Job (Part-time): Facilitator for Social Media Site
Jobs 
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Via the JETAASC newsletter:
Newly established social media site seeks a facilitator in Los Angeles.
1. Job Description
a. Create groups, upload photos/videos, write blogs and comment on other member’s activity
b. Drive new membership registration and content creation
c. Facilitate members and initiate activity within the site
d. Send/share links and post information about the site
e. Assist site development (upon request)
2. Qualifications
a. Must have more than 800 friends at Facebook and/or followers at Twitter or equivalent site
b. Have good knowledge and interest in sushi, Japanese food, cooking and dining out
c. Social media savvy and good writing skills
d. Big personal photography collection is a plus
Read More
Job: Festival & Exhibition Director at the Center for Asian American Media
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The Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) , the organization behind the SF International Asian American Film Festival (SFIAAFF), is looking for a festival & exhibition director to lead its public programs and film festival.
The ideal candidate is an experienced manager and programmer who has a vision for Asian American media, is highly motivated and resourceful, and brings a sense of creativity and adaptability. The position requires strong management, oral and written communications skills, as well as a breadth of knowledge and experience in film, video, or media arts, exhibitions, live events, or other public engagement programs. The Festival & Exhibitions Director is part of CAAM’s program team and a larger management team for the organization.
- Duties:
- Create artistic and overall vision and plan for year-round programming
- Work with Director of Programs on vision and goals for SFIAAFF
- Hire, train, and supervise department and specific Festival seasonal staff
- Hire & supervise program curators as needed
- Develop and manage department budget
- Event scheduling and program slotting
- Cultivate and maintain effective filmmaker & distributor relations
- Manage venue and partner organization relations and contract process
- Develop relationships with key film festivals & film industry contacts
- Contribute to development of annual Festival marketing & website plan
- Work with Development & Communications Director and Publicist to generate key press messaging and releases
- Work with Development & Communications Director to identify, solicit, and maintain sponsors for SFIAAFF and other events
Desired Qualifications:
- Demonstrated success in arts programming
- At least five years of experience in management within a non-profit or event production setting
- Strong vision and strategic thinking as well as a commitment to continuous improvement
- Notable communication ability particularly in public presentations and written communications
- Excellent organizational and project management skills
- Flexible to change and resourceful in meeting challenges
- Ability to lead and thrive in fast-paced environments, managing multiple personnel and projects
- Strong managerial skills, particularly in supervision and building effective teams
- Ability to cultivate meaningful relationships with media makers, supporters, industry representatives, and funders.
- Capacity to take initiative, build consensus and to work effectively cross-departmentally
- Deep understanding of Asian American communities and media arts field
- Compensation: Salary commensurate with experience. The position is full-time, exempt, salaried, and includes excellent benefits.
Position open until filled. First round interviews to begin mid-April. Early applications encouraged.
To apply, please send résumé, cover letter, and salary history to:
Festival & Exhibitions Director Hire
Center for Asian American Media
145 Ninth Street, Suite 350
San Francisco, CA 94103-2641
Or by email: karyin [at] asianamericanmedia [dot] org
Internships: Center for Asian American Media & Korematsu Institute
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The Korematsu Institute offers internships three times a year: spring, summer and fall (exact dates are flexible). An internship at the Institute offers unique opportunities for students interested in civil rights, education, communications and media, community and youth outreach, and event planning. The program will also help students develop leadership skills in order to foster understanding among different minority communities whose rights have been threatened by religious and racial profiling.
There are many exciting internship and volunteer projects during this early, exciting period of the Institute. Some project areas include archival research, web and social media development, educational curricula, media research and communications, and coordinating fundraising, outreach and museum events.
Depending on your background and interest, we may be able to dedicate most of your internship to one or two of these project areas, however interns are expected to be flexible and willing to take on additional tasks, including administrative work.
Compensation: Our internships are unpaid, but very often, undergraduates can receive college credit or meet course requirements for volunteering.
