Volunteers from JETAANY helped make this year's yo-yo fishing game a big success.

By Alma Jennings (Fukushima-ken, 2008-10) for JQ magazine. Alma works at Japan Society in New York as a development assistant in foundation and government relations.

The sixth annual Japan Day @ Central Park took place on a warm Sunday May 13. Over 40,000 people attended the event, which featured live performances, Japanese games and language lessons, and the four-mile “Japan Run.” This year also marked the triumphant return of food tents, where volunteers dished out free sushi, udon, Pocky, and other Japanese vittles to hungry visitors.

According to their homepage, the goals of Japan Day are to build bridges of understanding between the people of Japan and the U.S., showcase the local Japanese community’s appreciation toward New York, and facilitate stronger grassroots connections within the local Japanese community. This year, the JET Alumni Association of New York (JETAANY) teamed up with Japan Society, a New York City-based organization that deepens understanding between the U.S. and Japan, to offer traditional Japanese “yo-yo fishing.” In this addictive game, participants try to win a colorful balloon by using a paper hook to lift it from a pool of water. Volunteers from the Japan Local Government Center, Mitsubishi, K Line Logistics, Mirai IT International, and the Bronx Science Key Club also provided much appreciated help at the tent.

The cute yo-yos look deceptively easy to make. In fact, they are tricky to make and can get messy. Volunteers showed up hours before the event began to blow up the balloons, which tend to deflate over a few days and thus couldn’t be made in advance. Japan Society’s director of special events and JET alum Christy Jones (Nagasaki-ken, 1995-98) served as the yo-yo activity organizer on behalf of the Society, encouraging Japan Society’s staff and JET alums to prepare thousands of paper hooks before the big day.

I wasn’t keen on waking up at 6:30 a.m. on a Sunday, so I signed up for the afternoon shift. When I arrived, the yo-yo tent was a blur of activity with volunteers making balloons in the back, directing the line of customers, and encouraging visitors at the pools. Veterans of previous Japan Days directed volunteers new to the yo-yo activity to ensure that everything ran smoothly. At times when the line was very long, the volunteers shifted from allowing families to take their time to hurrying them along to make sure people didn’t have to wait too long.

I started my shift by attempting to make a few balloons and promptly made a mess despite the fact that I had learned the technique a few days earlier. After a few more failed endeavors, I finally succeeded in making a balloon that wasn’t itching to explode. I made a few more and then decided to go encourage fishers at the pools, which was a lot more fun for me. People were very excited and there were a lot of adorable kids who reminded me of my days on JET teaching elementary school students. I even used a bit of my horribly underused Japanese speaking with the Japanese parents and kids.

The rule that we all agreed on prior to Japan Day was to allow one balloon per person. However, the allure of the colorful bouncing balloons proved too much for most of our visitors and many of them absconded with at least two each. Some volunteers also found the rule difficult to enforce when they saw the pleading eyes of the children.

According to a tally taken by Japan Day’s executive producers Gorgeous Entertainment, over 2,200 people participated in the yo-yo fishing (that’s roughly 400 per hour!), making it one of the most popular activities at Japan Day. Many people enjoyed the game so much that they waited in line to go twice or even three times. All the volunteers were in high spirits at the end of the day, which culminated in a group photo.

Japan Day was not only a great success based on attendance and audience enthusiasm, but also as a collaboration between Japan Society and JETAANY. Motoatsu Sakurai, president of Japan Society, was enthusiastic about the participation of JET alumni, saying, “JETs are forward-minded people and their dedication to Japan is impressive. I was greatly looking forward to working with them on Japan Day.”

JETAANY president Monica Yuki agreed.

“It was a really great turnout,” she said. “It was a fun-filled day and it allowed us to share a tradition we learned in Japan with the New York community.”

If this article has piqued your interest, I hope you’ll join us next year as a volunteer!

For more on Japan Day @ Central Park, visit www.japandaynyc.org. Watch a video report that aired on Fujisankei TV about JETAANY’s preparation for the event here.

A few minutes ago, I went outside and tested my fancy new eclipse-viewing glasses. Forty-eight hours from now, on the morning of May 21, I’ll be among millions of people in Japan and the western United States taking the rare opportunity to view a “kinkan nisshoku,” or “annular eclipse.”

An annular eclipse is one that occurs when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun at a point in the moon’s orbit when it is far from the Earth and thus appears relatively small – the exact opposite of the effect seen in the recent “supermoon.” In an annular eclipse, this small moon appears superimposed in front of the sun rather than completely blocking it out. The visible portions of the sun form a fiery ring around the moon’s black silhouette.

