WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
Japan’s recovery efforts continue to take place, and while it is easy to feel helpless in the face of the disaster’s aftermath we can each help out in our own small way. I would like to highlight some upcoming events that will enable you to contribute to the cause 
while enjoying good food and music.
First up is Dine Out for Japan Relief, a week-long event in which the 70+ participating restaurants are donating 5% of their proceeds to Japan’s tsunami recovery and relief efforts. There are many familiar Manhattan Japanese favorites like Read More
NYCaresForJapan.com
Earthquake Tsunami, Events, Fundraising 
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Mitsuhiro Inada of the Japan Foundation in New York has put together this helpful website to keep New Yorkers up to date on Japan-related fundraising activities there:
WIT Life #157: Bye Bye Kitty!!!
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WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
Last week I had the opportunity to attend the opening for the Japan Society’s newest exhibit, Bye Bye Kitty!!! The title refers to opposition towards the domination of Japan’s kawaii-ness, the idea of cuteness that has become Japan’s major export as represented by Hello Kitty. It features 16 artists, many of them quite young and not household names, and their interpretation of this concept. I was particularly drawn in by the intricacy of the works of 38-year old Manabu Ikeda, whose pen and ink masterpieces were incredibly detailed and required several minutes of close examination to take in all of their elements.
Equally interesting was the large-scale Read More
JapaneseLondon.com Round-up 03.17.11
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Thanks to JETAA UK’s Vanessa Villalobos for sharing this:
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN JAPANESE LONDON?
It feels like the world is a different place, post March 11th. The massive tremor has actually shifted earth on its axis. Now, all we can do is come together as friends of Japan to send our love and donations towards the recovery effort.
Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief in London
There is a book of condolence for the victims of the Tohoku-Pacific Ocean Earthquake, now open at the Embassy of Japan. You can call in between 9.30am and 5.30pm until the 23rd March (including Saturday and Sunday) to sign the book. Don’t forget to take a form of photo ID (driving licence or passport) for the security on the door.
The popular violinist Taro Hakase has been holding charity concerts in venues around London since Monday, and will continue with an appearance at Fortnum and Mason, 5pm, Thursday 17th March, and a concert at Cadogan Hall this Friday 18th March.
The Japan Society has now set up its Tohoku Earthquake Relief fund, and will be channelling donations specifically to grassroots organisations in the Sendai area.
Also, visit the Play for Japan website to get the latest about fundraising events, or to let them know about yours – it’s ‘an interactive portal set up to give the maximum publicity to your efforts’. Read More
Event: Japan and the World After the Quake @ Japan Society, New York – Mar 23
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Ambassador Hiroki and other experts look at the immediate and long term impacts on Japan’s economy, society, and international relations after the March 11 earthquake, the strongest earthquake ever to hit Japan.
Date: March 23, 12 pm – 2pm
More information here: http://www.japansociety.org/event_detail?eid=4f23936d
Upcoming Events to Support Japan
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I know a lot of donation information has already been made available on this site, but for those who want to be involved with events actively supporting the cause here are two coming up in NYC that I would like to pass along:
- Run for Japan: Sunday, March 20 from 8:30-1 @ 72nd St. & 5th Ave. (Central Park): http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=203082156369673
- SUPPORT JAPAN: Moms Get Together in Union Square to Raise Funds and Awareness: Welcome to anyone who wants to help Japan (not just moms)! Please join us in supporting the victims of Japan’s 3.11 earthquake. This event will raise funds, awareness, and show our support for the victims of the disaster. The worst earthquake in the history of Japan, followed by a tragic tsunami and shocking nuclear plant disasters, is more than the Japanese can handle on their own. You can imagine how scary and horrible the past week has been for millions of Japanese people. Thousands of people are dead, tens of thousands are still missing, and more than 120,000 are displaced from their homes. Yet there is still time to help reduce the pain and suffering caused by the disaster. Please gather in Union Square across from Whole Foods this Thursday, March 17 between 3pm and 6pm dressed in RED and WHITE, and bring handwritten signs or anything else to personally send a message of encouragement to the Japanese people. New Yorkers are incredibly generous. We hope to encourage passers-by to donate directly to charities supporting victims of the crisis in Japan. We prefer checks written directly to charities, but accept small cash donations on their behalf as well. 100% of your generous tax-deductible contributions will go to charities. We are currently performing due diligence on which ones are the most efficient ways to support the relief effort. We are considering charities which transmit 100% of donations to Japanese relief efforts. If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact: Naoko Fitzgerald @ 917-783-7013, naoko.tf@gmail.com.
