week professional development program. The dynamic curriculum blended hands-on teacher training with immersive cultural experiences, school visits, and a study tour of Kanazawa, giving participants a deeper understanding of both Japanese language education and contemporary Japanese society. Throughout the 25-day program, participants expanded their teaching knowledge, refined their classroom skills, and discovered fresh perspectives to bring back to their own schools. Just as meaningful, they formed lasting friendships and built a nationwide network of fellow educators who share their passion for Japanese language education. These connections will continue to spark collaboration and mutual support well beyond the program. The participants returned home in the middle of July with new ideas, renewed confidence, and unforgettable memories of their time in Japan. We hope the experiences, insights, and relationships they gained will continue to inspire and energize them as they share their enthusiasm for the Japanese language and culture with students for years to come. Starting next month, we will be featuring firsthand reports from participants about their experiences during the program. Stay tuned! |
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5700 Wilshire blvd, Suite 100
Los Angeles, CA 90036
jflainfo'at'jpf.go.jp
323.761.7510