One positive effect of this event is that it has expanded my vocabulary in two languages. The English word “annular,” which comes from Latin via French, means “ring-shaped.” The Japanese term is even more straightforward and easy to remember, as it is written with a string of kanji characters that literally mean “gold-ring sun-eating.”

The moon’s shadow will fall across a large swath of the Earth, but the full annular effect will be visible only in a narrow band that goes through nearly all of Japan’s major cities (what luck!) Monday morning before moving out to sea in a long arc across the northern Pacific Ocean, where it will slip back to late Sunday as it crosses the International Date Line, after which it will come ashore in northern California, pass over Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon, and finally fade out over the border of Texas and New Mexico.

Click HERE for more.

JET alum and 'Monkey Business' editor Roland Kelts will appear at Japan Night @ Joe's Pub in New York May 6. (Kaz)

By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Examiner.com. Visit his Japanese culture page here for related stories.

Regular visitors to NoHo’s St. Mark’s Place are known to enjoy many of the Japanese pubs and eateries that dot the street down to Avenue A. This Sunday (May 6), neighbor Joe’s Pub will host live music and the latest English release of a notable Nippon-centric literary anthology.

Japan Night @ Joe’s Pub, held at the eponymous nightclub a stone’s throw below Astor Place, promises an unforgettable night of transcultural readings, music and live performances. On tap for Sunday: revered Japanese writers Masatsugu Ono, Tomoko Shibasaki, and award-winning author and translator Motoyuki Shibata will arrive from Tokyo to share the stage with American authors Stuart Dybek, Kelly Link, and Canadian translator, scholar and editor Ted Goossen.

The scriveners’ summit will celebrate the second Issue of Monkey Business International, the latest English-language edition of the acclaimed Japanese literary magazine that Pulitzer-winning author Junot Díaz calls “one of the year’s best publications” and Luna Park Review dubbed “one of the seven best literary magazines of 2011.”

Emceeing is JET alum (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), Japanamerica author and Monkey Business contributing editor Roland Kelts (click here for an exclusive interview conducted with Kelts last year), who describes the literary project as “all about dear friends calling upon me to be a bridge between the worlds I inhabit, write about and know best—giving me an enormous opportunity to feel a momentary spurt of self-worth.”

For the complete story, click here.

The view from Sakura Matsuri at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, April 2012. (Preston Hatfield)

By Preston Hatfield (Kofu-shi, 2009-10) for JQ magazine. Preston moved to New York in January 2012 from San Francisco and works for Skyhorse Publishing. In addition to fantastic manuscripts, Preston is now accepting submissions from people who want to be his friend. Abduct him from his house in the middle of the night, or find him on Facebook and ask about his JET blog in which he details his exploits and misadventures in that crazy Land of the Rising Sun we all love.

In the end I find myself in Cherry Esplanade, sinking to the ground, my back comfortable against the broad face of a cherry tree whose gnarled and mostly barren branches still sported a few late blossoms flitting in the breeze, the petals of those that had come before it strewn across the grounds, specking the meadow in gentle shades of pink. It’s an act of defeat, really; an act of resignation.

I never did find that damn press table.

*           *           *

I arrived early, as planned, eager to take in the 31st Annual Sakura Matsuri at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. It was my first matsuri since moving to New York in January, my first trip to the Garden. I was stoked.

As instructed, I went to the entrance designated for performers, event staff and press and told the man at the front desk who I was. After consulting his clipboard and giving me a skeptical look, he let me in and gave me directions to the tent where I could pick up my press kit and thank the publicist for giving JQ magazine and myself the opportunity to cover the event. I set off, and once inside was instantly struck by how large the Brooklyn Botanic Garden really is. Droves of people had shown up for the event, a fair number of them in costume, though conspicuously, from where I stood just outside the visitor center, it was not readily apparent where the main event was being held. As I continued walking down the path, I was growing more and more sure that either the guy at the front desk either gave me poor instructions, or I was poor at following them (and this would not surprise most people who know me, least of all my mom or some of my elementary school arts and crafts teachers).

Leave it to me to let this bother me, to knock impatiently at the door of my mind so loudly that I was unable to really take in and appreciate my surroundings. Find the press table. That is the first priority. Enjoying myself can come later.

And so I wandered. Every curve of the path, every safari I took through a thicket or brush to see what lay beyond seemed to bring me no closer to my destination. But hark! In the distance I heard, and indeed all along had been hearing, the rumbling boom of taiko drums. Thought I, It may not be where the press table is, but there’ll at least be something to witness and report on.

