JAPAN FOUNDATION WORLDWIDE

Temari exhibition in the style of IKEBANA (Japanese flower arrangement)

Have you ever heard the word “Ramadan” (a month of fasting)? This is not a term that most Japanese people come across often, except for those who are familiar with countries and regions with large Islamic populations. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar in which many Muslims refrain from eating and drinking from dawn until sunset as a religious duty.

It is hard for non-Muslims to even imagine that once they have a meal before dawn, they have to refrain from even drinking water until sunset. It should be noted, however, that travelers, people in heavy physical labor, pregnant women, people in sick, and infants and small children are exempt from fasting. Using Ramadan as an excuse for neglecting everyday duties such as work and study is considered as a violation of the teachings of Islam. In Indonesia, with an Islamic population of approximately two hundred millions (90% of the entire population), people were spending their days as usual during this year’s Ramadan month from August 11 to September 9. Therefore, the Japan Foundation, Jakarta also operates as usual but with regard for practice of fasting.

	Lecturer Ms. Tazuko Napitupulu (Misho school flower arrangement instructor)
Temari in unique presentation style

This year’s main events during Ramadan were Temari exhibition and Japanese film screenings.
This Temari exhibition was the first occasion in Indonesia to introduce this Japanese traditional craft of embroidery balls, thanks to cooperation of Japanese and Indonesian Temari lovers in Jakarta. Workshops held during the exhibition period attracted more registrations than we expected, but we could manage to receive them because the lunchtime hours could be allotted to additional sessions. This was one of unforeseen advantages of the fasting period.

Temari with Indonesian sense of colors

For Japanese film screenings, we consulted with Indonesian staff to select innocuous films without scenes of people satiated with food and drinks, or sexually explicit scenes, in respect to people in fasting as spiritual refinement. As a result, each of seven selected films, including Twenty-four eyes and Waiting for Akira that depict friendship and school days, attracted many more young audience than usual.
While our regular film screenings take place in the evening or at night to suit the convenience of the audience, the screenings during Ramadan were held in the early afternoon to be closed before sunset. Most people have meals after sunset with their families and friends to celebrate that they made it through another day of fasting. The month of fasting came to end at last, and a great festival for breaking fast called Lebaran was celebrated on September 10. The fall has come to islands of perpetual summer, Indonesia, with many more events to introduce Japanese culture.

Participants intent upon a lecture

The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles, hosted the 3rd Annual Leadership Workshop in Los Angeles from August 12-13, 2010. This year, we invited six potential leaders in the Japanese language teaching community from all across the United States for the two-day workshop. In attendance was Nobuko Hasegawa sensei (NECTJ). Masahiko Minami sensei (ATJ&NCJTA), Yoshiko Mori sensei (Georgetown University), Tomoko Takami sensei (University of Pennsylvania), Doug Welton sensei (IMATJ), and Kazumi Yamashita (NCJLT). Yasu-Hiko Tohsaku sensei (ATJ) and Maki Watanabe Isoyama (JFLA) were the lecturers at this workshop and they focused on the topics of networking, advocacy, and grant writing during the two day session.

Participants and lecturers

The need to be proactive as a teacher was definitely a big topic during this year’s workshop with the rising number of teacher layoffs and the dwindling amount of government funds available due to the budget deficits of many states across the country. There was also a rising need to train teachers to become future leaders in the Japanese language community to represent the field in the near future. Advocacy as always was an important aspect of teaching that cannot be overlooked as effective leaders must be diligent in promoting their programs. The workshop wrapped up with a tutorial on grant writing with plans to meet again in a few months. This is the first of a two part workshop which will conclude at this year’s ACTFL Conference in Boston.

This program aims to offer them the opportunity to build a network of contacts in the field of policy-making in both U.S. and Japan

Mr. Eitetsu Hayashi

On August 26, the vibrant beat of Wadaiko drums from the Strastnoy Theatre echoed through the center of Moscow in the twilight. It was a special workshop by Eitetsu Hayashi, the internationally acclaimed Taiko player with a stellar 40-year career.
15 participants of the workshop were the lucky ones selected among many applicants for prior open call on the Internet. With different ages and backgrounds, they got together to play Wadaiko drums for the first time in their lives under Eitetsu's instruction.
To warm up before playing the drums, Eitetsu started jumping. It was not an ordinary jump, though; he and the participants were jumping up and down for 500 times while pretending to be Japanese kites or Sumo wrestlers. Encouraged by cheerful applause and laughter from the audience that filled the seats of the theatre, they managed to go through the warm-up. Now they could start learning how to play the drums. Eitetsu simply explained how to stand and hold drumsticks. This playing style employed by many Wadaiko groups today was formulated by Eitetsu himself 40 years ago.

Participants drumming under Eitetsu's instruction

Wadaiko drummers do not use the score as pianists or other musicians do. They learn a song by singing with onomatopoeia, Don-don, doko-doko, that describes the beat of drums. This unique way of learning a song aroused the participants' interest. At first they were struggling to beat the drums in unison, but after practicing for a while, they could play in total synch.
Finally the moment came to the participants to exhibit their achievements of their practice. They played the drums in a sweat and a no-nonsense manner. The performance with their heart and soul, with a don-doko song on their lips, received an ovation from the audience.
Music has no border or language barrier. This was the moment when the beat of Wadaiko resonated with the heartbeats of the participants and audience, as well as the heart of Japan with the soul of Russia.