Requirements: The internship requires a minimum of a one-semester commitment of at least 12 hours per week.
We need individuals who are passionate about our cause and committed to following through on every task to contribute to our Institute’s mission. We are looking for organized individuals who are skilled at multitasking. Web design, social networking and leadership skills are a plus.
Application: Please email the following materials to Charlene Cervantes (charlenec@asianlawcaucus.org):
1) Completed internship application form (pages 2-3). Please print, complete, scan and email the form to us, or write your answers in a Word document and email the Word document to us.
2) Resume
3) Phone numbers and email addresses for two school or work references
Deadline: The deadline for the regular summer 2010 internship has passed. We’ll be looking for fall 2010 applications in July/August.
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Fall 2010 Documentary Film Research Internship*
During the summer and fall of 2010, we will have a one-time opportunity for students to work on a documentary film research project at the Institute. This is an excellent chance to learn about the documentary filmmaking process, and to work closely with a highly respected director.
Description: We have access to the vast research and film archives for the Oscar-shortlisted documentary film Of Civil Wrongs and Rights: the Fred Korematsu Story, directed by Eric Fournier. Working closely with Eric and Korematsu Institute director Ling Woo Liu, the documentary film intern will research and identify archival materials (newspaper clippings, etc) and footage (ie extended interviews) that will be most useful for the Korematsu Institute’s web site and educational programs.
Requirements (in addition to those listed above): We are looking for extremely organized, detail-oriented students who are interested in documentary film, research and history, as well as civil rights issues. This position is for treasure hunters, ie people who like digging!
Deadline: The deadline for the summer 2010 documentary film internship has passed. We’ll be looking for fall 2010 applications in July/August.
———-
Internships with the Center for Asian American Media in San Francisco for Digital Media, Film Festival, and Finance/Administration.
Job: Project Associate for Japanese NPO (Maryland)
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A Japanese NPO in Annapolis, MD is looking for a project associate to market and promote Kanagawa Prefecture biotech and IT-related industries in the U.S. ($17/hr, paid vacation, sick days, etc). Japanese language skills are not required, but preferred. There is a chance for travel.
DUTIES:
Research and attending meetings, conventions around US.
REQUIREMENTS:
Fluent English
good communication skill
ability to work unsupervised
capability to go on business travels
definite must is an interest in Japan
Japanese language skill is not needed but a definite plus.
This position is a one year only position.
HOW TO APPLY: Interested in these or other Japan related job openings? Contact Interesse International at dc@ iiicareer.com or call us at 571-384-7117.
Current Hiroshima-ken JET Gail Cetnar Meadows, Editor of Hiroshima JET webzine the Wide Island View, shines a light on some of the upcoming events of Japan America Societies…
Stories from Space: International Space Station Mission — Come hear stories that are out of this world. Koichi Wakata, an astronaut with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, trained at the Johnson Space Center in 1992 and qualified as a Mission Specialist on the Space Shuttle. Dr. Wakata is a veteran of three space flights and has logged more than 159 days in space. He originally is from Saitama, Japan, and attended Kyushu University.
- Date: Saturday, June 19
- Time: 3 to 4:30 p.m.
- Place: Holiday Inn Rolling Meadows, Schaumburg Area (Main Floor), 3405 Algonquin Road, Rolling Meadows, Illinois
- For more information, click here.
- Japanese Conversation Forum — If you love football, this event’s for you. Pro- and college-level football trainer Naohisa Inoue will talk about his climb to his current profession and offer insight into what happens behind the scenes at a football game. This program will be in Japanese only, but people of all skill levels are encouraged to join.
- Date: Wednesday, May 19
- Time: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
- Place: Tates Creek Branch Public Library, 3628 Walden Drive, Lexington
- For more information, click here.
Japanese Girl Stuff: Trends and Innovations in Popular Culture — We all hear a lot in the media about manga, anime and Japanese street fashion, but when it comes to Japanese girl culture, dig a little deeper and you’ll find a whole world of activities that deserve your attention. This presentation by Laura Miller, a professor from Loyola University Chicago, will highlight some of the fascinating but frequently overlooked cultural activities found in Japanese girl culture, including self photography, the divination boom and Abeno Seimei.