*           *           *

The drummers are well into their last number now. At such close proximity, I feel the vibrations bumping me through the ground, practically shoving the air around me. For a different person, on a different day, this might be jarring, but for me it’s not. Strangely, I’m imagining this pounding in my ears and my chest as something reminiscent of a penetrating massage, and for the first time in far too long I exhale deeply and visualize the stress of New York City subsiding. Shoulders easy, chest deflates. Here in this moment I am lighter, but that weight isn’t far away; it’s only gone as far as the garden exit.

*           *           *

When I went off in search of the drummers, what I found first was not Cherry Esplanade, where the main stage and food tents are set up, but the Japanese garden. Walking through it brought forth a powerful kick of nostalgia. The garden is beautiful, a gem of landscape engineering (if that wasn’t a real term before, I hereby declare that henceforth it shall be). With the slightest bit of effort I knew I could convince my willing mind that I was back in my old haunts in the Yamanashi mountains, or touring the grounds at one of the gardens in Kyoto. But some of us are wise to abstain from playing make believe so recklessly.

The crash back into reality can be harsh. Still a stranger to New York, I feel more at home in the Garden than I have anywhere else. So many cozy memories of “better” times surface with the appearance of a maple leaf or a koi, or hearing the alien twang of a shamisen. Recklessly, I step, and suddenly the press table is forgotten. Back I go, spirits and memories taking flight, to a place where autumn breezes make playthings out of cherry blossoms and mountains burst with grass instead of trash and cigarette butts, where people are quick to apologize for the slightest of inconveniences, and preserving wa in society is paramount.

*           *           *

I come out of my reverie long enough to hear the MC introduce the Ryukyu Buyo and Nihon Buyo dancers. I’m in a freefall now. Terminal. I miss you, Japan. 2010 was a long time ago; 2008 longer still. I feel, as I so often do, the acute pangs of regret, that I could have, should have been with you in March, 2011.

I find a distraction in the gaiety happening around me; so many jovial, happy families, friends and couples, all enjoying the weather and festivities under the cherry trees, many partaking in the overpriced bento lunches and seasonal Japanese sweets. Were it not for living on a shoestring budget I would seriously consider buying one for myself, if only to relive those late night stops at Family Mart on my way home from a night of careless revelry with my friends or office nomikais. I ate these lunches with a certain amount of relish when I was an exchange student at Tsuru University, sitting out on the school patio with the other members of my program, each of us with wooden chopsticks in one hand, flimsy plastic trays in the other.

Regrettably, it’s very clear to me at this point that I will fail to adequately do my job as a reporter of this event. I admit I did not interview any of the performers or try to get a quote in advance from the event publicist. Hell, I’ve hardly spoken to the other spectators. The one interaction I went out of my way to initiate was to offer to take a family picture of a Japanese couple and their daughter. “Shall I take a picture with the three of you?” I asked in their native tongue, which I had previously observed them using amongst themselves.

“Oh, your Japanese is very good,” the father told me in English. How many times did I have that conversation and get that same double take which resolved into unnecessary and self-defeating praise in English while I was in Japan? It used to annoy me, and I suppose it still does somewhat, but the difference is now when I tell them “Yes, I speak Japanese” it is with less and less certainty. Every day I sense my language ability atrophying. A part of me is dying. Like the Maza and Dota in Murakami’s 1Q84, being away from Japan, the other half of my cultural identity, it feels an essential piece of my being that I’ve worked so hard to foster these past seven years is dying. I don’t want to be left with this space left hollow, and yet it feels like an inevitability. A sad and terrifying one.

I’m a JET alum whose heart never left Japan. It never got packed and didn’t make it with me on the plane home to the States. Perhaps it’s still in my old room, forgotten behind the headboard of my bed along with the ukiyo-e prints I made while on a day trip to Shizuoka Prefecture with one of my JTEs. It doesn’t matter that I came back with three real prints which are now matted, framed and mounted on my dad’s study back home in California, I want those prints—and those memories—back.

There is an exhibit around here somewhere where they show people how to make these woodblock prints. They might even be using the very same Tokaido plates I used in Shizuoka. But alas, it wouldn’t be the same. Even though it hasn’t been working, I’m trying to live for the present now, to embrace all that New York has to offer instead of doting on the past. The one genuinely good thing this city has done for me so far is give me the opportunity to stay in touch with Japanese culture. True, some of this festival today may not be traditional in the strictest sense, but Japan, like all people and places, has many faces, each of which deserve to be celebrated. I only wish there were more Japanese people in attendance.