WIT Life #156: 4th Annual Peace Festival
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WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
Like most of you, I have spent the last couple of days glued to the coverage of the earthquake/tsunami/radioactive fallout news from Japan. I left Tokyo the day before the quake and was shocked to come home to the awful news. The feelings of helplessness and immense sadness can be overwhelming at times, so I was happy to be able to help out as a volunteer interpreter at the 4th Annual Peace Festival this weekend. It just felt like the right place to be in the midst of all that is happening.
On Saturday night I attended the world premiere of Twice Bombed: The Legacy of Tsutomu Yamaguchi, which told the amazing tale of
this first officially recognized double atomic bomb survivor (二重被爆者 or nijuu hibakusha) who passed away last year at the age of 93. Yamaguchi was in Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6th and 9th respectively and was a truly inspiring figure, beginning his speaking out about his experience just five years before he died. Up until that point, his wife and daughter had encouraged him to stay silent as they were scared that Read More
JapaneseLondon Round-up – March 3, 2011
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Thanks to JETAA UK Communications Director Vanessa Villalobos for sharing this with JetWit. Vanessa is also the publisher of JapaneseLondon.com:
Featured article: March 2011 Round-Up Part One
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN JAPANESE LONDON?
From Norwegian Wood, Tran Anh Hung’s film, based on Murakami’s book. What was that? *Head spins on neck*. Erm, that was the first one-sixth of 2011, passed already. But fear not, now spring has most definitely sprung it’s the perfect time to get out and appreciate Japan… in London!
Japanese Literature
Fans of Japan-related scribblings are in for a treat this month. Tran Anh Hung’s highly-anticipated screen version of Haruki Murakami’s bestselling novel, ‘Norwegian Wood’, will open at UK cinemas from 11th March. British author David Mitchell’s newest offering, ‘The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet’ isn’t due for release until March 17th, but has already racked up 96 rave reviews on Amazon. If you fancy a literary chinwag, Japan Society book club members will be vociferously discussing ‘Silence’ by Endo Shusaku next Monday March 7th – Japan Society members shouldregister their attendance: events@japanesociety.org.
Madame Butterfly
The enduringly popular Madame Butterfly is on at the Royal Albert Hall only until March 13th, so you’ll need to be quick to catch it. Set in an ‘enchanting’ Japanese Water Garden, an extra show has been already been added to meet ‘huge popular’ demand. If you can’t make it, why not order Angela Gheorghui’s CD recording, lie back and think of Japan? Or, if you’ve seen the opera and you crave more of the same, pre-order a copy of Lee Langley’s Butterfly’s Shadow – a novel in the style of Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea, that takes Puccini’s Madam Butterfly as its starting point.
HIBIKI – Japanese Music
Continuing on a musical note (!), HIBIKI: Resonances from Japan at King’s Place will run from today 3rd March, until 5th March 2011. This eclectic event; ‘A 1000-year journey through the rich heritage of Japanese music’ features collaborations with London-based musicians and an exploration of ‘Music in Mange’ with Helen McCarthy. Promisingly, there is also set to be a Suntory Hibiki whisky tasting in the bar.
Bunka-Sai – Japanese Cultural Festival
And finally – a new Japanese Culture Festival: ‘Bunka-sai’ will take over Conway Hall for one day only, this Saturday 5th March, to bring together Japanese culture, language, food and drink. Organised by Akemi Solloway.