- Date: Friday, May 21
- Time: 5:30 p.m.
- Place: Ohio State University Jennings Hall, 1735 Neil Ave., Room 155
- For more information, click here.
- Book Reading — Join JSNC members at Noe Valley’s Omnivore Books to hear author Sarah Marx Feldner read from her new cookbook, A Cook’s Journey to Japan. Sarah spent time teaching English in Japan and later returned to explore her love of food, cooking and Japanese cuisine. In this book she recounts her adventures traveling throughout Japan, sampling home cooking and collecting recipes from everyday people.
- Date: Friday, May 21
- Time: 6 to 7 p.m.
- Place: Omnivore Books, 3885a Cesar Chavez St., San Francisco
- For more information, click here.
Does your Japan America Society have an upcoming event that you’d like to share with JetWit readers? Email Gail Meadows the info.
My wonderful wife Wynne Wu passed away on April 23, 2010 after living with metastatic breast cancer for 4 years. As a result I have not been actively managing the JetWit site recently and not consistently responding to emails (though I have been forwarding job listings I’ve received on to Machiko Yasuda who has been posting them). Additionally, other JetWit contributors have been extremely helpful in keeping the site going, and for that I am greatly appreciative.
For more information about Wynne you can read her blog, which I’ve been updating, at http://wenren.wordpress.com.
-Steven Horowitz (Aichi-ken, 1992-94)
Job: Program Assistant at the Asia Foundation (Washington DC)
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The Asia Foundation is looking for a Program Assistant to in their Women’s Empowerment Programs (WEP) unit in its Washington, D.C. office.
ROLES:
- assisting WEP unit in drafting, editing, and proofreading documents and correspondence
- conducting library and internet research on selected topics
- managing and tracking correspondence, meetings, events, stewardship activities, and database for private fundraising efforts
- managing logistical arrangements for thematic activities such as conferences, workshops, meetings, and other events in Washington, New York, San Francisco
- managing accounting for thematic events including preparation of Requests for Payment
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor’s degree
- one to two years experience providing program and administrative support
- knowledge of office procedures and equipment.
- Experience related to donor relations, fundraising, and communications is preferred.
- strong research, editing, writing, and proofreading skills
- ability to take initiative and work as part of a team as well as independently with minimal supervision
- ability to prioritize responsibilities and shift focus as necessary to provide immediate assistance to team members
- strong computer skills, including knowledge of word processing, database, and spreadsheet software and the ability
- experience organizing and managing events and event follow-up, including interacting with vendors and managing billing matters
HOW TO APPLY:
Please submit your application directly by visiting our website at www.asiafoundation.org/about/employment/ and selecting “Permanent Employment.” When submitting your application please put your cover letter and resume in one document and submit it as an attachment. We will only consider applicants who provide a cover letter including salary requirements along with their resume, limit their resumes to a maximum of three pages, and submit their application prior to the deadline. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until May 19, 2010. Neither relocation assistance nor sponsorship will be offered for this position. The Asia Foundation is an equal opportunity employer. EOE/M/F/D/V. No phone calls, please.
New online JET group: JETAA Education Professionals
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Are you on LinkedIn? For those of you who are, or might want another incentive to join, there’s a new JET Alumni Association group in the mix.
There’s already the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme group for current and former participants with over 500 members, but now there is another especially for those looking to continue working in the education field. The JETAA Education Professionals group aims to connect those JET alums in or looking for teaching positions around the world. So if you’re looking to talk to and connect with other JETs working in schools and universities, this would be the place to start.
This Weekend at Japan Society: STEIM Electronic Music Lab
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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.
From Yellow Magic Orchestra to Cornelius to the current wave of chiptune artists inspired by classic 8-bit video games, Japan has a rich legacy of electronic music whose influence continues to grow in the age of globalization. Seizing this trend, New York’s Japan Society will close out its spring 2010 performing arts season with a concert by STEIM (Studio of Electro-Instrumental Music) and related events on May 7 and 8.