 *           *           *

I realize that sitting down under this tree was a symbolic act. I’ve anchored myself here in a place where I feel at peace. It was naïve of me, irresponsible to have thought I could write this article the way it should have been written. These words, cathartic though they have been for me to write, I fear are alienating the reader, and wholly missing the point of promoting a fantastic event that is now in its thirty-first year. The people who deserve recognition are on stage—the dancers, musicians, manga artists, cosplay models—and the staff who worked so hard to put the event together and execute it so well.

I salute each of you and offer my sincerest thanks and gratitude for bringing an incredible representation of Japanese culture to Brooklyn in what is, in all honesty, one of the mostly stunningly beautiful gardens I have ever had the privilege of walking. I urge readers (assuming people are, in fact, still reading this) to see this for yourselves and support this event so that it can continue for another thirty-one years. Finally, to the event coordinators, I say this: I promise that as long as you continue hosting Sakura Matsuri, I will keep attending.

 *           *           *

Some time and a number of acts of stage pass before I muster the fortitude to do what needs to be done. I stand, brush myself off, and take a breath. In the distance I can see apartment buildings jutting up over the trees, like children spying into their neighbor’s yard.

All eyes are on me, and I’ve still got a press table to find.

For Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Sakura Matsuri page, visit www.bbg.org/discover/cherries. Click here for a review of Sakura Sunday in Philadelphia by JET alum Daniel Moeller (Hiroshima-ken, 2009-11).

Dance performance Kota Yamazaki/’Fluid hug-hug (glowing)’ will be held at New York's Japan Society April 27-28. (Ryutaro Mishima)

By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02). Visit his Examiner.com page here for related stories.

Following a month of concerts from all types of Japanese musicians, New York City bids sayonara to April this weekend with an exciting pair of performances from a Bessie Award-winning performance artist, followed by the 31st edition of one of Brooklyn’s finest annual events.

Kicking things off tonight (April 27) and tomorrow at Japan Society is the performance of Kota Yamazaki/Fluid hug-hug (glowing), the Society’s newest commissioned work by the butoh-trained choreographer. In this new work that will appeal to fans of dance, Yamazaki re-examines the fundamentals of butoh, the form in which he received his training, as six dancers hailing from Senegal, Ethiopia, Japan, and the U.S., perform within a set constructed to evoke the soft lighting and dim interior of a traditional Japanese house, where shadows contribute to a visual atmosphere.

The performance, which made successful stops earlier this month at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh and the Painted Bride Arts Center in Philadelphia, draws its inspiration from the world-renowned essay In’ei Raisan (In Praise of Shadows) by the great modern Japanese novelist Jun’ichiro Tanizaki. First published in 1933 and in English in 1977, it has itself been praised the world over, with the Guardian calling it a “hymn to nuance.”

For the complete story, click here.

I’m down in DC to begin a new business trip, and was thrilled when I found out my assignment would coincide with the famous Sakura Matsuri.  This year is extra special as it marks the 100th anniversary since the 3000+ trees were gifted from Japan to the U.S.  Even the Metro gets into the spirit, as you can see with their turnstile decorations.  Due to the warm weather it is doubtful that the blossoms will last until the conclusion of the festival at the end of the month, but I’m hoping to do some hanami while I’m here.

On another Japan-related note, today I went to see an interesting exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery entitled “Asian American Portraits of Encounter.”  It features several different Asian American artists, including three Japanese.  One is Satomi Shirai based in New York, the second is Shizu Saldamando based in California, and the last is Roger Shimomura based in Kansas.  I was especially taken with the work of Shimoura, who as a child was relocated to an internment camp in Idaho along with his family during World War II.  His displayed works are all self-portraits, and according to Shimomura through them he strove to battle “oriental” stereotypes or conversely become them.  As an example of the latter I particularly liked the two works shown here side by side, American Pikachu and American Hello Kitty, where the artist takes the form of these iconic images.

The non-Japanese artists also share some really thought-provoking work, so this exhibit is definitely worth checking out.  It runs through October 14, admission is free and it is open daily from 11:30-7.

Last night I had fun rocking out at the concert of L’Arc en Ciel, one of Japan’s most popular bands.  They were the first Japanese group to perform at Madison Square Garden, and they put on an amazing show!  For me it was largely natsukashii, as I discovered L’Arc (or ラルク) as an exchange student in Kyoto my first time in Japan.  During the weekly karaoke outings that I used to work on my kanji, ラルク soon became a regular part of my repertoire and for a while their song Honey was my #18 (specialty or favorite).