JapaneseLondon.com‘s Round-Ups are bi-weekly. If you want to see more Japan-related events in London, check out the JapaneseLondon.com Events Calendar.
JET World Festival Held in Toyama
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Thanks to Hotaka Kawasaki and Matt Gillam of CLAIR-NY for sharing news about this nice example of “Return on JET-vestment” at the local government level:
The CIRs and ALTs in Toyama held the JET World Festival 2011 in Toyama City on February 27th to celebrate their respective home countries and deepen relations with the people of Toyama. According to the Japanese news release below, the festival included booths for each country as well as stage shows featuring Irish music, country & western music, capoeira, and puppet performances. The festival also included a “North Pole” themed kids’ corner and a refreshment stand.
How was the festival? Please feel free to tell us more in a comment to this post or via e-mail to jetwit [at] jetwit.com.
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Japan Foundation NY/Center for Global Partnership: Newsletter Vol. 12 (Feb 2011)
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NEWS FROM THE JAPAN FOUNDATION NEW YORK AND CGP
//// VOL. 12: February 23, 2011 ////
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2011 J-Initiative Grant Program RFP (Concept paper deadline: March 10)
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The Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership (CGP), New York is pleased to announce that we are continuing with the J-Initiative launched last year in 2010 in order to promote networking, capacity building, and innovative program development for US-Japan exchange and outreach. We welcome innovative and future-oriented proposals from every field.
Grants of up to $100,000 per year and up to three (3) years will be awarded. The deadline for concept paper submission is March 10, and if invited after the concept paper review, the full proposal will be due by May 31.
For more details on the J-Initiative, please visit the link below.
[ http://cgp.org/index.php?option=article&task=default&articleid=397 ]
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Japan Travel Program for US Future Leaders 2010 Report Publication
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CGP in collaboration with the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA) inaugurated the Japan Travel Program for US Future Leaders in 2009 with the goal of fostering a new generation of future leaders in the US who are interested in achieving a greater understanding of Japan.
The report is based on their experiences in Japan and was compiled by the students following the conclusion of the program.
[ http://www.jpf.go.jp/cgp/fellow/apsia/pdf/APSIA_2010.pdf ]
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Upcoming Events & Announcements
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WIT Life #155: 日本へ行ってきます！
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WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
Just a quick message to let all readers know that I will be heading to Japan tomorrow after a hiatus of two years to participate in next Sunday’s Tokyo Marathon (“The Day That Tokyo Becomes One”)! I am very much looking forward to my 4th running of the event as well as seeing old friends, eating amazing food on a daily basis and of course most of all onsen. I will do my best to report from the ground, but chances are I might get caught up in the moment and not be blogging as much as I had hoped. In that case, please look forward to a full update when I return in March. De wa, ittekimasu~!
WIT Life #153: Sapporo Snow Festival
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WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
The snow here in NYC that we have received in abundance this year is pretty as it’s coming down, but it soon turns into dirty mush or slush beneath our feet. For those looking to enjoy more pristine snow-covered landscapes, look no further than Sapporo’s 雪祭り (yuki matsuri) or Snow Festival. Held every February in Hokkaido’s capital, this hugely popular week-long event brings in 2.5 million visitors and features perennial favorites as well as new sculptures each year. It began in 1950 when local high school students built six snow statues in Odori Park, and five years later the 自衛隊 (jieitai) or Self-Defense Forces joined in and made the first of the colossal sculptures for which the festival is now known. For those of us not lucky enough to be able to see the works in person, please enjoy them virtually with the following video of this year’s festival which began yesterday.
Justin’s Japan: Interview with stylist Haruo Noro on NYC’s Lunar New Year Celebration
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Haruo Noro brings his unique stylings to NYC's Lunar New Year Celebration Saturday, Feb. 5. (Courtesy of Julia Dubrovich)
By JQ magazine’s Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Examiner.com. Visit his NY Japanese Culture page here to subscribe for free alerts on newly published stories.