Based in Amsterdam, STEIM is “the natural course of what we have presented under the category of ‘music,’” said Yoko Shioya, Japan Society’s artistic director. “In fact, there are many internationally active and acclaimed Japanese musicians and composers in this area, and that is why I started to make the program of this genre several years ago.”
The envoys of this sonic summit are Takuro Mizuta Lippit, STEIM’s artistic director, originally from Japan; Yutaka Makino (Japan/Germany), a musician and artist who works in the convergence of sound, science and architecture; ABATTOIR (U.S./Netherlands), a duo comprised of American cellist/vocalist Audrey Chen and Dutch musician/composer Robert van Heumen; digital media composer Yannis Kyriakides (Netherlands) and guitarist Andy Moor (U.K./ Netherlands) of the legendary Dutch punk band The Ex; and dj sniff (Japan/Netherlands), the performer alter ego of Takuro Mizuta Lippit.
“Put it this way,” said Shioya, “the layer of the musicians and composers in electric music in Japan is very thick—therefore, many types of musicians emerge…Japanese musicians in this genre have been quite influential in the international music scene.”
The program kicks off the night of Friday, May 7 with the Artist Talk + Demo, with STEIM artists Yutaka Makino and dj sniff discussing the process of crafting their sounds and sharing their perspectives on the latest international collaborations in electronic music. Japanese sound poet Tomomi Adachi rounds out the panel. Also, a free STEIM Mobile Touch Exhibition on May 7 and 8 will allow visitors the opportunity to make music on some of the artists’ instruments.
Saturday, May 8 showcases STEIM’s Workshop for Youth for ages 10 to 18, giving them a chance to learn more about their methods and test drive some of the instruments themselves. The night’s centerpiece is the Electronic Music Lab concert, a one-time only performance.
What will it all sound like? According to Shioya, “The music you will hear in STEIM’s concert is music which may make some people wonder, ‘Do you call it “music”’…? But…the definition of ‘music’ can be varied, and many Japanese musicians are not intimidated by the conventional perception of ‘music.’
This program shows that this genre of music—improvisational and experimental—is truly borderless.”
STEIM: Electronic Music Lab takes place Friday, May 7 and Saturday, May 8, with complete schedule and ticket information here. Japan Society is located at 333 East 47th Street between First & Second Avenues. Tickets may be purchased by calling the Box Office at (212) 715-1258 or in person at Japan Society (M–F / 10 AM–4:45 PM). For more info, call (212) 832 -1155 or visit www.japansociety.org.
WIT Life #91: More than just mochi
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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.
I have already written about my obsession with Kansai Yamato, an amazing mochi maker located in Honolulu’s Ala Moana mall. I am lucky enough to be back in Hawaii with my current group (someone up there likes me!), so of course I had to pay a visit as soon as I got into town. As the shelves were fully stocked, I was able to find some items I had not seen before. In addition to the wide variety of mochi, they had some other goodies like the kabocha bread in the picture on the right. As a huge pumpkin fan, I had to try it. I was expecting something along the lines of Japan’s mushi pan (steamed bread), but it was more substantial, similar to the consistency of a moist muffin (shittori shite iru). These two large piec
es cost $2.99 plus tax, well worth the price.
Aside from getting some of the unusual flavors that I come to Kansai Yamato for (peanut butter & chocolate, Oreo, etc.), I got a mochi sampler ($3.99 plus tax) that included a variety of types. Shown on the left, it is comprised of (from top left clockwise) peanut butter, Okinawan sweet potato, kinako with red bean paste and what is labeled as honeydew (though it’s not very green in color). Clearly my sweet tooth will be satisfied for the next few days…
JETAA Chapter Beat 5.5.10
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Freelance writer/editor Jonathan Trace (Fukuoka-ken, 2005-08) takes us on a walk around the JET Alumni community for another edition of JETAA Chapter Beat.