So I was super excited when I heard ラルク front man Hyde belt out the first  「ずっと」 that begins the song, and was happy to find that I still remembered most of the lyrics.   I enjoyed other old favorites like Stay Away and Caress of Venus, but was disappointed that Heaven’s Drive didn’t make it into the playlist.  With blonde dreadlocks and heavy eye makeup Hyde was androgynously beautiful, and the other band members offered humorous greetings in English.  Bananas and lollipops (along with colorful commentary) were randomly thrown out to the crowd throughout the show, and the graphics and pyrotechnics accompanying the music were absolutely amazing.

In Hyde’s goodbye to the audience he said, “It took us 20 years to get here!”  Definitely worth the wait, and certainly not the last we will see of this “biggest band you’ve never heard of.”

By JET alum Mark Flanigan

JET alum Mark Flanigan (center) with colleagues from the Japan ICU Foundation at the March 5 Fundraising event (Photo: Lawrence Tsuyuki)

The Japan ICU Foundation (JICUF) hosted a special Sake Tasting & Fundraiser at the Penn Club in New York City on Monday, March 5 to help raise funds for International Christian University’s (ICU) ongoing relief and rebuilding efforts after the devastating Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011.

Over 100 esteemed guests from the US, Japan and many other countries came for the evening in support of this charitable event, which was organized by JICUF Program Director Tara DeWorsop. JET Alumnus Mark Flanigan, a current ICU Rotary International Peace Fellow, gave a short keynote presentation describing the variety of ways in which ICU has been supporting the recovery efforts. These include a new joint-psychological relief program in Sendai, continuing student volunteer efforts and the Earthquake Tuition Waiver Fund.

The sake tasting was led by sake connoisseur Timothy Sullivan from  UrbanSake.com and the sake for the event was graciously donated by   Joto Sake. The founder of Joto Sake, Henry Sidel, was a student at ICU’s Summer Japanese Language Program in the late 1980s. A silent auction of different Japan-related goods, including a rare Kimono, also took place during the same event. In total, approximately $10,000 was raised from the evening.

These funds raised will support the work of the East Japan Center for Free Clinical-Educational Service (震災復興 心理・教育臨床センター” 震災復興 心理・教育臨床センター) in Sendai. The Center was founded by ICU professor Hide Kotani after the disaster and provides free psychological counseling to survivors from March 11^th. Funds will also go to support the efforts of ICU students who continue to volunteer in the Tohoku region, as well as the Earthquake Tuition Waiver Fund for those ICU students whose families were impacted by the unique triple-disaster.

For those who are interested in donating to these ongoing efforts, please feel free to contact the JICUF at:  information@jicuf.org

About the author

Mark Flanigan currently lives on the campus of International Christian University (ICU) / 国際基督教大学 in Tokyo, where he is finishing up his 2-year MA in Peace Studies as a Rotary International Peace Fellow. He is also a Resident Assistant Tutor in the Global House dormitory, which houses an equal number of Japanese and International students. Following graduation, Mark will move to New York City to work as a Program Director with the Japan ICU Foundation. 

For more specific information on the Rotary Peace Fellowship, the current application is available at www.rotary.org/rotarycenters. You can also find a local Rotary Club for endorsement at www.rotary.org/clublocator. 

****************

Thanks to Lindsay Tsuji for this write-up and thanks to Nadine Bukhman for the photos.

A chilly Toronto’s eve didn’t stop friends and fans of one artistically inclined JET alum from dropping by the Goodfellas Gallery in Toronto to celebrate the launch of his new book Life After the B.O.E. JETAA Toronto’s David Namisato (Aomori-ken CIR, 2002-04) was the cause of some serious hurrah on February 8.

Most JETs are no stranger to David’s comics. Started back in 2005, they chronicle the ins and outs of what life is like as a foreigner on the JET Programme. The enkais, the onsens, the team teaching…it’s all in there.

David Namisato is interviewed by Wai Wai Wide (OMNI).

What started as a small part of the JETAA Toronto Newsletter later became the more recent editions that continue to appear on JET websites as well as ESL teaching websites around the world.

Namisato kicked off the evening by offering a copy of his book to the Japan Foundation director Takashi Ishida and head librarian Mariko Liliefeldt. Life After the B.O.E. is due to be catalogued for the Japan Foundation library. James Heron from the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre has offered to carry copies of the book at the JCCC’s cultural gift shop.

A big thanks goes out to Hitoshi Murakami and the folks at the Goodfellas Gallery for helping out with the event.

Didn’t make it to the event? You can still buy a copy of the book! Click here for amazon or here for createspace.

To learn more about David Namisato, you can read this JETAA Toronto interview with him as well as this JQ Magazine book review of Life After the B.O.E. by JET alum Sharona Mosokowitz.

