JAPAN FOUNDATION WORLDWIDE

The year 2007 marks the 120th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Amity and Commerce between Japan and Siam in 1887, and the 50th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between Japan and Malaysia.

As part of the celebrations, the Japan Foundation, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur organized performances in May by Opera Theater Konnyakuza, which has been generating original works ever since its founding in 1971.Konnyakuza will present a new work, "Opera Pinocchio," in five Southeast Asian countries including Indonesia, Laos and Viet Nam.

Following the Karaoke Caravan 2006, a pioneering and creative program that traveled approximately 4,000 km around Brazil in February and March 2006, the Japan Foundation, São Paulo, held the second Karaoke Caravan in February and March 2007. This year the caravan visited six Brazilian cities: Rio de Janeiro, Recife, Manaus, Brasilia, São Paulo, and Curitiba. The national competition that concluded the program attracted 500 fans of Japanese pop music.

In November 2006 the Japan Foundation, São Paulo, launched the Saberes dos Sabores (Wisdom of Taste) series on Japanese culinary culture. Thus far, in addition to four lectures and discussions, a workshop on Japanese culinary culture has been held at the São Paulo Municipal Market. The first lecture, by journalist Arnaldo Lorençato, can be viewed at the JF Video Square.

Commemorating its tenth anniversary, the Japan Cultural Institute in Paris (Maison de la culture du Japon a Paris) has been conducting a series of exciting programs in 2007. In mid-January the popular dance unit Condors gave performances of dance and comedy. The Yasujiro Ozu retrospective that was held in February and March drew 8,600 guests, and the screening of a silent film with music by the Kumonosu Quartet and narration saw a capacity audience. The Shiko Munakata exhibition featured 56 works by the woodblock print artist that were shown in France for the first time, while Akira Shigeyama and other kyogen actors gave a wordless performance of a play by Samuel Beckett.

A stream of major programs will follow, including jazz concerts by the Shibusashirazu Orchestra, a butoh performance by Dairakudakan, a retrospective film series looking back on the history of the Nikkatsu film studio, and noh performances by the International Noh Institute. A commemorative ceremony will also be held. Keep an eye out for future anniversary events.