- May Happy Hour – May 7th, 6:00 at Wann Izakaya.
- Japanese Used Book Sale – Saturday, May 22nd, 11:00 to 2:00 at Sammamish High School. The Semi-Annual Used Japanese Book Fair is back, so come out and browse this year’s selection.
- Walk for Rice 2010 – Saturday, June 19th, 8:00 registration, 1:00 start time at Seattle’s Seward Park. Join the PNWJETAA Team and help raise money for the ACRS Food Bank and fight hunger.
- J-Dinner – Thursday, May 6th at Kushi. Spend a night out on the town in DC with other Japanese people and people interested in Japan. Happy hour begins at 6:00 with dinner to follow at 7:30.
- Tampa Subchapter Tsudoi – Friday, May 7th, 7:00 at Panera Bread in the Brandon Mall. The Tampa Subchapter will be hosting their monthly Tsudoi, an informal time for anyone interested in Japanese and Japanese culture.
- 11th Annual Hakone Matsuri – Sunday, May 16th, 11:00 to 4:00 at Hakone Gardens in Saratoga. The Hakone Foundation, Hakone Gardens Supporting Committe and the Consuate General of Japan in San Francisco are happy to present this years Hakone Matsuri. Events include Japanese calligraphy, tea ceremony, a silent auction and more.
- Kabuki Club – Saturday, May 22nd, 2:00 at the San Francisco Public Library, Paley Room. This month the Kabuki Club will be viewing the final two acts of Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Blossoms.
- Japanese Cooking Class – Saturday, May 22nd, 12:00 to 2:30 at the Cooking and Crafts Room on the 2nd floor of the Nikkei Centre. Naomi-sensei will be giving a lesson on Harusame Salad, Yahata Maki, Kinpira Renkon and Azuki Shiratama for dessert.
- JETAA Meeting – Wednesday, May 12th, 6:30. Come discuss the future of JETAA Chicago.
- Japanese Garden Children’s Festival – Saturday, May 15th and Sunday, May 16th, 10:00 to 3:00 at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Learn about children’s celebrations in Japan during this weekend of activities including Koto harp and Shakuhachi flute music, folktales, Karate and more.
- O-Shaberikai – Wednesday, May 5th, 5:30 at Coo Izakaya in Civic. Join in and meet Japanese people living in Canberra and other locals interested in Japan.
- Softball Challenge – Saturday, May 15, 12:00 to 4:00 at Fellows Oval ANU. JETAA Canberra and the AJS and CJC are forming a team for this year’s event, so grab your glove and join in. Practice will be held on Saturday, April 17th from 1:00 to 3:00 at Yarralumla Neighborhood Oval.
- Portland Taiko 2010 Benefit Banquet – Wednesday, May 5th, 6:00 at Won’g King Seafood Restaurant. Portland Taiko will be having a live performance, silent auction and 11 course feast, so be sure to check it out.
- J-Kaiwa – Friday, May 7th, 7:00 to 9:30 at the Hawthorne Lucky Lab. Come down and practice your Japanese and make some new friends. Nijikai to follow at the Hollywood Bowl.
What happened at your chapter’s event? If you attend(ed) any of these exciting events, JetWit would love to hear about them. Just contact Jonathan Trace with any info, stories or comments.
Attention Portland JETS — It’s time for Iron Chef
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The Portland JETAA Chapter has invited us to join in their annual Iron Chef Competition!
Date: Saturday, May 15th
Time: 4pm to 8pm-ish
Location: Portland!
The Iron Chef event is a potluck event to enjoy cooking and eating Japanese food. Everyone brings Japanese food they prepared at home to compete in 3 categories: side dish, main dish, and dessert. Three judges will taste each of the dishes and then pick the best dish and runner up in each category.
This year Portland has added a Seattle vs. Portland category. We will pick one person to represent us and make a dish using this year’s ingredient, Sensei Sauce . The owner of Sensei Sauce will actually be coming by to judge our part of the competition!