——————————————————————————————————————————–

Embassy of Japan in the UK Webmagazine: March 2012

Ambassador’s blog
One year on

Featured article
ONE YEAR ON: SCENES OF RECONSTRUCTION & PICTURES DRAWN BY THE CHILDREN OF TOHOKU

Other articles:
Events around the country as the UK remembers “One year on…”
The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom
One year on: A JET perspective
Films at the Embassy: Bloom in the Moonlight
Films at the Embassy: Tohoku Special Film Show
JAPAN-UK Events Calendar

———————————————————————————————————————————-

Last year I spoke to former JET Mary Moreton about her experiences in Japan and her current role working for one of the largest Japan-related events in the UK, HYPER JAPAN! After a hugely successful run last summer, HYPER JAPAN is back this week for more culture, cuisine and cool!

Starting tomorrow (Friday 24th February) and running till Sunday 26th, HYPER JAPAN promises to chase away all those winter blues!

Highlights this year include:
Sushi Awards 2012: UK Sushi Roll Championship
Eat-Japan SAKE AWARDS: Top Brewery Taste-Off
Natsuko Aso Live
Olympic Judo Champion Maki Tsukada
Cosplay, Street fashion, UK Kawaii star of the year and much much more!

For more details please check out the official website at http://hyperjapan.co.uk/

“Randolph-Macon College will host the Taylor Anderson/Japan Foundation Lecture, “Postscripts from Japan: Stories that Endure After the Earthquake and Tsunami,” on Sunday, March 11, 2012 at 4:00 p.m. in Blackwell Auditorium, R-MC Center for the Performing Arts. This lecture will commemorate the one year anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake which took the life of R-MC alumna Taylor Anderson ’08.”

Taylor’s father Andy Anderson will be speaking, as will NPR’s Yuki Noguchi and Ambassador Ichiro Fujisaki. Andy said it would be great to see lots of JET alumni at the event.

More details here:  http://www.rmc.edu/News/12-02-10%20-%20Japan%20Commemoration%203,-d-,11.aspx

Tokyo Underworld 2012: An Evening with Robert Whiting will be held Feb. 16 at Japan Society. Continue reading on Examiner.com Robert Whiting brings ‘Tokyo Underworld’ to Japan Society. (Courtesy of Japan Society)

By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Examiner.com. Visit his Japanese culture page here for related stories.

Japan Society of New York becomes your gateway to the seamy side of Japan on Feb. 16 with Tokyo Underworld 2012: An Evening with Robert Whiting. At this special appearance, the celebrated author will discuss the intractable role of yakuza in virtually all areas of modern day society in Japan. (It also echoes a 2011 Japan Society lecture by crime expert and Tokyo Vice author Jake Adelstein.)

Whiting first came to Japan with U.S. Air Force intelligence in 1962, where he was assigned to work for the National Security Agency in the U-2 program. He graduated from Tokyo’s Sophia University in 1969 with a degree in Japanese politics. His research into the ties binding Japan’s leading politicians to Yakuza bosses gained him entrée into the Higashi Nakano wing of Tokyo’s largest criminal gang, the Sumiyoshi-kai, where he became an “informal advisor.” He worked for Encyclopedia Britannica Japan as an editor until 1972, whereupon he moved to New York City and wrote his first book, The Chrysanthemum and the Bat. He later worked for Time-Life in Tokyo for a year before becoming a professional author.

——————————————————————————————————————————–

Embassy of Japan in the UK Webmagazine: February 2012

Ambassador’s blog
My visit to Fukushima

Featured article
JAPAN: International Fashion Showcase 2012

Other articles:
Films at the Embassy of Japan: The Glass Cape
Manga Jiman 2011 Competition Results
Wasabi and chocolate?! An interview with William Curley
Tatsumi – A new film by Eric Khoo
Olympic Judo Champion Maki Tsukada to appear at HYPER JAPAN!
One Year After the Great East Japan Earthquake

Preston busts a move onstage with cosplay idol Reni Mimura. (Justin Tedaldi)

By Preston Hatfield (Kofu-shi, 2009-10) for JQ magazine. Preston moved to New York in January 2012 from San Francisco and works for Skyhorse Publishing. In addition to fantastic manuscripts, Preston is now accepting submissions from people who want to be his friend. Abduct him from his house in the middle of the night, or find him on Facebook and ask about his JET blog in which he details his exploits and misadventures in that crazy Land of the Rising Sun we all love.