Haruo Noro came to the U.S. to open his own salon after finding success as a stylist in Japan and London. Last year, he worked with the networking site AsianInNY on their “Lucullen” Lunar New Year Fashion Show for designer Joyce Huang. Today (Feb. 3) marks the beginning of the Lunar New Year, and to ring in the Year of the Rabbit AsianInNY has teamed up with the Greater Chinatown Community Association to present their Lunar New Year Celebration this Saturday in Manhattan. I caught up with Noro, who is again working with his stylists and make-up artists for this distinguished cultural event.
Please tell us about your journey to New York from Japan.
I was born and raised in Aomori, Japan, within a family of stylists. My initial training, cutting technique, discipline and inspiration was born here as well. As my experience grew, so did my thirst for new adventures. I wanted to see the world of fashion and beauty. I wanted to expand my knowledge and creativity.
The salon sponsored me to continue my education in London at the Vidal Sassoon Academy, which is where I first experienced a full variety of hair types and textures. London opened my mind through its culture and fashion, giving me the confidence with my skills and the possibilities in the styling industry.
I have been lucky to have had an offer as an assistant to a top stylist in New York City, Oscar Blandi, through which my learning experience continued. I fully blossomed into a complete stylist during my time there. I continued on to Rita Hazan and then my path became clear. I opened my very own salon, which is in the vision as I have always imagined. Fashion, beauty, diversity and creativity here is endless.
How did you first get involved with AsianInNY? What events have you worked on with them before and what was the reaction from the public?
I first got involved with AsianInNY in 2010. When I heard about this opportunity, I was very excited to be part of the Lucullen Fashion Show at the Lunar New Year Celebration. I was especially enthusiastic about having the support of the Asian community in New York, which I am a part of. The designer loved our work, a sophisticated braided bun, which complimented the garments and added a stylish flair. We have received many positive reviews and are happy to be back this year as a sponsor for AsianInNY’s biggest Lunar New Year Celebration in New York City, this time doing both hair and make-up for two designers, as well as singers participating in the show.
What kind of styling are you doing for the upcoming Lunar New Year Celebration and who are you working with?
We will be styling for two designers Way Zen and Janet Zheng. I will be working with my salon team. Haruo Noro Salon will be doing both hair and make-up. The hair for Way Zan collection will be simple yet romantic, loose updos. The hair for Janet Zheng menswear will be natural yet edgy. The make-up lead artist Wenya Chang describes the look as a beautiful look that simply emphasizes the natural beauty of the woman. Light shimmery brown on the eyes, with a rosy flush on the cheeks and a glossy natural lip color. Most importantly, a sexy, dewy complexion.
How would you describe your own style in determining the perfect cut? Did you find yourself adapting your creativity in order to match the image of the Lunar New Year Celebration?
I am always inspired by the artistry in the designs and intuitively create what I see as a companion piece of art. I strive to create a masterpiece each and every time.
Click here for the complete interview.
WIT Life #152: Kaga Maki-e
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WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
Recently I had the opportunity to interpret for a delegation from Kanazawa that was here to promote the city in general and especially its ancient craft of 蒔絵 (maki-e), a lacquerware technique that uses silver and gold powder. This art form actually originated in Kyoto which has its own style known as Kyo Maki-e, but the Kanazawa version is called Kaga Maki-e, Kaga referring to the area of Kanazawa where it originated. This picture, courtesy of fashion blogger Alice Chin, shows two delegation members at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Kaga Maki-e display.
On the left is native New Yorker and long-term Kanazawa resident Evelyn Teploff-Mugii, a designer who has modernized the thousand year old maki-e process to make breathtakingly beautiful accessories. Her Evelyn Claude line will be offered in the US for the first time. To her right is Read More
WIT Life #151: Fireworks from the Heart
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WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
Yesterday I had the chance to attend the ANA-sponsored screening of Fireworks from the Heart (おにいちゃんのハナビ), a sentimental film based on the true story of recent high school graduate Taro whose sister Hana suffers from leukemia. The family moves from Tokyo to Niigata for her treatment, a change that Taro resents as has has to leave junior high in the middle of his final year. Hana ends up being Read More