Some people are planning to go just for the 15th, but others may stay overnight on Saturday. If any of you would like to stay over but don’t have somewhere to stay, let us know. Portland has generously offered to ask their members to host us.
The 15th is coming up soon!
So please email social@pnwjetaa.org ASAP if you are interested in coming.
The RSVP deadline is next Wednesday, May 12th. We are going to limit our group size to 20 people, so spots will be first come, first served.
We’re really excited about the competition and hope many of you will come too!
Interview with Author Bruce Feiler
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JQ Magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (Kobe-shi CIR, 2001-02) spoke with JET alum and Learning to Bow author Bruce Feiler (Tochigi-ken, 1987-88), who will be appearing tonight at Barnes & Noble on the Upper East Side to promote his new book The Council of Dads. (Visit Examiner.com for complete details.) The full-length interview will appear in the next issue of JQ, out later this month.
What made you want to write Learning to Bow?
It kind of grew out of a series of letters I wrote home of the “you’re not gonna believe what happened to me” variety. And when I went back to Savannah six months later, everywhere I went, people said, “I just loved your letters,” and I said, “Have we met?” It turned out that my grandmother had copied them, and they got passed from person to person—they went viral in the 1980s, if that’s the word—and I thought, wow, if that’s interesting to me and to these other people, I should write a book about it. It really was the sense that this story from this point of view wasn’t being told. In the 1980s, you couldn’t pick up a newspaper without reading an article about Japan or education, and the fact that here was a book that combined both, but had some sense of humor, I just think it was the right book at the right time, and I’m amazed and touched that, so many years later, for a lot of people, it’s the first book they read when they go to Japan…This was before the Internet, before e-mail, before blogs. The world seemed much bigger than it is today.
Have you returned to Japan since your time there as a teacher?
That’s a really good question, and the answer is no. I’ve kind of been to every place around it, but I’ve never been back to Japan. I keep looking for the right assignment, because I really want to go back and kind of write something, but I haven’t been back.
What kind of outlook did you take back home with you from your time in Japan?
People go to Japan today and they call me up, which still happens from time to time. I say the same thing that I’ve said for decades now, which is: don’t go over to Japan trying to change it, thinking that you know better. Go there trying to understand. I think that that essential way of experiencing another culture is by not going in as a sort of a haughty Westerner, looking down on it, but actually jumping into the deep end, completely immersed in yourself, befriending the people, and opening yourself up to the culture. That way of living is the thing that I would take from my experience, and pass on to my daughters today.
Have you thought about writing another book about Japan?
Sure, I would like in my life to go back and revisit that. I mean, we’re coming up on 25 years since I was living and working in Tochigi, and I would love the opportunity to go back, walk those streets, seek out friends, maybe some of those students, and use that as a prism to talk about how Japan has changed in the last quarter-century. I think that would be a great privilege, and if anybody reading this wants to send me on assignment, I’m ready to accept.
What was your best and worst memory of Japan?
I’d say my best memory was climbing Mt. Fuji, and the worst memory was…trying to fit my feet into the free giveaway slippers at Japanese schools.
Yeah, those are tough.
[Laughs] I haven’t thought about that in a long time.
WIT Life #90: 感謝の気持ち
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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.
Following our time in America’s heartland my group and I have since moved to the Bay Area, where we are continuing our study of food safety here in the States. One participant requested that we go to eat at a vegan restaurant, as this is not a common concept in Japan. In fact, one night we had a heated conversation regarding the distinction made between the values of plant/animal lives, as well as the viab
ility of vegetarianism. Veganism was a whole other extreme for them, but as they say, don’t knock it till you’ve tried it. So we were off to San Francisco’s Cafe Gratitude.
My participants were surprised at how delicious all the food was despite the limited ingredients. We had a sampler which included Read More
JQ Magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (Kobe-shi CIR, 2001-02) sums up the weekend-long annual event in Brooklyn. Originally published for Examiner.com.