The Bennett Media Studio in New York’s West Village was filled to capacity on Feb. 11 for Saturday’s Lunar New Year Celebration and Fashion Show. This event, hosted by the ASIANinNY networking organization, treated guests to a night of Asian-oriented exhibitions, highlighted by two fashion shows and an energetic performance by cosplay singer and Japanese idol Reni Mimura.

The boys took the stage first, modeling clothes by designer Ninh Nguyen and eliciting a number of lascivious hoots and catcalls from an appreciative crowd, and the girls, wearing Meiling Chen’s new line, came out to a barrage of camera flashes. Fitting with the Year of the Dragon, the models’ hair, stylized by a team from Haruo Noro Salon, exhibited a quiet ferocity and mystique.

“For [the girls] the look is a simple and romantic boho style, center part, with a low ponytail and a braid. For [the boys] the look is a ’60s mod, edgy/punk, with a modern and clean feel,” lead stylist Noro said of his artistic intent. Having worked and studied in salons in Japan and London before coming to New Jersey and establishing his own business, Noro explained that for this event he drew mostly from his Japanese training, though having additional training and work with other cultures and participating in various fashion shows has enhanced his creative vision.

“I love that ASIANinNY is able to feature and promote various Asian designers, and my team and I are very happy to be part of it,” he said.

Models at the Lunar New Year Celebration, styled by Haruo Noro Salon. (Justin Tedaldi)

Since its founding in 2008, ASIANinNY’s main goal has been bringing the Asian community together, catering particularly to New York newcomers. In addition to hosting social events like the Lunar New Year Celebration, where Asian locals can meet and Asian businesses can advertise, ASIANinNY provides information on a variety of topics, whether it’s where to find a place to live or what restaurants one should go to for an affordable taste of home. Their efforts have had results.

“We came to support the Asians,” was one particularly blunt answer when patrons were asked why they attended the event. Many of them had friends performing in one of the acts and they had come to cheer their friends on, regardless of whatever other plans they might have had on a cold Saturday night. Others were in attendance because they heard about the event from friends who were already affiliated with the organization. In either case, word about ASIANinNY is getting around, and their online membership (free when you sign up) is growing.

But Asians, while the vast majority, were not the audience’s entirety. There was a smattering of other skin tones present, attracted perhaps by Reni Mimura, whose fan base in the anime and Comic-Con circuits has grown since she came to New York from Japan in 2008. This bunny-eared, maid cosplay bundle of energy took the stage at the end of the night and performed three songs which she wrote and her agent produced. Complete with backup dancers, props, audience participation and the signature cute gestures and facial expressions one usually associates with the moe Japanese style, Reni’s performance was everything a devote otaku might hope to see in Tokyo’s Akihabara district. And for those who had never seen this style before, Reni’s performance was surely a treat.

“I call my fans ‘Angels,’ and I try to put my best effort to interact with [them]. I would like to bring everybody’s energy level to a maximum and enjoy the unity,” Reni said prior to her performance. “As a cosplayer, I am very interested in fashion, and as an Asian I am looking forward to this event. The Asian community showed me a great deal of their support since I came to New York. They are more aware of what’s hot in Japan and understand my style, so I would like to give something back to the community.”

Reni and her fellow dancers closed the show in a grand fashion. (Justin Tedaldi)

That unity Reni mentioned was a prevailing atmospheric force Saturday night. The crowd and performers alike were happy and welcoming of everyone, for this was indeed a night of fun and celebration of Asian heritage. This was a different atmosphere for Reni, who predominantly performs at anime-centric events where most of the audience are just as dressed up as she is.

Attendee and anime anthropologist Charles Dunbar observed that audiences at anime cons and events like the Lunar New Year Celebration are no longer only Japanophiles, but are more and more becoming “fans for fans’ sake.” In other words, they include more friends of anime fans who decide to tag along so they can be involved in something, whether or not they are actually interested in anime culture. “The people who are [at this event] are here because they like Asian culture. Those at anime cons are there for the social aspect,” he explained.

And social it was, fueled in part by Asahi Beer, who provided the evening’s libations. But whether or not you were feeling good because of the premium Japanese suds, there was an undeniably positive feeling of fraternity as the night drew to a close. “This was a really cool event,” one audience member remarked on the way outside. “I’m going to try and get my friends to come next year.”

And in this way, the community continues to grow and thrive.

For upcoming events by ASIANinNY, visit www.asianinny.com.

Read an exclusive interview with Reni on page 16 of JQ’s summer 2009 issue here.

Courtesy of AsianInNY.com

By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Examiner.com. Visit his Japanese culture page here for related stories.

