JAPAN FOUNDATION WORLDWIDE

Do you know a piece of cloth that can be a shoulder bag, tote bag, belt bag, or even a hat cap by folding? It is the Japanese traditional wrapping cloth called Furoshiki.

On March 9 through 12, 2010, the Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam invited Ms. Hiroko Handa, member of Furoshiki Study Group, to hold lectures and workshops in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. At each workshop, participants were fascinated by this kaleidoscopic cloth and excited to experience the art of wrapping with Furoshiki.

On each participant’s table, there were a box of tissues, two bottles of beer, and two pieces of Furoshiki cloth, one large and one small of various colors and patterns that were brought from Japan. Ms. Handa started her lecture explaining the origin of Furoshiki and the traditional patterns of Furoshiki design. After she told the participants that Furoshiki is the cloth to wrap thegift with your whole heart to preset to someone you care, she started practical demonstration on Furoshiki.

Ms. Handa quickly wrapped two bottles of Champaign with one piece of Furoshiki to make a two-bottle binding that showed a beautiful pattern. The participants couldn’t help applauding for her skill. They tried to do the same immediately, but the instructor gently interrupt them by saying, “Before give it a try, let’s make an instant bag first.” Each participant was serious but somehow relaxed. Vietnamese are highly acclaimed that they are good with their hands, so it was a piece of cake for them. They mastered tasks one afteranother; making a cover for a box of tissue and a cap and wrapping two bottles of beer. They took pictures with each other, smiling with V sign. Finally, they were divided into pairs to make shoulder bags backpacks.

Furoshiki is practical, eco-friendly, and tolerant of redoing as many times as possible, unlike origami. In addition, Furoshiki allowslecturers to hold workshops with only a lightweight baggage and a couple of hours of preparation. Four days of workshops on Furoshiki enchanted over 400 participants and made us eager to hold such event again in Vietnam.

Please visit the official website of Furoshiki Study Group (http://homepage3.nifty.com/furoshiki/) to learn more about the beauty of its tradition and new variations of wrapping.

The Japan Foundation New York office has been hosting an annual event "An Evening with a Contemporary Japanese Novelist" to invite Japanese novelists whose books are published in English to introduce to readers in the U.S. Following to the previous program with Ms. Mitsuyo Kakuta (February 2008), we invited Ms. Rieko Matsuura, celebrated female Japanese novelist, for a tour in New York and Seattle from February 22 to March 2. The tour was launched in concert with the English publication of Matsuura's novel, "The Apprenticeship of Big Toe P," a gripping read and award-winning best seller in Japan.

During her stay, she met with hundreds of 200 readers at several events, including lectures at The Donald Keene Center of Japanese Culture at Columbia University and University of Washington in Seattle, a meeting with students at Bard College in New York; as well as book events at bookstores such as McNally Jackson in New York. Published in Japan in 1993, "The Apprenticeship of Big Toe P" tells the story of a young woman who wakes up one afternoon to discover that her big toe has turned into a penis. Ms. Matsuura explained that the motivation to write the book was to question the prescribed roles of men and women in Japan, forcing the reader to reconsider what many passively accept: one's body and one's sexuality. At each event, the author and the readers discussed on topics such as genders and love. The participants gave us positive feedbacks, including "I'm very pleased to have an opportunity to meet a Japanese novelist face to face"; and "Ms. Matsuura's philosophical perspective was very interesting."

Except for Haruki Murakami and Banana Yoshimoto who are quite popular in North America, Japanese contemporary novels are rarely introduced in English. We are hoping that through these encounters, more and more people will be interested in Japanese contemporary literature and beyond.

In addition to "An Evening with a Contemporary Japanese Novelist," the Japan Foundation New York office hosts "Japanese Contemporary Literature Project", an outreach program for high schools, universities, and book clubs in the U.S. to provide books of Japanese contemporary literature.

 

The Japan Cultural Institute in Rome has been offering Japanese-language courses since 1964. From October to June every year, 16 classes are offered in daytime and evening, on weekdays and Saturdays. Classes include a standard course to learn Japanese intensively for four years, and introductory and advanced courses. The total number of students annually comes to more than 500. In the past, the majority was university students majored in Japanese who took our classes as supplementary lessons. Today, a variety of people including high-school students, adults, and pensioners come to the Institute to learn Japanese; some are interested in Japanese traditional culture, while others are stimulated by Japanese pop culture. Among them is an eye-catching student who always shows up in costume of Japanese anime and is famous for winning an award last October at ROMICS,

the largest pop culture event in Rome. Listening to teachers’ explanations is only a part of class activities; students engage in writing a script in Japanese to perform a play, or interviewing with Japanese staff at the Institute to make a newspaper. The students who made the newspaper still had some difficulty in understanding Japanese, so their article turned out to state that one of our staff was making “waraji” (sandals made from straw rope) on holidays as a hobby. It really entertained us.

In addition, meetings called “Shaberiamo” are taking place to offer opportunities for Japanese learners in Italy who hardly have chances to practice their language skills. At the meetings, they can practice natural Japanese conversation with volunteer Japanese residents in Rome. “Shaberiamo” used to take place once a month, but in order to meet the increasing demand of participants, it is now

held twice or more per month. Each meeting has a particular theme, such as “Play” or “Tourist attractions in Rome.” The theme for March was “Japanese songs”, and the meeting resulted in an exciting karaoke party. Some of participants and volunteers go to local Japanese restaurants after meetings. “Shaberiamo” seems to have already been established as a forum for cultural exchange in Japanese.