“Today is a perfect kickoff for the historic months to come,” said New York’s Ambassador and Consul General of Japan Shinichi Nishimiya at the top of the 29th annual Sakura Matsuri Cherry Blossom Festival at Brooklyn Botanic Garden held the weekend of May 1 and 2. The historic months the ambassador referred to reach back 150 years, when a samurai envoy marched down Broadway in 1860 as part of the first Japanese diplomatic mission to the U.S. and Japan, which will be reenacted in June to celebrate the occasion.
For Japanese, springtime means hanami, a custom associated with enjoying the beauty of sakura (cherry blossoms), typically as part of an outdoor party in flower-viewing spots across Japan. While BBG’s sakura were already past their peak bloom before the event due to unseasonably warm weather, tens of thousands of people were still expected to attend over the weekend, according to Kate Blumm, BBG’s communications manager.
The dozens of performances, cultural exhibitions, art displays, and foods on tap at Sakura Matsuri—not to mention the brilliantly sunny weather—more than compensated for the lack of pink on the trees. After remarks from other speakers including Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, New York’s own Soh Daiko taiko drum ensemble hit the Cherry Esplanade Stage for a surging performance, followed later by classical and Okinawan dance, a martial arts demonstration by World Seido Karate, and a samurai drama representing the more traditional facets of Japan.
But Sakura Matsuri sported more than just time-honored acts. “We’ve ramped up the anime, J-pop, and manga sort of things,” said Blumm, noting that organizers have “been drawing a completely new crowd since we started J-Lounge. It’s been a big hit.” Located in BBG’s Osborne Garden, J-Lounge became a Mecca for young people with an interest in more contemporary Japanese pop culture. In addition to its manga and anime artist alley, other showcases included anime stand-up comedy, music and dance performances, and a guest appearance by Pokémon voice actress Veronica Taylor, who gave voice to characters created by Brooklyn-based graphic novel artist Misato Rocks!
“For me, it’s all about the contrasts,” explained Blumm, observing Sakura Matsuri’s blend of old and new. “Being immersed in a spectrum of cultural elements, the patrons become part of the festivities.” The most obvious example of this was the multitude of visitors engaging in cosplay, or costume play, a performance art of dressing in elaborate costumes (typically designed by the cosplayer) inspired by characters in Japanese popular fiction.
Cosplay began in Japan, but now enjoys a devoted following among young Americans, usually at anime and comic book conventions. The fact that more cosplayers have been popping up at Japan-themed gatherings like Sakura Matsuri was not lost on BBG: some of J-Lounge’s top attractions included “high tea” for lady cosplayers, a performance by artist/singer Mario Bueno, and the “Iron Cosplay” competition.
“We do this about two to three times a year,” said attendee Michelle Kwon, who with her two friends resembled characters from the anime and manga series Lucky Star, about a group of pastel-haired schoolgirls. “It’s great being able to recognize other characters that we like from animation. We’ve taken probably hundreds of pictures today.”
Some cosplayers were able to draw crowds of their own based on their costumes. Attendee Ferdinand Garcia and his three friends went as a Naruto-inspired ninja warrior clan, and received an unusual photo request from a patron: “We posed for a lady from Albania who was carrying this fish around with her,” Garcia said. “She wanted to take pictures of this fish in all these different places.”
Some criticized the cultural mash-up, Attendee Natsumi Onodera from Tokyo said the event was “not traditional, so I’m afraid non-Japanese people might misunderstand the culture.” Her friend Sachie Hayashida from Fukuoka was blunter: “There’s no Japanese people here,” she said. Both of them are currently studying abroad in New York, and were invited to Sakura Matsuri by one of the performers.
Brooklyn resident Kate Russell, a first-time visitor, enjoyed the variety between kimono and cosplay.
“It was great. I liked the classic cultural events and ceremonies, but also the modern, like seeing all the characters,” she said. “I will come again next year, because I want to see the cherry blossoms.”
For a full schedule and list of performers and events, visit Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s website.