Cosplay singer Reni Mimura and Japanese stylists from Haruo Noro Salon will appear at AsianInNY‘s annual Lunar New Year Celebration and Fashion Show on Feb. 11 at Bennett Media Studio, 723 Washington Street in Manhattan’s West Village at 7 p.m.

New York’s premier online destination for multicultural networking and entertainment, AsianInNY’s Year of the Dragon celebration is in time with the New York Fashion Week. Many outstanding Asian designers will present their new collections with runway fashion shows along with an exciting line-up of comedy, music, dance, and martial arts. Models will rock tresses and looks with amazing hair and make-up provided by Haruo Noro Salon.

Reni Mimura specializes in Moe style performances, a genre that emphasizes the cute look of Japanese pop-culture with the hip appeal of Japanese animation. She released her first Japanese CD in 2006 and relocated to New York in 2008. In 2009, she was invited as a guest performer to Japan Society, Otakon, New York Anime Festival and Anime Boston, and is quickly winning over the hearts of many new local fans, thanks to her pretty stage costumes, upbeat personality, and her unique singing talent.

For the complete story, click here.

Mel Maghuyop and Manna Nichols in rehearsals for ‘Tokio Confidential,’ playing Feb. 5-19 at the Atlantic Theater Stage 2. (Philip Smith)

By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Examiner.com. Visit his Japanese culture page here for related stories.

Words, music and the history of the world collide next week with the new theatrical presentation of Tokio Confidential at Atlantic Theater Stage 2 from Feb. 5-19 and Our Planet at Japan Society for one night only on Feb. 6.

A new musical penned entirely by Eric Schorr and helmed by Joanna McKeon (the associate director of the Broadway and national tour editions of Green Day’s American Idiot), Tokio Confidential (a Richard Rogers Award finalist) is set in 1879 the hidden pleasure quarters of Meiji era Japan.

Isabella Archer, a young American war widow, crosses an ocean in search of a lost love—and is about to cross a line from which she can never return. When Isabella falls in love with a renowned Japanese tattoo artist, she enters a world of extreme beauty, becoming an object of unexpected desire—in a realm of unspeakable danger. It’s a journey across the boundaries between pleasure and pain, art and artifice, the secrets of the flesh and the sins of the heart.

ちょっと遅くなりましたが、明けましておめでとうございます！ I hope that your 2012 has gotten off to a good start, and that the year of the dragon is a fortuitous one for everyone.

I’m down in DC with a new group of International Visitors invited by the State Department to study U.S. energy policy.  In light of the Fukushima accident nuclear is obviously a big focus, but we are also looking at renewable energy options like solar and wind (as well as geothermal which will take us to a plant on the Big Island of Hawaii!).  As part of our cultural activities outside of the professional program, the other night we attended Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center where a Japanese artist was featured.

Her name is Yoko K. and she hails from Nagano, and she is an electronic musician, producer, engineer and vocalist.  I was not very familiar with that genre of music, but her performance kept me entertained throughout.  She incorporates various tools in her sound creation, and you can see the basis of her classical training in piano from the age of 3.  I particularly liked her bilingual and often humorous lyrics, especially from the song “Laptop on Top of Your Lap” (“I want to be a laptop on top of your lap”).

This song was from her 2nd album “Heaven’s Library”, which is available on iTunes and worth a listen if you are a fan of electronic music or looking to be introduced to it.  We got to chat with Yoko after the concert, and she was super personable and eager to discuss her music.  I look forward to following her continued success!

Author Roland Kelts and musician Keiko Matsui join Akiko Yano and Ian Buruma for The Global Salon: Cities in Japan at The Greene Space on Jan. 19. (Kaz, Bobby Quillard)

By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Examiner.com. Visit his Japanese culture page here for related stories.

JET alum and half Japanese American writer, editor and lecturer Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99) will appear with acclaimed musicians and writers connected to Japan for an intimate talk and performance called The Global Salon: Cities in Japan at The Greene Space in New York on Jan. 19.

Kelts, who lives half of each year in Tokyo and New York, is the author of Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture has Invaded the U.S. and writes about contemporary Japan for several publications in the U.S. and Japan. He is a frequent commentator on Japan for National Public Radio and the BBC.

Hosted by WNYC News host Eddie Robinson and presented in cooperation with the Consulate General of Japan, The Global Salon: Cities in Japan presents compelling stories of courage and resiliency, while the country continues to face unprecedented hardships of increased suicidal rates and unemployment, before and after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Robinson will engage the audience and esteemed guests through captivating dialogue and enchanting musical themes about the country’s economic future, advances in technology, and the preservation of its remarkable culture.

For the complete story, click here.